The Vermont Home Energy Profile

In 2019, the Vermont Legislature authorized the Building Energy Labeling Group (BELIG) to create a tool that would help Vermonters assess the energy performance of their home. Earlier this year, BELIG unveiled the Vermont Home Energy Profile (VHEP), a free online tool that combines public data sources with homeowner inputs to create a home energy profile (read the final BELIG report here). The tool was developed by the New England Energy Partnership in conjunction with Clearly Energy.

A key goal of the VHEP is to help homeowners decide where to make improvements that lower the energy cost of their home. But homeowners are also encouraged to display their profile data publicly to appeal to energy conscious buyers when the time comes to sell.

“Energy efficiency is critically important in helping reduce the effects of climate change, improving our housing stock, and in protecting our environment,” said Peter Tucker, director of advocacy and public policy for the Vermont Association of Realtors® (VAR). “As Realtors®, we support these efforts and encourage Vermonters to do their part to help reduce our carbon footprint.”

Burlington Electric, Vermont Gas, and Efficiency Vermont, the state’s three energy efficiency utilities (EEUs), have received funding to support the implementation and use of the VHEP. The EEUs are currently encouraging homeowners to assess their energy use on a voluntary basis.

VAR worked with BELIG to develop the assessment tool and has been working with the EEUs and the state’s lawmakers to ensure the use of the tool remains voluntary.

“While we recognize the value of the VHEP and urge homeowners to assess their energy consumption, we do not support mandates that would require the creation of an energy efficiency profile or the public reporting of a home’s energy profile at the time of listing,” said Tucker.

The state’s EEUs will continue to push for the mandatory use of the VHEP as a standard requirement at time of listing, Tucker added. “VAR encourages Realtors® to inform their sellers of the VHEP and encourage their voluntary participation. If we can embrace the VHEP, we hope to prevent mandated use of the tool and mandatory disclosures at time of listing.”

Such a mandate could eventually result in fines to home sellers who do not complete and make public a VHEP when they list their home for sale. In Montpelier, residents who wish to sell their home will soon be required to complete the VHEP and make it public to sellers at time of listing. This requirement is the result of the city’s Energy Efficiency Charter Change, which was signed into law by Vermont Governor Phil Scott on May 30, 2019. Sellers who fail to comply with the mandate will face civil penalties.

Montpelier’s energy efficiency charter change could pave the way for other Vermont communities to take similar steps.

“We unequivocally support efforts to reduce the carbon impact of our energy consumption,” said Tucker. “But time-of-listing mandates in a state known for its aging housing stock could be detrimental to home sellers and future home owners.”