What’s this about?

In early 2007, Austin Mayor Will Wynn released the Climate Protection Plan with the goal of making Austin the “greenest” city in the country. One part of that plan involves establishing mandatory energy efficiency standards for existing homes that would be enforced when a home is sold (called “point of sale”). To date, the Energy Efficiency and Retrofit Task Force has been created by city leaders and is forming recommendations to promote energy efficiency in Austin (view the Task Force charter).

We support efforts to encourage Austinites to make their homes more energy efficient, but mandatory requirements enforced at the point-of-sale are the wrong approach.

Austin already has a high cost of living and mandatory upgrades will only make it more difficult to buy or sell a home here. We need to protect those least able to endure more expense – first-time homebuyers, low-income families and senior citizens – and encourage energy efficiency the right way: through a voluntary program that rewards Austinites in a meaningful fashion.