Value for High-Performing Homes Resources
Many things are happening at the intersection of residential energy efficiency and real estate. Stakeholders from several sectors — including the energy efficiency and real estate industries — are taking notice and researching the growing number of high-performing homes and their value in the marketplace.
Research
The High-Performing Home Premium
Higher Performing, Higher Value: The Story of Selling a High-performing Home
This fact sheet shows how homeowners, real estate agents, appraisers, and lenders can work together to make the value of energy efficient and solar homes – high–performing homes – visible in the real estate market.
This paper outlines actions high-performing home professionals can take to unlock the value of these special homes in the real estate market using data, collaboration, and communication.
Elevate partnered with an appraiser on this analysis to find evidence of a premium for high-performing homes and assess the visibility of high-performing home verifications and features in local Multiple Listing Services in four Midwestern metropolitan areas.
Appraisers Analysis of Pearl National Home Certification Sales Premiums
A 2017 study performed by a team of appraisers found that the average price premium for a Pearl-certified home was more than 5% when the certification was marketed as Pearl-certified.
What is Green Worth? Unveiling High-Performance Home Premiums in Washington, D.C.
The Institute for Market Transformation and the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment found that high-performance homes marketed with green features sell with an average premium of 3.46% compared to homes without green features.
Green Homes Sales Prices in Northern California
A 2018 appraiser-led study in California found that homes with a green label have, on average, a selling price 2.19% higher than similar homes without a green label or green features. With the average median sales price of Bay Area homes at $856,200, that 2.19% translates to $18,751 in additional value to the homeowner.
Demand for High-Performing Homes
REALTORS® and Sustainability Report 2021
Eco-friendly home features have broad appeal among consumers and can play a valuable role in real estate marketing. In fact, 69% of respondents said that promoting energy efficiency in their listings was valuable.
Consumer Reports National Research Center Energy Codes Messaging Test
In 2012, the Consumers Union released the results of a survey done jointly with the Building Codes Assistance Project. The responses made it clear that an overwhelming percentage of those surveyed placed a high value on strong building codes.
Solar and Real Estate
Appraising Into the Sun: Six-State Solar Home Paired-Sales Analysis
This study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that home buyers across the country have been willing to pay a premium for a home with a homeowner-owned solar array.
The Impact of Photovoltaic Systems on Market Value and Marketability
The Colorado Energy Office and the Colorado Chapter of the Appraisal Institute support the conclusions that PV systems typically increase market value and nearly always decrease the time a home is on the market.
Selling Into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes
This study from Berkeley National Laboratory quantifies the value of rooftop PV on homes that sold across eight states and 15 years.
From Our Stakeholders
It’s Not the Data, It’s the Marketing: Motivating Real Estate Agents to Sell High-Performing Homes
This paper argues that the key to ensuring that energy efficiency upgrades are truly visible at the time of sale is to ensure that real estate professionals are actively and enthusiastically communicating the benefits of energy efficiency to potential buyers.
A Policymaker’s Guide to Scaling Home Energy Upgrades
The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network’s guide is designed to help state and local policymakers take advantage of new policy developments to launch or accelerate residential energy efficiency programs.
Resources
Energy eCompliance
Energy eCompliance is a tool within connectMLS (the Midwest real estate multiple listing service) that lets real estate agents automatically populate utility costs into a home’s listing. This allows homebuyers to easily understand the true cost of homeownership before purchasing a home!
A Day in the Life of a Solar System
Air Sealing and Insulation
Blower Door and Infrared Camera
Let's work
together
Stay Connected
Join our email list for news and updates.