FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Katie Weeks, Director of Communications, Katie.weeks@imt.org; 202-525-2883, x306
Accelerator will focus on expanding energy efficiency in the residential sector.
Washington, D.C.—June 2, 2015—The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) is pleased to announced that is has joined the Better Buildings Home Energy Information Accelerator, one of two new Better Buildings Accelerators from the Department of Energy, which will convene leaders to focus on key solutions to expanding energy efficiency in the residential sector. IMT has committed to expanding awareness of homes’ energy efficiency and streamlining the processes used to help consumers improve the efficiency of their homes.
“Energy-efficient homes help reduce household utility costs and protect homeowners against volatile energy prices,” said Cliff Majersik, Executive Director of IMT. “Our research has shown that energy-efficient homes are 32 percent less likely to default on their mortgages, and yet many Americans do not currently reap the benefits of an efficient home because of persistent market barriers. We look forward to continuing our work with industry partners to expand awareness of and access to energy efficiency in the residential realm.”
The Better Buildings Home Energy Information Accelerator supports the President’s Climate Action Plan with a goal to accelerate investment in home energy efficiency improvement projects across the country. Its goal is to bring together leaders in real estate and energy efficiency to expand the availability and use of reliable home energy information at relevant points in residential real estate transactions. Accelerator partners will develop and demonstrate replicable, sustainable approaches that make energy-related information—such as a home’s efficiency certification or its estimated energy usage – easily available through multiple listing services and other reports.
As part of its commitment, IMT will continue its work examining the inclusion of “green” or high-performance fields in the multiple listing service (MLS). A recent study on the Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS), the MLS in Washington, D.C., found that homes for sale whose listings featured populated green fields consistently outperformed homes without listed high-performance features. IMT will continue to research high-performance home sales in the District of Columbia and develop a plan to facilitate the process of uploading home energy cost data from a local utility into MRIS listings; facilitate stakeholder roudntables to discuss the process of green field usage and high-performance home reporting; and develop a sustainable market engagement model for high-performance homes.
“By improving the efficiency of buildings across the country, Better Buildings partners are saving money by saving energy, creating more sustainable communities, and helping to protect future generations from the impacts of climate change,” said Under Secretary for Science and Energy Franklin Orr. “Expanding the program to include water savings and the residential sector means that American families can be a part of this successful partnership that cuts costs and pollution.”
Better Buildings Accelerators convene leaders across sectors and building types to address persistent barriers that stand in the way of greater efficiency. As Better Buildings Home Energy Information Accelerator partners share their successes with the market, resources will be posted in the Better Buildings Residential Program Solution Center. The Solution Center is an online tool designed to help organizations explore the solutions tested and proven by partners.
As a cornerstone of the President’s Climate Action Plan, Better Buildings aims to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade. This means saving hundreds of billions of dollars on energy bills, reducing GHG emissions, and creating thousands of jobs. Through Better Buildings, public and private sector organizations across the country are working together to share and replicate positive gains in energy efficiency.
For a detailed progress report on the Better Buildings Initiative, visit betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov.
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