Energy Audit – Part I
The provincial government has introduced legislation, Bill 150, the Green Energy Act, which, if passed, would require mandatory home energy audits prior to the sale of a home. This legislation has not yet been passed and is not yet in effect.
Details
Under the proposed Green Energy Act, home owners would be required to provide information regarding the home’s energy efficiency prior to the sale or lease of the property. Energy efficiency information about the property would have to be determined and provided by standardized methods established by the provincial government.
The Province has not yet provided information on these details. The legislation, if passed, would allow the provincial government to prescribe:
• what energy efficiency information has to be provided and in what manner;
• the cost of home energy efficiency audits;
• the types of residences that these requirements would apply to; and,
• under what circumstances and at what times these requirements would be effective.
Actions
TREB and the Ontario Real Estate Association have been closely monitoring this issue and taking action. A detailed submission was sent to the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure last month, by OREA, to highlight concerns over mandatory home energy audits and to encourage the provincial government to maintain a voluntary system of home energy audits instead of a mandatory system.
