Thursday, July 21, 2011

Selling a home? Get an Energy Performance Score!

Are you a real estate agent or homeowner looking to sell a home in Whatcom County? The Community Energy Challenge is providing a new service that can be a valuable tool for anyone with a house on the market. It’s called an Energy Performance Score (EPS), and it’s like a MPG rating for your home, showing potential buyers how energy efficient it is.


GreenWorks Realty recently performed a study of environmentally certified homes in King County and found that homes with environmental certifications sold for 8.5% more per square foot and in 22% less time even while being 9% smaller on average than non-certified homes. A similar study showed that environmentally certified homes commanded a 30% premium on average in the Portland metro area. There is a distinct market advantage for energy efficient homes and an EPS can help you quantify this for buyers.

Providing potential buyers with an Energy Performance Score also empowers them with information about the home so they know what they are getting up front. The EPS report can be used as an integral part of the home's portfolio and provides a tangible takeaway for the buyer.

The EPS is different than the full residential energy assessment. It costs $125 and takes less time to perform compared to the full residential assessment. After the visit to the home by a Certified Building Analyst, the seller will receive an EPS report that they can use to inform potential buyers about how well the home performs in terms of energy efficiency, but unlike the full assessment there is no need for follow-up visits.

For more information or to fill out our form to indicate your interest in receiving an Energy Performance Score for your home, click here.