Appraising a home is difficult work that’s made more difficult with the growing popularity of high-performance homes. Appraisers have access to training to learn how to better value energy-efficient homes, but a lot of what’s in the home is behind the drywall. Or may not be apparent with a site visit. Which is why I like this addendum created by the Sustainable Finance department of the Earth Advantage Institute.
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Research suggests that homeowners with solar PV will recoup the cost of their solar investment upon sale of the home. Homes with PV systems sell for a premium over comparable homes without PV systems, according to a study of home sales in California from 2000-2009 by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
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In 2007, the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service (“RMLSâ€) began tracking sales of homes with a green certification such as Energy Star, LEED for Homes, or Earth Advantage New Homes. The Earth Advantage Institute, an Oregon-based non-profit doing work in the green building sector, annually reviews this information in order to glean home valuation trends.
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Rebecca Guymon and Joe Turner are the owners of Breezeway House – the first certified Passive House in Utah and in the western United States. They’re unique because only a handful of these ultra-insulated, airtight, low-energy homes exist in the United States. So I asked Turner to share his experience building and living in a Passive House and he was kind enough to respond. This is mandatory reading for anyone interested in owning a Passive House.
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