Green Real Estate Dispatch: Fossil fuel-free fixer upper
By Julia Bassett Schwerin
This is a new column in which we answer your green real estate questions. We’ll talk trends in the market for new construction and existing buildings, energy efficiency, renewable energy, financing efficiency upgrades and resale. I put it all together for you as a veteran economist and market researcher as well as a licensed Green Real Estate Broker.
We received the following question from a reader:
“I’m interested in buying a fixer-upper, and my goal is to make it as energy efficient and free of fossil fuels as possible. What steps do you recommend?”
This is a great move. Here is the plan I would follow:
Common air leakage in a home. Image courtesy of the US Department of Energy (www.energy.gov)
Start with an energy audit to learn where the house is leaking heat and obtain a customized list of projects prioritized by the energy savings. Compare your list with Efficiency Maine rebates and other incentives (see Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency), and make a plan for the order in which you’ll complete them. Use Efficiency Maine-approved contractors to qualify for their rebates.
To lower your home’s energy load, first weatherize the building envelope and install LED light bulbs. Efficiency Maine research shows the average Maine home could benefit most from air sealing cracks around doors, windows and joints, as well as insulating the ceilings and walls of the attic, basement or crawl space—but follow your audit priorities if they suggest otherwise. Unless your walls are insulated with love (an actual statement I’ve heard a builder tell clients), add continuous exterior insulation any time you replace siding and consider using window inserts before replacing windows. Both Innerglass and WindowDressers are great resources for insulating inserts.
Convert fossil fuel-powered heat and hot water appliances to electric heat pumps (both qualify for Efficiency Maine rebates); gas cook stoves to induction; and everything else to a model with the ENERGY STAR label. Heat pumps will save about half the energy cost of a typical oil boiler. It is not uncommon for new construction in Maine today to be done using all heat pumps and no fossil fuels, so get your building envelope tight and your insulation up to (or above) code.
Once you have done everything you can to insulate and air seal your home and reduce your energy load, consider adding solar panels or joining a community solar farm. By taking these cost-effective steps first, you will reduce the amount of solar power needed to cover your energy needs. And when it comes time to replace your family car, look into electric models. There is an array of new and used vehicles on the market these days, with battery range to support almost any commute. And don’t forget a battery back-up, so your solar power system still works in a power outage.
Document your work with a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) or other official rating system or make a list of the work you completed, along with your costs. (To learn more about certification programs, read ABCs of Certifications and Guidelines). After a year, calculate your before-and-after energy savings. This information can be valuable to share with future brokers and appraisers.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR)
NAR actively supports sustainability in its mission statement, and its 2022 sustainability report shows that a majority of agents “found consumers were somewhat or very interested in sustainability.” Since 2019, the Greater Portland Board of Realtors has had a Sustainability Advisory Group modeled after NAR that provides education and outreach to its members.
This article appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!
Find Maine experts that specialize in healthy, efficient homes in the Green Homes Business Directory.