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Triple Bottom Line Analysis for Home Energy Score Policy <br />Environmental Health <br />One of the large contributors to GHG emissions in Eugene is home heating (including hot water). <br />In 2015 residential natural gas use, primarily for heating, represented approximately 7% of the <br />City's Scope 1 GHG emissions (Eugene's 2015 GHG Inventory - market-based Electricity <br />accounting methodology). A well-designed Home Energy Score program should help renters and <br />buyers get access to energy information at times when important decisions affecting the homes <br />energy use can be made and improve the energy efficiency of the City’s building stock over time. <br />For homes that use fossil fuels or are updating heating systems, low-carbon heat pumps are <br />encouraged over fossil fuels. <br />Economic Prosperity <br />Home Energy Scores provide an opportunity to increase energy efficiency of the City’s building <br />stock while also lowering total cost for renters and home buyers. The program encourages <br />energy efficiency investments in properties, which creates local jobs, healthier homes, and <br />reduced energy burden for customers. Reducing energy burden keeps families in homes which <br />benefits the community overall. <br />Social Equity <br />Rental units are often inefficient and poorly insulated, with high energy costs coming as a <br />surprise for some tenants and few incentives for landlords to improve. Providing energy usage <br />information early in the rental process can help tenants assess the total cost of living in a unit, <br />including energy, before they move in. Requiring this information be made available to potential <br />renters incentivizes landlords to act to improve the efficiency of their rentals and lower total <br />cost. Similar benefits are shared by home-buyers, including first time buyers, who are better able <br />to assess the total cost of living in a home before purchase. It also gives home buyers access to <br />information that can help them roll potential improvements into their mortgage, lowering total <br />cost. The recommendations of Equity Stakeholders including Elderly, ESL, Tenant, Low-Income, <br />Communities of Color, and Housing Advocates should be sought in the policy drafting process. <br />January 16, 2019, Work Session - Item 2