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In the city of Austin, the new energy ordinance will require homeowners to conduct an energy efficiency audit before selling their home. The audit report must be disclosed to the buyer of their home. An energy audit and disclosure of information will become part of the home buying process in mid-2009.
In the hot Austin climate, energy efficiency has a lot to do with the efficiency of a central air conditioning system. We are more interested in cooling than heating, but both systems are used all year round. The new law aims to improve the energy performance of older homes in these critical areas:
Finding leaks and closing gaps in AC lines. (Channels can leak between 10% and 30%!)
Improvement of insulation in the attic to maintain conditioned air.
Keeping the sun hot with solar screens on the windows.
Reducing loss of conditioned air through cracks in doors and windows.
After some resistance from homeowners and groups, the law stopped imposing mandatory energy retrofits in order to sell the home. In today’s marketplace, it doesn’t make sense to add hardship or cost to the selling process. So the law has been shortened to require sellers to audit an energy and disclose the results to potential buyers.
Will buyers demand that the house they buy meet the requirements in terms of energy efficiency? The market will have to solve this. I think they will probably do it over time. Retailers will anticipate this when taking steps to correct wasteful energy losses in their home. . Most sellers would like to have a positive report to show potential buyers. They will want a clean health record. And we have to admit that the elements required for testing are really fundamental.
They are so fundamental that they generally go unnoticed. These are not green qualities that satisfy the ego or are visually appealing. We don’t see them in Dwell Magazine. They are not as exciting as wind turbines, solar panels, rainwater tanks or icestone meters. These are things most people would prefer not to think about. Like caulking and mastic. And ineffective dark screens and dusty old attic insulation. These are not improvements that make buyers say “I love it.”
So they were never the most important thing. Austin’s new Energy Audit Act will change all that. This will make these behind-the-scenes basics clear. Old houses will meet new technology. Homeowners will be able to improve the basic energy efficiency of their homes. This will mean lower utility bills. And fewer coal ejection plants. And the greener Austin.
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Source by Roselind Hejl