Home Energy Efficiency Ratings Can Now be Included on MLS

August 8, 2011
Source:

Sellers can use an EnerGuide Rating to prove that their home is a good investment, offering increased comfort, reduced operating costs and a reduced environmental impact”  

For Immediate Release: August 8, 2011
VICTORIA, BC –The energy efficiency of a home is increasingly becoming a factor in the home selling and buying process. Thanks to the Time of Sale EnerGuide for Houses Labelling Pilot Project, launched August 8th, home sellers of single family and row houses in the Capital Regional District can benefit from a free, independent rating of their home’s energy efficiency and the ability to post this rating on the MLS®.

“Sellers who have upgraded their homes with new heating systems, windows, insulation or air sealing can use an EnerGuide Rating to prove to buyers that their home is a good investment, offering increased comfort, good sound proofing from outside noise, improved indoor air quality, reduced operating costs and a reduced environmental impact and carbon footprint,” explains Peter Sundberg, Executive Director of City Green Solutions.

To get started, home sellers have a home energy assessment with a Certified Energy Advisor then voluntarily post their home’s EnerGuide (energy efficiency) rating on the MLS®. A home’s EnerGuide rating is measured on a scale of 0 to 100. A rating of 100 represents a home that is extremely energy efficient and requires no purchased energy on an annual basis.

“If the energy assessment identifies that the home for sale is not particularly efficient, obtaining an EnerGuide rating makes a home eligible for substantial government incentives for energy efficiency upgrades,” explains Sundberg. “The energy assessment report also provides a prioritized list of energy renovation opportunities and in-person support from a certified energy advisor to help guide the home renovation planning process.”

It is free for both homebuyers and sellers to participate in this pilot program, thanks to a $150 rebate from the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, BC Hydro, the Victoria Real Estate Board, the Capital Regional District and participating municipalities for the cost of the home energy assessment.

To book an energy assessment for the Time of Sale EnerGuide for Houses Labelling Pilot Project, call City Green at 250.381.9995 or visit www.citygreen.ca. City Green is the only non-profit delivery agent for the Time of Sale pilot program and provider of the LiveSmart BC and ecoENERGY programs in BC.

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Media Contact:
Glenys Verhulst
Communications Coordinator
City Green Solutions
250.381.9995 x. 110
ecoenergy@citygreen.ca

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