City of Austin Energy Beginning in Summer 2009 the City of Austin will require that a Seller of a non-exempt home disclose to a prospective buyer the results of an energy audit of the home at the same time that the Seller makes other disclosures required under Texas law. The audit would be prepared by an individual or company authorized by Austin Energy.

The Seller would have the choice of selecting as its auditor a disinterested third party who may not make repairs (and who therefore has no financial incentive to over-report needed repairs) or a home energy contractor (who may agree to apply the cost of the audit to the cost of performing repairs). The audit would include visual inspections as well as the testing of the mechanical or air conditioning system air leakage using methods and standards approved by the City of Austin Energy Code (duct blaster test, blower door subtraction test, etc.). The audit must be conducted by a person certified by the Building Performance Institute or other accrediting agency approved by Austin Energy as a Building Performance Analyst or equivalent.

 

As of now, the task force has not decided which month the ordinance will begin enforcement.