Eugene City Council heard testimony Sept. 21 on a proposed ordinance that would require homeowners to disclose a Home Energy Score when they list a dwelling for sale.
The hearing drew testimony from homeowners, energy advocates and residents who spoke to what information a score could provide when buying and selling homes.
Jacob Trewe, a Ward 1 resident, told council the information could help buyers better understand the ongoing costs associated with a home.
“If we had that home energy score, people would have a better idea what it was they were actually getting in… people get into houses they can’t afford,” Trewe said.
Other speakers said energy scores could help buyers identify potential problems and understand the costs of upgrades.
Aya Cockram, a Ward 1 resident and chief petitioner for the Eugene Clean Energy Fund initiative on this November’s ballot, said she bought a 100-year-old home this year and would have used a score to plan improvements.
The proposed ordinance would require sellers to obtain a score that rates a home's expected energy use based on features such as insulation, windows, heating and cooling systems. The score also provides information about potential energy improvements.
Several speakers cited a previous Eugene program that provided scores at no cost to some residents.
The city, EWEB and the University of Oregon partnered in 2017 on the SCORE program. It provided Home Energy Scores to tenants and property owners in EWEB's service territory. Alejandro Garcia Iboa, a Ward 8 resident, found the program supplied information to people who otherwise might not know where to begin where energy efficiency is concerned.
Garcia Iboa said the average score among homes evaluated through the program was 3.7. He said that many of those homes were built around 1977.
The cost of obtaining a score emerged during the hearing.
Alexi Miller, vice chair of the Eugene Sustainability Commission, read from a letter supporting the ordinance but said the commission also had reservations about the effect of the assessment cost on lower-income homeowners. Miller said sellers could face a financial burden and could worry that a low score would affect a home's sale price.
Linda Kelley, a Ward 1 resident, estimated the cost of a Home Energy Score at about $300. She said homeowners who have invested in energy improvements should be able to supply that information to potential buyers.
Councilor Randy Groves echoed some cost concerns during the hearing. He said $300 could represent a significant expense for some homeowners. He suggested the city consider ways to offset the cost for lower-income residents.
Mayor Kaarin Knudson requested additional information about the previous SCORE program, including how many assessments it completed. She asked for data from city staff about Eugene's housing stock and how many homes were built before 1990.
City council is tentatively scheduled to take action on the ordinance at its Oct. 28 meeting.
