Homes could see mandatory energy reviews - watchdog
NZPA | Friday, 9 November 2007
Homes could soon be subject to compulsory energy efficiency testing that might see some houses decrease in value, Consumer Magazine says.
A government scheme to come into force next month will see a team of assessors use a star rating system to measure energy performance of residential houses under plans by the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (EECA).
The aim of the residential home energy rating scheme (Hers) was to lift the energy performance of homes.
But Consumer warned in that potentially the lower the rating the lower the house value would be.
The scheme would start off being voluntary, but the EECA said on its website they recommended that after three to five years a mandatory Hers programme would be introduced for properties that were up for sale.
"Later this Hers programme could be extended to include rental property," the website said.
The scheme would operate by assessors entering details into a computer, such as orientation of the sun on the house, size and arrangement of rooms, and types of insulation, which would result in an efficiency rating calculation.
A zero-star rating has no energy-saving features at all and the top rating would be given to homes that require no external energy apart from the sun.
The Government has spent about $3 million developing the programme and a compulsory scheme would cost about $5 million a year, the Consumer report said.
It added that the computer modelling system was flawed because there would be too many energy factors in different homes for it to take into account.
It could result in homes receiving an "unfairly low rating", which would reduce the value of the property.
Consumer said they agreed with the goal of improving energy performances in houses, but Hers was heavy-handed and could be used to build up a "big-brother" style data base of New Zealand homes.
"A compulsory Hers would require homeowners to have a rating done before the house is sold or leased.
"Renovations done with a building consent could also need a rating done after the work has been completed."
EECA said the decision on whether the voluntary scheme would become mandatory would not be made for some time and was dependant on an assessment process.
"Hers will be a series of pilot/voluntary schemes to test the very issues raised in (Consumer's) article."
EECA said Hers was designed to enable buyers to make informed decisions and for owners to make decisions about improving the quality of their homes.
Public consultation into whether Hers should be expanded from a voluntary to compulsory scheme was due to begin in April next year.
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