FmHA issues home thermal standards.

Lenders that sell new single-family homes guaranteed by the Farmers Home Adminis tration will have to know a little more about insulation starting Oct. 22. The FmHA issued a final rule (See Aug. 25 Federal Register) that implements thermal standards for construction of single-family housing. The rule, which adopts thermal requirements from the 1992 edition of th e Council of American Builders Model Energy Code, applies to all mortgages insured, guarantee d or made by the Department of Agriculture under Title V of the Housing Act of 1949. Previous ly, all FmHA loans were required to comply with thermal requirements outlined in Exhibit D of FmHA Instruction 1924-A.