[AEN] Point of Sale Energy Efficiency Upgrades

[Lehmanck at aol.com]

Point of Sale  Efficiency Upgrades  
Save you money, Save  the environment
Dear  Austinites,

Austin City  Council has a plan to tackle global warming -- the Austin 
Climate Protection  Plan.  The City Council is right to identify the need to upgrade 
existing  homes and make them more energy efficient at the Point of Sale.  
Not only  will implementing simple efficiency measures save a lot of energy, 
save  burning dirty coal, and save the environment -- it will SAVE HOMEOWNERS  
MONEY. 
Climate protection advocates in  the Austin Sierra Club and other 
environmental organizations as well as  many individual REALTORS say -- requiring 
efficiency standards at the point  of sale of homes will make homes more valuable, 
more affordable, and safer by  saving money for the buyer with their LOWER 
UTILITY BILLS. 
Problem: 
The Austin Board of REALTORS is  fighting change and the Point of Sale 
Efficiency Upgrades with a misleading  perspective about these much-needed steps.  
For our basic supporting  reasoning see: 
_Sierra  Club Austin pos_ 
(http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/austin/actionalertPOS.html)   or  _http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/austin/actionalertPOS.html_ 
(http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/austin/actionalertPOS.html) 
and for the point by point  rebuttal to the REALTOR's 
KeepAustinAffordable.org affront see: 
_Sierra  Club Austin - Point by Point_ 
(http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/austin/actionalertPBP.html)   or  
_http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/austin/actionalertPBP.html_ (http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/austin/actionalertPBP.html)  
Solution:  
To improve our air quality and  preseve resale home's values and 
affordability we must let the City Council  know that we support a strong Point of Sale 
Energy Efficiency Standards  Program.   
City Council's Point of Sale  Program should require an energy audit at the 
point of  sale. The Point of Sale Program should define mandatory minimum 
energy  efficiency standards that will allow Austin home buyers for the first  time 
to roll energy efficiency upgrades into their mortgage.  If upgrades  are 
even needed the menu of options currently being considered by the Task Force  for 
an 1,800 SF home include:  installing CFL bulbs ($120), HVAC tune-up  for 
units over 4 years old ($60-400), Solar screens for 100 SF of window surface  
($400), increasing ceiling insulation from R11 to R38 ($810) [based on 1800  
square feet]. 
The money that the buyers will  save on their energy bills from the 
efficiency upgrades will be greater than the  amount of the upgrades impact on the 
monthly mortgage payment of even a 15 year  mortgage providing a HUGE profit on 
the buyer's investment in the  upgrades. 
Without a MANDATORY Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard REALTORS will continue 
 to advise sellers to avoid allowing buyer's to obtain ANY energy efficiency  
upgrades even though mortgages already exist to allow buyers to roll energy  
efficiency upgrades into the mortgage by allowing upgrades of up to 5% of the  
purchase price and allowing the same buyer to qualify for 6.67% MORE home  
because of the energy efficiency upgrades!  
Action  Needed: 
Please contact all of the Austin  City Council Members asking them to create 
a strong Point of Sale Upgrade  program in the Austin Climate Protection Plan. 
You can use the following  hyperlink to email them


 (http://lonestar.sierraclubaction.org/r.asp?aacwc=31444124065233330128261) 
 
or
 
_http://lonestar.sierraclubaction.org/showalert.asp?aaid=3330_ 
(http://lonestar.sierraclubaction.org/showalert.asp?aaid=3330) 



Chris  Lehman, Chair 
Sierra Club -  Austin




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