Portland's New Energy Performance Scoring System Is Coming
As part of our ongoing professional development here at Urban Nest, we are constantly sending our agents out to learn more about the market and the industry in which we operate. Recently, we were honored to attend the 6th Annual Home Performance Conference, hosted by the Home Performance Guild of Oregon.
Urban Nest agents Wren, Susan, Dill and Rachel attended the annual Home Performance Conference, hosted at the White Stag building in downtown Portland. Rachel notes, "It was terrific and focused on the new Energy Performance Score (EPS) rating that will, as of January 1st, become part of each real estate transaction."
As part of this development, a seller will soon be required to have an Energy Performance assessor come through their home, before they list it, in order to determine the house's EPS score. That score will then be posted on the RMLS listing so that buyers will be able to see how energy efficient the house is.
The assessment will focus on everything from windows to solar panels to attic insulation and more. Each report will include a section also listing out energy efficient upgrades that could be done to improve the score. The scoring system is based on a rating of 1 - 10, with "1" being the lowest and ten the highest. 5 will be considered average. You can learn more about the new scoring system here at the City of Portland's Department of Planning and Sustainability office website.
By attending the 6th Annual Home Performance Conference, we were able to expand our professional network, engaging with other like-minded PDX businesses currently working with clients to buy and sell homes here in our community.
A Few FAQs About the New Home Energy Score
Will the policy apply to accessory dwelling units (ADUs)?
ADUs that are part of the primary residence will automatically be captured in the home performance energy assessment, which is based on all the rooms within the outer envelope of the home. Detached ADUs will not be covered by the policy.
How much does it cost to obtain a home energy performance report?
As of July 2016, the market rate cost to obtain a home energy performance report is between $150-$250. This is the cost of having a trained, certified home energy assessor conduct a 45-minute, in-home assessment and generate the report based on the data gathered from the home visit.
Read more FAQs on the new policy and get answers here.
Details About the Home Performance Conference
Wednesday, September 27th, 2017
7:30am – 6:00pm
University of Oregon’s White Stag Block
From the site:
"The City of Portland Home Energy Score program will begin on January 1, 2018. The program requires sellers of single-family homes to obtain a home energy report, including a home energy score, from a licensed home energy assessor. A home energy score provides an easy to understand and comparable method for understanding how a house uses energy. What difference does that make? To begin, approximately a third of the costs required every year for the operation of a home is related to energy, so it makes good business sense to have information regarding a home’s energy use and efficiencies when purchasing a house. With that knowledge, potential buyers can make better decisions for their own particular needs."
More About the Home Performance Guild
According to their website, "the Home Performance Guild of Oregon is a group of dedicated, experienced Home Performance Specialists, committed to working together to educate and serve homeowners, companies, and policy makers."
"Our mission is to change how people throughout our region think about the health of our homes. We believe that when we understand the 'house as a system,' we are able to deliver integrated comfort, safety, efficiency, and indoor air quality."
[Photos via: Urban Nest, Dept. of Planning and Sustainability/City of PDX]