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Setting aside gaming the energy audit, I just don't see how it's possible to price energy 30 years out. The price of any one energy source fluctuates, the makeu
by salamo 4y ago
Setting aside gaming the energy audit, I just don't see how it's possible to price energy 30 years out. The price of any one energy source fluctuates, the makeup of energy used can change (replacing a gas furnace with an electric one), and the overall amount can change (more people = more energy used).
Another issue is that you'd be putting 2022 dollars in escrow to be paying energy bills in 2052. So if the escrow doesn't grow at at least the rate of inflation, home owners are losing real purchasing power.
Maybe a simpler and more tractable solution would to just require projected energy costs to be listed in any home ads.
- biomcgary 4y ago> Maybe a simpler and more tractable solution would to just require projected energy costs to be listed in any home ads. I don't think my proposal could actually work as written above. Your suggestion is an excellent starting point for something that might actually work. My rationale for figuring a out a mechanism to include the energy cost up front is that many people only own a home for a few years, so they are less motivated to spend money on energy savings that they will never realize. Currently, when people shop for a home in a certain price bracket, they won't price in the energy savings of a better built home. If energy pricing was mandated in every ad, it might help. If the total cost of the house plus energy and taxes for the next 30 years (just projecting from current rates) was the top line number posted in ads and you had to dig down for details, it might be adequate incentive to nudge the market toward energy savings.