Austin's Energy Efficiency Ordinance

For all of you asking me for updates on the City of Austin's Energy Efficiency Ordinance - here ya go.....

As you know, Mayor Will Winn charged the City Council with mandating energy efficiency upgrades to be required before a home in the city can be sold. Our friends at the Austin Board of Realtors, alone with the Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee (TREPAC) have worked very hard to make sure that such an ordinance be positive rather than prohibitive. You can see more about the history of this endeavor by looking at the Keep Austin Affordable website.

The City Council has recently approved the draft ordinance - and it looks very very different from the original suggestions that were tossed out. Homeowners in Austin should be very happy with the outcome. You can view the actual ordinance by clicking this link. As with most city ordinances, the verbiage is extremely broad and leaves a ton of opportunity for various interpretations. These change are slated to take effect June 1, 2009. Clearly there is much more work to be done - so keep your eyes peeled.

Bottom line is that upgrades will be voluntary. Homeowners WILL be required to have an energy audit and disclose the results of that audit on the MLS listing along with the regular Sellers Disclosure. This will be a small investment for sellers, but beats the heck out of being required to bring properties up to a specific code.

Where are the opportunities here, you may ask? Get the audit done NOW and start working toward completing some of the recommendations. Some of this is work you can complete on your own. Some will require professional assistance. When your house compares more favorable than your neighbors house, that will be a good thing. Remember the city has low/no interest loans available for energy upgrades - as do many of the banks and credit unions in town. Austin Energy also has lots of rebates to help offset the cost.

One additional important note. As written today, the ordinance applies ONLY to properties that are in the Austin City Limits, AND are served by Austin Energy. If you are outside the Austin City Limits, OR are not served by Austin Energy - you have a get out of jail free card. However - this is still a great way to set your house apart from those you will be competing with when it comes time to sell.... Then there's that whole global warming thing....