Energy Consumption, are You Listening?

Unless you've been living under a rock or on a remote tropical island you may have noticed the cost of energy has risen dramatically, especially over the last year. Most everyone is constantly reminded of the cost of gasoline when we fuel up or cars, but what about our homes?  If you own a home you usually get a monthly shock...er electric bill and the gas or oil bill. Those are often big reminders of how much energy costs have increased.

But what if you don't own a home? Say you're looking to buy a home. Then you may not have any past experience to go by. You're concerned with how you are going to afford the mortgage, insurance and taxes. But what about the maintenance costs, the biggest of which is the energy bills.

I hear many clients ask their Realtor about these costs during the home inspection. Yet when I ask Agents, "Are your clients concerned about energy costs?" The answer is often, "No".

It would certainly seem that, yes homebuyers are concerned about energy use. But more importantly there is something that can be done to lower these cost for most purchasers.

The Home Energy Tune-uP is an energy audit which can be done as an add on service with the home inspection. Further it can be done as a stand alone service for existing homes. The Tune-uP report details where the home can be improved for the biggest savings for the smallest cost.

When buying a home is one of the most opportune times for a future homeowner to implement energy improvements because they can finance the improvements as part of their mortgage and save money. The savings comes through paying less for energy by improvements that save more than the additional cost to the mortgage payment. So the homeowner is actually putting money in their pocket.

In this tough housing market the Tune-uP program may also be used as a listing advantage. The seller could have the Tune-uP done and then choose to address any big issues. This could help make the home more attractive to buyers who are energy cost conscious.

The last, and I feel the most important, aspect of this program is it is done exclusively by home inspectors. Home inspectors embody the knowledge and skills that make them the ideal professionals to perform an energy evaluation of a home.

As we move forward I believe that home buyers will be looking for homes that have been made more energy efficient. It may even become mandatory to have the home audited or rated before sale as it is now in some European countries.  What ever the future may bring it is undoubtedly an intelligent choice to look for and refer home inspectors who can and do provide this type of service.

James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our high tech services click on the links below: