Home sales in Ann Arbor would require an energy assessment. That’s the aim of a proposed city ordinance. The first reading passed unanimously at last night’s city council meeting.
It’s called the “Home Energy Rating Disclosure” ordinance, and it is intended to be a consumer protection. If it ultimately passes, an energy score would be assigned to any home that goes up for sale.
The score would be based on a number of factors: an estimate on the total monthly or annual cost needed to operate the home, how it compares to similar-sized dwellings, and if there are any on-site renewable energy.
Missy Stults is Ann Arbor’s Sustainability and Innovations Director.
“It’s really about the performance of that home to make sure, you know, you’re not buying a home that you can’t afford to heat or cool.”
Stults says this is the second of three consumer protection ordinances around energy. The first that was passed was the energy and water disclosure benchmarking ordinance. The next will be focused on rental units.
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