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My home was built in 2001. At that time my builder did not give me the choice of Energy Star or any other Green related options. Yet I paid extra for better insulation throughout my home. What options will there be for homeowners like me who think they have an efficient home when compared to other homes but currently have no way to get any kind of certification to that effect.

This is going to be a transitional problem for everyone who is in a similar situation. Retroactive certification is not a practical scenario at this point in time, nor are there good mechanisms for recording improvements/extras such as you mentioned. For the time being, your own records may provide the best resource. Certifications are the only criteria, however, that appraisers are able to use to evaluate energy efficiency; all other enhancements can be considered only as elements of quality or condition. For appraisers, however, the biggest problem is finding other comparable properties to help determine value. Short of full disclosure of all features in MLS or some other public database, there is no practical way of locating sales of properties with similar features. Even now, MLS provides only the broadest brush to identify certifications, but that is an excellent start. As the green movement gains momentum, I think we will begin to see efforts to capture this critical information more effectively. We have made suggestions for builders that may improve our ability to identify green features, but the basic problem remains. While we can easily find houses with 3 bedrooms, we have only crude, unreliable methods of finding property with sealed crawlspaces or low-E windows. (On another note, however, some of these features are becoming standard! Meaning that the value is built-in, and requires no adjustment.) We are in uncharted territory, and your ideas are welcomed. This is a hugely important area to address, and answers are slow in coming!

September 2009