Point of Sale Energy Audit

On Wednesday, over a thousand Realtors will descend on Sacramento for our annual Legislative Day. A bus full of us from our local board of Realtors will join them.
This year, we have a specific pending bill to discuss with our State Senators. Last Wednesday, the Assembly passed AB 2678, which would authorize the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to establish a mandatory point of sale energy audit regulation for all residential and commercial buildings. It will now go to the State Senate for review and consideration.
Realtors have historically opposed point-of-sale retrofits. While they may be well intentioned, they are ineffective because they only apply to a small portion of the housing stock that changes hands every year, and they hurt housing affordability.
Waiting for point-of-sale to audit and retrofit homes simply takes too long. C.A.R.’s research data concludes only 22 percent of the homes built before 1980 (the homes most in need of retrofit) will change hands between now and 2020.
Home energy audits can cost up to $400+ per home. In addition, mandatory point-of-sale energy efficiency investments can add thousands of dollars to the price of a home. Every dollar counts when buying a home. California families are already finding it difficult to achieve and sustain home ownership. The point-of-sale mandates in AB 2678 will only make matters worse.
To really achieve the goals of California’s statewide and national energy and environmental policies and commitments, C.A.R. suggests AB 2678 be amended to reach all California homes through a comprehensive, phased in, statewide approach that does not burden home ownership at its most vulnerable point – when it sells!