Homebuyers

 Benefits of Ratings to Consumers

• Determine the relative energy efficiency of a residence when purchasing a home
  Many of the energy efficient features of a home are hidden once the dry wall goes up and it is difficult for a consumer to know the energy efficiency of a home. A home energy rating involving diagnostic testing, will give a home buyer a third party verification of the home’s energy efficiency. 
  
   
• Make educated decisions when investing in cost-effective energy improvements to the home
  Besides providing a rating of the home and projecting its energy costs, a home energy rating provides a home owner with a listing of cost-effective energy improvements for the home and the economic return on investment from making those improvements. 
  
   
• Add the cost of making the energy improvements to the mortgage loan through an energy improvement mortgage
  An energy improvement mortgage will finance the energy improvements recommended by an energy rating as being cost-effective into the mortgage loan at the time of the purchase or during refinancing. An energy improvement mortgage does not require any additional qualification and in most cases does not require any additional money down. Mortgage interest terms are much more attractive than credit card or consumer loans. 
  
   
• Qualify for a higher quality, energy efficient home
  An energy efficient mortgage increases the buying power of consumers through crediting the energy savings of a high performance energy efficient home documented through an energy rating into the mortgage loan. An energy efficient mortgage will not only qualify more families for a mortgage loan but will allow a home buyer to afford more features in a home than they would otherwise.