The real estate industry is packed with acronyms. And, if you buy or sell a home in Austin, you can add ECAD to the list.
ECAD stands for Energy Conservation and Disclosure. It’s a law created by the City of Austin in 2011 in conjunction with Austin Energy that’s designed to encourage energy conservation, which is good for maxed out power grids and consumers’ utility bills.
Boiled down, ECAD is just a home energy audit that tells someone who is about to buy a home how efficiently the home uses energy for heating and cooling and the age of appliances that will be part of the sale.
In most cases, anyone selling a home that is 10 years old or older is required to have an energy audit conducted by a certified auditor who then provides the homeowner with a certified report that discloses energy efficiency to prospective buyers.
Among the items inspected are: Exterior shading, window quality, attic insulation, duct sealing, heating and cooling systems, water heater and appliance efficiency.
The program generally applies to condominiums and townhomes with fewer than five units, as well. Condos and townhomes with five or more units fall under a multi-family ECAD rule.
Homeowners who have utilized the city’s rebate program to improve their home’s energy efficiency may be exempt from the audit. For example, residents who made three or more qualified energy efficiency improvements or got a minimum of $500 in efficiency upgrade rebates, will likely qualify for an exemption from the audit.
Learn more about exemptions from Austin Energy here.
Low Compliance as City Steps Up Outreach
Tim Kisner, a project manager with Austin Energy, said more than 20,000 homes have had energy audits since the program’s inception. And the audits are good for 10 years.
But, he said, only about half of the homes in Austin that need an energy audit have done so.
Violating the law is a Class C misdemeanor. But the city has not yet prosecuted any cases, Kisner said.
“At this point, it’s a soft rollout to educate residents before we go down the path to the enforcement side,” he said.
Kisner said it’s likely the city will shift enforcement responsibilities to the code compliance or building departments.
Almost all homes that have been audited thus far — 97 percent — have included suggestions for improvements. About half could be more efficient with window shading, such as solar screens. About 75 percent could save money by adding attic insulation and sealing air ducts, according to Austin Energy.
Kisner said Austin’s conservation program, like those in other cities and countries, have led to substantially reduced energy use in individual households.