By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

What Happened:The Rocky Mountain Institute reports Massachusetts might be on the verge of starting another American Revolution, at least when it comes to promoting transparency in its citizens’ energy use.

• Governor Charlie Baker has proposed An Act Relative to Consumer Access to Residential Energy Information, which would create energy-use certificates that would be used to record energy-use evaluations for the state’s homes.
• It would give Massachusetts homeowners information that would allow them to do a serious evaluation of their home’s energy use.
• And starting in 2021, people trying to sell their homes would be required to make that information available to potential buyers (great quotation on that later).

Could this home of British sedition lead another American Revolution when it comes to getting more energy usage information about your home (or your future home)? That’s a definite maybe.

SolarWakeup’s View:  Could Boston be ground zero for the American Energy Revolution? According to the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Jacob Corvidae, it just might.

In a post on the Institute’s site, Corvidae discusses the potential importance of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s initiative, called An Act Relative to Consumer Access to Residential Energy Information, as a potential model for the rest of the country when it comes to helping citizens become more informed about their energy usage.

First, it will allow homeowners to have a better understanding of what home improvements are the best investment. For example, if you have older windows or poor insulation, making that investment before, say, adding an outdoor pool or grill pit might bring the best ROI for your home. And after 2021, homeowners would be required to disclose their energy-use certificate to potential buyers.

Here I’m going to quote Corvidae because, as I look out my Ohio-based office to watch snowflakes flutter to the ground – on April 9, mind you – his comment struck a particular chord:

For buyers comparing two similar homes—such as different three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,800-square-foot two-story homes—knowing which one is already cozy and inexpensive to heat and which one will take some investment to get there is important information to have. You don’t want to wait until you’re ready to sign the closing documents, or until your first winter in the house, to find out which one you got!

With the rapidly changing energy market in the United States, the information Baker wants homeowners to know and understand about their own dwellings could be the first step in creating an educated energy consumer – and that would be another revolution worth celebrating.

More:

Can Massachusetts Correct a Market Failure by Making Home Energy Use More Transparent?