Do you live in the City of Austin? Will you be selling your Austin home after June 1st of this year? Or, Do you plan to buy a home in Austin after June 1st?
If you said “yes”…keep reading.
Effective June 1st, 2009 the City of Austin’s Ordinance No. 20081106-047 requires all sellers of non-exempt residential, multi-family and commercial properties within Austin city limits to complete an energy audit and disclose the findings of the audit report to prospective homebuyers prior to the sale. The energy audits will have to be performed by certified Building Home Performance Analysts approved by Austin Energy and should cost approximately $200-$400.
What is the purpose of this energy audit?
The city wants to encourage Austin homeowners to voluntarily participate in energy efficiency programs through Austin Energy. “The goals of this program are to lower energy consumption by driving the market towards demanding higher standards of home energy efficiency. Reduced demand for electricity will benefit us all in the following ways; lower monthly bills; lower taxes because the City will not have to construct additional power plants and better air quality due to reduced CO2 emissions” says Susan Marler, founder of Energy Action.
What does this mean to you? Are you a Seller or a Buyer?
Sellers: This means that the cost of selling Austin homes after June 1st, 2009 will increase. You may also have a harder time selling your home if your energy audit report is unsatisfactory to prospective Buyers. The good news is that you will have a greater understanding of your home’s level of energy efficiency and you’ll be participating in a collective effort to lower Austin’s energy usage, create green jobs, and take better care of our environment.
Buyers: This means that after June 1st, 2009 the seller(s) of a non-exempt property within the city of Austin will be required to complete a mandatory energy audit and disclose the findings of that report to you prior to closing. This will offer you a better understanding of the home’s energy efficiency so that you can make a more informed buying decision.
Next steps?
- Take action now before your home gets audited and improve your home’s energy efficiency for better audit results. For example, air seal and insulate your home, improve your heating and cooling efficiency, and when replacing appliances choose energy star appliances.
- Participate in one of Austin Energy’s designated utility programs and you may be exempt from the mandatory audit.
- Call The GoodLife Team today and get your home sold before June 1st.
- Contact Energy Action today for more information or to schedule your energy audit online. They give 25% of their annual profits to local charities.
- Post your questions below.
Who is exempt from POS energy audits and disclosure, you ask?
- Austin properties in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure.
- Austin properties subject to eminent domain.
- Austin properties involved in transactions between family members and properties under court order, in probate proceedings or under decree of legal separation or dissolution of marriage.
- Austin properties that are less than 10 years old.
- Austin manufactured homes designed for use without a permanent foundation.
- Austin properties owned by participants in designated Austin Energy Electric Utility programs or buyers who agree in writing to participate in these programs within six months.
*Special thanks to Susan Marler of Energy Action for her help in producing this piece.
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looks like the only company in town that legitimately knows whats going on is Green Collar Operations
http://www.greencollaroperations.com
I had them come out and do an audit and fix my ducts and perform air infiltration. They have about 800 or so customers in Williamson County and told me they would come back out to my house and give me the certificate once the city’s requirements are in place for the mandatory audits. Nice guys and a local company
have you heard of them or worked with them?
Andrew, thank you for your comments and recommendation of Green Collar Operations. I have not heard of them or worked with them, but we are always open to hearing what level of support service professionals can offer our customers.
Can you have your contact at Green Collar Operations give us a call?
What do you think differentiates this company from their competition in the marketplace? What is their competitive advantage?
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
There are plenty of great companies in Austin offering home energy audits. Many Austin residents are already doing the right thing and having home energy audits preformed on a voluntary basis. Not only is it good for the environment, when they make the recommended improvements, they also save on their energy bills. Visit Austin Energy’s website for a list of companies
http://web.memberclicks.com/mc/directory/viewSaveSearch.do?searchId=58331&orgId=aec
We used Green Footprint Solutions.
Sarah, thank you. we greatly appreciate your feedback and followership. i am glad that we are providing you with valuable content that will help you make more informed decisions.
Marie, well said! Thank you for your comments. Keep them coming!
Sarah-
Thanks for continuing to come back to our blog — and thanks for the post! We work to only post information that we think will be valuable to homeowners. The feedback is appreciated!
Let us know if there are any topics you would like for us to write about.
Thanks again.
Krisstina
Thank you for the link to the Austin Energy site and referral to Green Footprint Solutions. I agree with you in that what many people probably don’t know is that by “greening” their home – they can save potentially hundreds of dollars in terms of savings on utility bills as well as City rebates and IRS tax deductions. To learn more about possible tax deductions by upgrading your home to be more energy efficient visit http://www.energystar.gov
Thanks for the blog. I actually heard about Green Collar Operations from a friend that had used them up in Round Rock and then found them again on your blog. I heard about the mandatory energy audit and disclosure act and checked out the city of austin rebate provider list and then called Green Collar. They came out about 3 weeks ago and did a great job. My air ducts were leaking big time as was my house (built in the 70’s). The city came out last week and signed off on the rebate for me – all in all I was very happy with these guys. their website is http://www.greencollaroperations.com
you can call them and most likley Rob will come out to your house to give you an idea of what they can do for you. I have yet to see my energy bill, but it looks like my A/C system is running about 1/2 the time so I’m guessing that my energy usage it down
The City of Austin Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) Ordinance goes into effect on June 1st. This ordinance mandates that sellers provide potential buyers with a home energy audit before a home sale closes.
Our company, Energy Action is conducting these audits and we are currently accepting appointments. We are working to make this transaction as easy as possible for agents and their clients by providing online scheduling and payment.
Please see our website, http://www.energyaction.com, to learn more about the ordinance and acquaint yourself with our services. We would be happy to visit with you or your clients if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Susan Marler