Orange County Register – A recent University of California study found that green-certified homes sell for about 9 percent more than similar homes that aren’t green.

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Note: What about privacy???

Facebook, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Opower have joined with 16 utilities to launch a social energy app that leverages the Facebook platform to allow people to quickly and easily start benchmarking their home’s energy usage against similar homes, compare energy use with friends, enter energy-saving competitions, and share tips on how to become more energy efficient.

Find out more about the app at: http://opower.com/company/news-press/press_releases/50.

C.A.R. is sponsoring Assembly Bill 1711, which will clearly define what constitutes an energy efficiency retrofit that would “unreasonably or unnecessarily” affect a home purchase.

Recently enacted legislation requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to pursue energy conservation in a way that does not “unreasonably or unnecessarily” affect the real estate sales process.  However, the lack of a clear definition of “unreasonably or unnecessarily” fails to provide sensible limits on the programs that can be imposed on home buyers by the CEC.

The CEC is currently evaluating implementation strategies focusing on programs requiring installation of energy saving improvements at the time a home is purchased.  Such programs, for example, can require home purchasers to pay for improvements that will never pay for themselves over the lifetime of the improvement. Additionally, the CEC is considering requirements that could add thousands of dollars to the up-front cost of a home.

Assembly Bill 1711 (Galgiani, D-Tracy), will prohibit the state from creating a program that requires home buyers to pay out of pocket for energy improvements at the time a home is purchased or that would prevent a home buyer from closing escrow on time.  The measure also requires that the costs of mandated improvements be recoverable over the lifetime of the improvement.

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With funding made available by C.A.R.’s Housing Affordability Fund, the REALTOR®’s Energy Audit Program (REAP) provides a $250 rebate on a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) home energy audit when conducted by a certified HERS rater. A home energy audit helps homeowners identify improvements that can be made to the home to help reduce monthly utility bills. Improving the energy efficiency of the home is a great way to counter rising energy costs and makes homeownership more affordable.  To learn more about the REAP Program and get an application for your client, visit carhaf.org.