Surrounded by bare beams in the partially built home, the jeans-clad men huddled in a circle, staring down at a ventilation duct swelling with air.

It wasn't that they were hard up for entertainment.

For those watching a meter read how much air traveled through the silvery material, it was a big moment for home construction in Coeur d'Alene.

"It does make a big difference," said Brett Bies, operations manager with JB Heating and Sheetmetal, Inc., as he stood in the home on West Freeland Drive. "It ends up being better for the community and homeowners, both in the cost of energy and reducing our energy waste."

Bies was referring to the ventilation duct test he was conducting - the first, he said, to be done in Coeur d'Alene since North Idaho cities and counties adopted the 2009 International Residential Building Code on Jan. 1.

Some say the code, which requires ventilation testing and engineering for the first time, will help homeowners cut energy costs.

But others worry those standards will only raise the price tag of construction.

"It will add $1,500 to every house," said Rod Underhill, president of the North Idaho Building and Contractors Association. "Every time you add $1,000 or $1,500, then x amount of families can't afford it anymore."

A handful of building inspectors in the region came to watch the first testing on Tuesday.

"It's new for all of us," said Keith Clemans, building and mechanical inspector for the city of Coeur d'Alene, as he watched Bies analyze the meter. "I think we can absorb it (the testing method)."

The HVAC test - heating, ventilating and air conditioning - measures the amount of air leaking from a home's underground ventilation ducts. Although ducts were already required to be sealed at joints and seams, Bies said, the success was only determined by visual inspections.

"There was no insurance it was done properly," Bies said. "We do a lot of replacements, and we've found a lot of homes that don't have any sealant."

When the proper sealant is applied, he added, it reduces leakage from 50 percent to under 10 percent.

"In the past, you'd throw a duct in, but it leaked out in crawl spaces and attics, and you'd lose a lot of the air you're paying for," he said.

Clemans added that the new testing will ensure that members of the building industry are shooting for the same standard.

"It makes sure we're all on the same page. Uniformity," Clemans said. "I'm glad that it's here. It provides more assurance that everything is working well."

But it shouldn't be necessary, Underhill said.

"It's a check system, checking to make sure it's been done, but if you had a qualified heating company, it was already being done," said Underhill, owner of Underhill Construction, Inc.

Home builders will have to pay companies roughly $1,500 for both ventilation testing and engineering, Underhill said.

"A larger house would cost more," he said.

Many NIBCA members opposed those provisions in the code for just that reason, he said, as the organization aims for affordable housing.

He added that contractors he has spoken to in North Idaho have said they passed the new test with flying colors.

"And they haven't changed anything they've been doing for years," Underhill said. "I think most of our builders and contractors don't think it needs it needs to be done."

The testing standard depends on the size and configuration of the house, Bies said.

Those who fail must correct the problems and retake the test, he added.

The testing has required some expense from JB Heating and Sheetmetal, Bies said, pointing out that the company had to buy the $2,000 Retrotec testing equipment.

But it's worth it, he said.

"To stay in business," he said. "We have happier customers, they have warmer homes and lower ventilating bills."