A provision in state legislation being debated that would require home sellers to have an energy audit done before a house is sold would amount to a mandate penalizing sellers on fixed incomes or those who can’t afford to make energy improvements, a real estate group says.

The Senate version of the comprehensive energy package being hammered out in the closing days of this legislative session includes a section that would require a home energy audit to be done within three years before a sale, according to Sen. Benjamin Downing, D-Pittsfield, who was one of the bill’s key authors and is now on the conference committee reconciling the Senate version with the House version. Homes would be given an energy-efficiency rating so that buyers had that information before purchase, similar to stickers on cars that estimate miles per gallon and annual fuel costs for all vehicles sold.

But Corinne Fitzgerald, a Greenfield real estate agent who is the immediate past president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, called the requirement “a very slippery slope” that would hurt people with a low efficiency score but who can’t afford to make improvements — forcing them to sell for less.

“It will stigmatize properties,” said Fitzgerald. “Scoring doesn’t equal efficiency.”

The group favors the state’s existing free home energy audit program, she said, and real estate agents already call on sellers to provide buyers with information about utility costs.

“We do support energy efficiency and helping people understand energy usage and the ability to get a free audit,” said Fitzgerald.

But requiring energy audits “protects the potential buyer, so they know what they’re getting into when they’re buying a house,” said Claire Chang, co-owner of the Greenfield Solar Store. Otherwise, there’s no way to compare whether — or how much — insulation and air sealing has been done, she said.

“It’s like getting a (home) inspection done, so you can compare one house with another,” said Chang. Realtors don’t want it because it adds more complexity. “I think it’s to the advantage of any homeowner to know that their home is well insulated,” she said, adding that free air sealing and insulation is available for houses that have been audited.

You can reach Richie Davis at: rdavis@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 269