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Home Energy Score Policy for Eugene Fact Sheet <br />Why pursue a Home Energy Score policy? <br />Providing a Home Energy Score, similar to a mpg rating for cars, when a home is listed for sale or <br />rent can help prospective buyers and renters better assess expected energy cost and increase the <br />likelihood that improvements will happen at the time of property transfer, lowering future <br />energy costs for residents. <br />What is a “home energy performance report”? <br />A home energy performance report is defined in Oregon Revised Statutes 469.703 and 469.040 <br />and in Oregon Administrative Rule OAR 330-063-0000, and includes the following information: <br />A score and an explanation of the score. <br />An estimate of the total annual energy used in the home, by fuel type. <br />An estimate of the total monthly or annual cost of energy purchased for use in the home, in <br />dollars, by fuel type. <br />The current average annual utility retail energy price, by fuel type. <br />What Does a Home Energy Score Cost (from Portland BPS)? <br />As of July 2016, the market rate cost to obtain a home energy performance report is between <br />$150 and $250. This is the cost of having a trained, certified home energy assessor conduct a 45- <br />minute, in-home assessment and generate the report based on the data gathered from the home <br />visit. The information obtained through a home energy assessment goes beyond a typical home <br />inspection, including a review of the home’s mechanical systems, insulation, air sealing and <br />opportunities for cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades. Sellers pay a private-sector home <br />energy assessor for the cost of the home energy performance report, not the City. Home energy <br />scores are a market-based solution for making home energy performance more transparent in <br />the home buying process. <br />Experience from Austin, Texas suggests that as the volume of home energy assessments <br />increases, the retail cost of the assessment declines. The cost of a home energy performance <br />assessment in Austin is currently stable at $125. <br />What other cities have passed similar policies (from Portland BPS)? <br />Several U.S. cities have passed similar disclosure policies for the homes market, including Austin, <br />Texas; Berkeley, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Boulder, Colorado. Internationally, <br />residential disclosure policies are in effect in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Australia. <br />Relation to Poverty and Homelessness <br />In April 2016, the Lane County Poverty and Homelessness Board (PHB) adopted a strategic plan <br />which, in part, addresses the need to increase the availability and access to coordinated <br />supportive housing, shelter, and services. The strategic plan identified the lack of affordable January 16, 2019, Work Session - Item 2