<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2N9sy9_19i2eSnt00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2N9sy9_19i2eSnt00" width="986" height="555" >EUGENE, Ore. — The City of Eugene is in the process of drafting an ordinance to require homeowners who are selling their homes to provide their home energy scores, as determined by a licensed home energy assessor, to potential buyers.Score metrics were developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to help people understand how efficiently their homes use energy, according to Roger Kainu, an analyst and regional solutions member with the state department.KVAL -{ }New scoring system could bring changes to Eugene housing market"It delivers transparency to folks looking for a house, because a lot of times you can have two houses that look identical," Kainu said. "When that happens, how do you know what the energy performance is until you actually live in the home?"A home's insulation, A/C systems, windows, roofs, and electronics can all impact that score.Once these features are analyzed, the home is then ranked on a level of one through 10, a one meaning a homeowner uses too much energy and a 10 meaning they use the least amount.The home energy assessment would need to be concluded before advertising the home for sale, costing sellers about $150, according to the city.Sellers would then need to list that report for prospective buyers to see.At the city council work session meeting on March 9, City Councilor Mike Clark expressed his concerns regarding the cost, saying the requirement would make the city's housing market less affordable."The housing market in our community and all across country, but certainly in our community, has two problems. We have a housing affordability problem and we have a housing availability problem," Clark said. "This particular bit of work solves neither problem. It makes it worse."Kainu said that home energy scores will not impact the housing market."The good benefits that come from a home energy score for city dwellers or residents are that it keeps the money in the pockets of the residents, locally. So if you have more dollars saved on your energy use, you have more money to spend locally in that economy," Kainu said.More than half of homes in Eugene were built before 1990, meaning homes have poor insulation, inefficient heating systems and outdated appliances, according to the city.For Lane County, 34 percent of households are considered energy burdened, which affects lower income households, the city's website states.The goal of this policy is to increase transparency, support informed decisions, encourage energy saving upgrades and leverage real estate, according to the city.KVAL asked the city when it next expects to bring up the proposed ordinance at a public hearing, but the city did not immediately respond. If moved to a vote, the ordinance could be approved by September, according to the city's timeline posted on its website.</div></body>

Block Source: KVAL

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

EUGENE, Ore. — The City of Eugene is in the process of drafting an ordinance to require homeowners who are selling their homes to provide their home energy scores, as determined by a licensed home energy assessor, to potential buyers. Score metrics were developed by the U.S. Department of...

New scoring system could bring changes to Eugene housing market

NewsBreak

EUGENE, Ore. — The City of Eugene is in the process of drafting an ordinance to require homeowners who are selling their homes to provide their home energy

New scoring system could bring changes to Eugene housing market

Comments