Home energy information ordinance will soon be enforced in Montpelier – Barre Montpelier Times Argus

Starting July 1, producing those profiles will be a must for those selling residential property in Montpelier, because that’s when the enforcement provisions of an ordinance the City Council adopted a year ago finally kick in.

Amid questions, concerns and some criticism, councilors adopted the ordinance last May, but agreed to encourage, not compel, compliance for its now-expiring first year.

Viewed as a compromise at the time, the thinking was that piloting the ordinance on a voluntary basis would help either allay, or conceivably confirm, concerns raised by some residents during the public hearing process.

The problem?

The experiment produced absolutely no data because while plenty of homes sold in Montpelier during the past year — some for more than $1 million — none of the sellers voluntarily completed the process detailed in an ordinance that is about to become mandatory.

There has been educational outreach to real estate agents, an enforcement plan has been finalized and a memorandum of understanding between the city and Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP) has been developed to address questions about the ownership of data the nonprofit collects, manages and stores in a central repository for home energy profiles.

When water bills go out next month they will include a flier reminding those who own residential property in Montpelier of the need to visit www.clearlyenergy.com/vermont and create a home energy profile if they are thinking about selling.

Under the terms of the ordinance, those profiles must be shared with prospective buyers and, at a minimum, the “expected annual energy cost” they reflect be included in all real estate listings.

Certification signed by the buyer and seller must be filed at the city clerk’s office after the closing. The current filing fee is $15, and represents the only expense associated with complying with an ordinance some feared at the time of its adoption would pose a daunting new hurdle to senior citizens selling their homes.

Other issues that were raised at the time ranged from the privacy of email addresses, telephone numbers and other information required as part of the process to questions about the accuracy of the proprietary algorithm.

Starting July 1, city staff will monitor real estate listing on a monthly basis and send letters to “non-compliant sellers,” followed by tickets — $25 for each continuing day of the violation up to $500 — if the required documentation isn’t provided.

The $500 cap was adjusted down from the $1,000 initially proposed when the ordinance was adopted a year ago.

The city has some obligations under the ordinance and they weren’t deferred until July 1.

One of them is to adopt a “Home Energy Information Guide” and the other is to make that document available at the city clerk’s office and on the city’s website.

While a copy of a proposed guide was included in the council packet for the May 12, 2021, meeting when the ordinance was approved, the step-by-step guide wasn’t adopted at that time. It isn’t clear it was ever adopted, and if you search “Home Energy Information Guide” on the city’s website the only resulting document is the ordinance that indicates it must be adopted by the council, followed by those selling property in Montpelier and posted on the website.

If you know where to look you can find a link to get to it. That challenge though may at least partially explain why the voluntary year was less than successful.

david.delcore @timesargus.com