Home sellers within the Austin city limits are now required by the new Energy Conservations Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) regulations to have an energy audit done on any home being sold that is more than ten years old. This energy audit is similar to an inspection and the report must be delivered to the potential buyer before the sale can take place. The audit report will outline everything that is wrong with the house, from an energy efficiency standpoint, and what needs to be done to correct it. Of the 310 homes in the first round of audits, 86% came back with duct problems alone. So if your home is more than ten years old, it is likely that the ECAD audit report will show problems. To avoid having to get an ECAD audit you can gain an exemption one of several ways.
The best way to receive an exemption from the ECAD audits if you live in the Austin city limits is to receive at least $500 in rebates from the Austin Energy rebate program.
This exemption allows you to do two things to make your home more attractive and will likely cost you less money than the ECAD audit would. First, you can advertise the improvements you have made to your home, attracting more green conscious buyers and second, by not having to perform an energy audit, you avoid having to pay for an audit that will inform potential buyers of every little problem that all houses have. Furthermore, because these improvements utilize the Austin Energy rebate programs you can exempt your house from the ECAD audits for practically no money out of pocket. The Austin Energy rebate programs give rebates to cover a majority of the cost of such energy efficiency improvements as: radiant barrier for the inside of you roof, increased attic insulation, solar screens or solar film on your windows, and duct sealing. All of which are great ways to add value to your home.Making these improvements will add value to your home and make it stand out in the Austin real estate market because, with the new ECAD regulations, home buyers are going to be more aware of energy efficiency problems and looking for homes that are already energy efficient. By using the Austin Energy rebate programs to improve the efficiency of your house, you will be able to give potential buyers a list of measures already taken to improve the efficiency of the home instead of a list of all of the ways your home is inefficient. This is a simple way to add value to your home and reduce energy costs without spending a lot of money. Why spend money on an ECAD audit when you could spend that same money adding value to your home and making it more attractive to buyers, while also gaining an exemption to the ECAD audits all at the same time?
How to Stand Out in the Austin Real Estate Market by Gaining Exemption From ECAD Audits