Real Estate agents turning green

Toronto Real Estate Broker wants energy evaluations

A Toronto Realtor who is setting up a national green real estate association says every Canadian home should have a mandatory energy evaluation before it can be put on the market. “Within five years, we hope to have mandatory energy audits right across Canada on every resale home,” says Elden Freeman.

Freeman plans to join forces this fall with James Rogers, a real estate agent in British Columbia, to develop a program to help teach Realtors how to promote green homes and encourage homeowners to make energy-efficient upgrades. “Realtors have a huge opportunity to be very effective communicators,” said Rodgers. “They’re the ones sitting down at kitchen tables chatting about houses.”

Rodgers began his green realty company in the Kootenay region 18 months ago. He offers buyers $500 towards an energy audit or site assessment for solar, wind or micro-hydro system. He also uses such tools as a solar pathfinder to tell clients how much sunlight they’ll have for their solar panels or gardens.

He and Freeman believe mandatory energy evaluations — which assess insulation, appliances, furnaces, air conditioners and exhaust fans, and measure how airtight a home is — are the way of the future. “

Hundreds of Realtors have taken the first course Freeman set up on energy efficiency, which can earn Ontario real estate agents RECO credits. Participants learned what to look for while examining houses, how to help clients collect rebates for upgrading energy efficiency, find an energy auditor, and determine which changes to make. A new course this fall will examine sustainable design.

Freeman plans to add courses in 2008 on healthy homes and green financing. Real estate agents and brokers are good at “staging” a home to boost its curb appeal, but rarely mention energy-efficient windows, insulation, low-flow showerheads or high-efficiency furnaces, Freeman says.