An article in the Local Section of the Tribune, (or the TT as I’ve always known it) describes a new ordinance that will go into effect January 1, 2013. The law mandates that a homeowner in the county, not within any city limit, completing a remodel that costs $10,000 or more will have to order an energy audit for the entire residence. The fee for this audit, which will show in detail how the homeowner will save money on energy bills, is about $400.
The homeowner will not have to complete any of the suggested energy saving modifications. Just have a nice concise report showing how to reduce energy costs and make a home more comfortable.
How could this be bad?
Because people who have remodeled anything know the first thing that happens with a remodel is that you go over budget. Ten thousand dollars doesn’t go as far as it used to and you’ll get there quick. So, most people in the county will incur this fee when they remodel. Why aren’t remodels in the cities getting tagged with this fee? Nobody wants the government rooting around in their house All valid I suppose. Supervisor Mecham called it “a boot on the throat of the homeowner.” I don’t know if I would go that far.
As a Realtor, I have had many, many home inspections completed. They are very thorough and the inspector comes up with lots of great information for the potential buyers. The buyers find this “punch list” of upgrades and repairs helpful not only with negotiations, but also they have a really great “to-do list” at the end of it. I do not think these energy audits would be much different as far as going through a house. It’s just that the focus of the inspection would be a little different. With both the goal is to check to see if the home in good repair that will function without too much worry for a long time. The energy audit would just be more about the upgrades you’d do to save energy.
But here’s the thing. We have to start attacking greenhouse gas emission and we have to do it together. The energy loss from existing buildings is responsible for a lot of waste and greenhouse gases. Homeowners utilizing the energy saving suggestions would be bringing their home up to CALGreen, California’s green building code which regulates all new construction. But new construction is not enough. “If we only applied these standards to new construction it would be decades before we realized a significant improvement from the built environment as a whole.” wrote Supervisor Jim Patterson. I agree, we all have to push together or we will never get a handle on our planet getting hotter and hotter.
I have a 14 year old son. I have a grand niece just a month old. What kind of earth are we going to pass along? There is the ancient Native American Proverb that really does it for me;
San Luis Obispo County Happenings 