The EPS program, which was launched in July 2009, “translates good building science into something the homeowner can understand: energy bills and carbon footprint,” says Kendall Youngblood, residential sector manager for Energy Trust of Oregon.
“A new home has never been lived in before, so you don’t know how much it will cost to run every month. And [the EPS] allows builders to communicate the efficiency that they’ve built into their homes and the value they’ve added. They also like that it allows them to communicate to the homeowner what their [green building] certifications really mean,” Youngblood adds. In addition, home builders receive incentives based on the EPS of each home they build.
During 2009, all new homes that were certified under one of the Earth Advantage Institute-managed building programs—Earth Advantage, Energy Star, or LEED for Homes—also were evaluated for an EPS, Heslam notes. To date, 350 to 400 homes have gone through the EPS program. This year, Energy Trust of Oregon is promoting the advantages of all homes—not just green-certified homes—receiving an EPS evaluation.
The city of Seattle is implementing Earth Advantage Institute’s EPS program locally, but it is focusing on existing homes rather than new homes and is using a set of proposed audit methods specifically developed for existing homes. To pilot the program, Seattle City Light is offering up to 5,000 home energy audits for utility customers at a low rate of $95. The Earth Advantage Institute and Energy Trust of Oregon are in the process of finalizing an EPS audit method for existing homes that will be implemented alongside the new-homes program.
Energy Audit Mandates Possible
Legislation passed in 2009 in Oregon mandated the development of a voluntary energy performance scoring system for new and existing buildings and created a task force to determine whether such a system should be mandatory for properties listed for sale. According to Youngblood, the task force is considering the Earth Advantage/Energy Trust EPS program as one possible solution. Similarly, Austin, Texas, implemented energy audits for homes for sale in 2009, while the audits have been required in San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif., since the 1980s. The NEEP report also outlined steps for establishing a building energy rating system in the Northeast, including mandatory rating disclosure policies and mandatory upgrade policies.
While most builders likely would prefer that any energy performance rating system remain voluntary, Youngblood thinks it will have more value if eventually it is made mandatory. “It’s always a good idea to keep it voluntary at first to work out the kinks,” she says, “but if it remains voluntary you lose a lot of the value. Unless you have an EPS for every home, the market doesn’t really have the information it needs and we can’t drive efficiency. If it isn’t eventually made mandatory, that’s a missed opportunity.”
Work on energy performance labeling is occurring at the national level, as well. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 called on federal agencies to create a residential and commercial building performance labeling program. Currently, the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are working together to develop a system and are closely following the progress of the Oregon EPS program.
With the federal government continuing to hone in on energy matters and consumers increasingly voting for energy efficiency with their wallets, more state and city governments may consider implementing their own energy performance labeling programs and mandatory audits.
Read more about energy performance labeling and energy audit mandates from JetsonGreen and The Wall Street Journal.
Read residential architect‘s article about a proposed ecological performance scorecard.
