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Regional Multiple Listing Service soon to identify new homes with energy efficient & green certifications |
- PORTLAND — As rising energy costs and global warming concerns impel more consumers to make money saving and green choices, homebuyers in Oregon and Southwest Washington soon will be able to shop specifically for energy efficient and green home features.
Oregon’s Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS™) Board of Directors recently agreed to expand its database by spring 2007 to include information on energy efficient and green home features, making this region one of the few in the nation where this is possible.
RMLS™ forms will now include:
· Home performance and green home certifications such as ENERGY STAR®, LEED® for Homes, Earth Advantage® and others
· High efficiency 90 AFUE furnaces
· ENERGY STAR qualified appliances
· Source of electrical power, including specific utility service and solar features
· Additional home modifications, including sustainable materials, water filters, rain collectors and solar tubes
“Energy Trust supports Oregonians who are making good energy decisions, and this decision by RMLS will help even more Oregonians do just that,” said Margie Harris, executive director, Energy Trust. “New homebuyers will be able to tell the differences between conventional construction and those of ENERGY STAR homes. Buyers for existing homes will also benefit by being able to identify homes that have been upgraded with high efficiency furnaces, tankless water heaters, ENERGY STAR appliances and solar electric and water heating systems.”
“Green and energy efficient features have emerged as some of the most important and sought-after by buyers in our RMLS™ service area,” said RMLS™ CEO Beth Murphy. “With the help of their Realtors®, homebuyers now will be able to pinpoint homes with those features.”
Given the rising popularity and significant benefits of energy efficient and green home features, these new RMLS™ capabilities will formalize the additional value these features bring to a home. In particular, potential buyers will be able to easily identify homes that incorporate a comprehensive suite of energy efficient and green features that are third-party certified to save energy, money and natural resources.
Everyone involved in real estate transactions will benefit from the RMLSTM additions, including homebuyers, builders of new homes, sellers of existing homes, real estate agents and appraisers.
• Homebuyers, 78 percent of whom say they would choose one home over another based on its energy efficiency, will be able to search for homes with lower energy costs and environmental impact. Four out of five of the same homebuyers recognize the value of the ENERGY STAR label and 67 percent of them recognize the Earth Advantage brand. (Source: Shelton Group survey, released in October 2005)
• Homebuilders, nine of 10 saying they incorporate energy-saving products or features into new homes, will be able to differentiate themselves from the competition at a time when the market is cooling. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 64 percent of homebuilders will either be heavily or moderately involved nationally in green building projects. (Source: survey released at the 2006 International Builders Show by Lowe’s. Survey: Homebuilders name energy efficiency as biggest industry trend, GreeBiz.com, January 2006)
• Home sellers, who have invested money into energy savings and sustainability features, can better promote their home’s higher resale value.
• Real estate agents have new ways to better meet their clients’ needs whether representing the buyer or seller. Seventy-five percent of those consumers that have used a Realtor in the past confirmed that they would turn to a “green” Realtor if there were a mechanism for searching and tracking homes built to energy efficient and green building measures.
• Appraisers will grow in their ability to incorporate energy efficient and green home features into a home’s appraised value.
This decision from the RMLS™ Board of Directors came in response to a proposal spearheaded by Meadows Group, Inc.’s Kria Lacher, who is a certified EcoBroker and markets herself as “Portland’s Green REALTOR,” and supported by a consortium of well known and trusted organizations, including ENERGY STAR Homes Northwest, Earth Advantage, Inc., and LEED for Homes. Lacher crafted a similar proposal last year, but it was not approved.
Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc., offers a full range of energy efficiency and renewable resource programs for residential customers, including the Home Energy Savings program for existing homes, Efficient New Homes for ENERGY STAR qualified homes, Efficient Home Products for ENERGY STAR qualified appliances, and Solar Electric and Solar Water Heating programs. Energy Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing how Oregonians use energy by promoting energy efficiency and clean renewable energy for Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Avista and Cascade Natural Gas. For more information, visit the Energy Trust website, www.energytrust.org <http://www.energytrust.org> , or call 1-866-ENTRUST.
RMLS™ is the Multiple Listing Service for the Portland Metropolitan area and Lane, Douglas, Curry, Coos, Hood River and Wasco Counties in Oregon as well as Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties in Washington. Their mission is to provide Realtor® members and the real estate industry with accurate and timely information and produce services that are cost effective, efficient and uniform. For more information, go to www.rmls.com <http://www.rmls.com> .
Earth Advantage, Inc., a non-profit, is a leader in the sustainable building industry in the Pacific Northwest. Earth Advantage homes are designed for overall sustainability and use at least 15 percent less energy than houses built to standard code practices. The corporation has the ability to certify homes as Earth Advantage, ENERGY STAR, or LEED for Homes. For more information, visit www.earthadvantage.org <http://www.earthadvantage.org> .
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED for Homes program is a voluntary initiative promoting the transformation of the mainstream home building industry towards more sustainable practices. For more information, go to www.usgbc.org |
Posted on:
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 12:09 AM |
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