Building Energy Rating and Disclosure Policies

As states and cities seek to meet their energy savings and carbon emissions reduction goals, new and innovative solutions are needed to improve energy efficiency in the stock of existing homes and buildings. One key tool—building energy rating and disclosure (BER&D) —seeks to ensure that real estate markets value energy efficiency by requiring information about building energy performance be disclosed to potential buyers, renters and the public. These policies range from simple checklists for new home efficiency features to comprehensive regulations that require new and existing homes and commercial buildings to undergo an energy audit. BER&D policies are often linked with improved building energy codes, and in some cases poor rating results can trigger mandatory efficiency upgrades for poorly performing buildings.