In a decisive 6-1 vote held on Wednesday, October 28th, the Eugene City Council adopted the Residential Energy Performance Disclosure Requirement ordinance. This policy, commonly known as a Home Energy Score requirement, officially positions Eugene as the fifth city in Oregon to implement such measures, joining Portland, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, and Bend. The decision arrives amidst a broader trend of municipalities adopting policies to assist residents with home retrofits and efficiency upgrades, particularly as support for building electrification grows despite federal efforts to undermine existing climate policies.
The new ordinance mandates that a home energy score assessment be conducted and posted whenever a property is listed for sale. These assessments evaluate the average energy costs of a home by reviewing existing appliances, heating systems, windows, doors, and insulation, while also calculating associated climate emissions. The resulting report scores the home's energy use on a scale of one to ten and provides specific recommendations for improving efficiency and reducing emissions. Additionally, the reports include key information regarding available incentives and subsidies at the local, state, and federal levels.
Advocates have welcomed the move as a critical step toward meeting the city's Climate Recovery Ordinance goals, which aim to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. Bethany Cotton, Conservation Director with Cascadia Wildlands, stated that the policy ensures home buyers possess the necessary information to make informed choices during one of the most significant financial decisions of their lives. The adoption of this ordinance represents the first major step for the city to reduce building emissions following the Ninth Circuit's April 2023 decision, which invalidated Eugene's February 2023 residential building electrification ordinance.
Dylan Plummer, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club's Clean Heat Campaign, described the 2023 court ruling as a setback that set Eugene and regional cities back years on climate action. He characterized the new policy as a critical signal that the city is ready to regain lost time and transition away from polluting fossil fuels. With this passage, more than one million Oregonians now live in jurisdictions with a Home Energy Score disclosure policy, representing nearly 24.4% of the state's residents.
Meredith Tufts, Coalition Coordinator with the Fossil Free Eugene Coalition, highlighted that customers of the Eugene Water and Electric Board have access to significant incentives, including zero-interest loans and cash subsidies for weatherization and heat pumps. Tufts noted that these programs are often underutilized due to a lack of awareness, suggesting that the Home Energy Score requirement will ensure new homeowners have the information needed to take advantage of these resources to lower energy bills and reduce climate pollution.
Sources: CleanTechnica.