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Sustainability manager lays out Home Energy Score proposal; council asks enforcement, cost and realtor questions
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Summary
Alyssa Joneswood presented a regional Home Energy Score disclosure concept (time-of-listing assessment, 1–10 score, assessor cost $150–$350, subsidized assessments for low-income sellers). Council members raised enforcement, cost, REIT/RCW and realtor concerns and asked for further research; council agreed to continue discussion, not to adopt at this meeting.
Alyssa Joneswood, Tumwater’s sustainability manager, presented a regional Home Energy Score proposal to the council and explained how the program would work as a standardized consumer-disclosure tool tied to home sales. "Home Energy Score was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and its national labs," Joneswood said, describing the score as a 1–10 rating and the report as a standardized, six-to-eight page consumer document that lists estimated energy use and cost and cost-effective improvement recommendations.
Joneswood said the model the region has been discussing would require a score and public disclosure at time of listing for sale, not require any mandatory upgrades, and include subsidies or exemptions for low-income households. She described typical assessor costs as "between $150 and $350," said a professional assessment usually takes about an hour, and noted the jurisdictions have budgeted subsidy funds in anticipation of adoption.
Joneswood framed two implementation options: a mandatory program linked to MLS listing processes (estimated to capture 90–95% of listings), or a voluntary program that would need much larger outreach and subsidies to achieve similar uptake. She said studies indicate voluntary programs capture a fraction of potential participation in the U.S., while mandatory disclosure tied to listing typically yields far greater coverage.
Council members and attendees pressed staff on several points: enforcement mechanisms, potential effects on home marketability, the cost burden on sellers, and whether a mandatory program would face legal challenges related to transfer taxes or REIT statutes (RCW references were raised). The Thurston County Realtors Association’s concerns — especially about enforcement and potential transaction impacts — were noted and Joneswood said staff had prepared point-by-point responses and additional outreach with realtors and lenders.
On equity, Joneswood said jurisdictions intend to subsidize assessments for income-qualified sellers or provide exemptions where no funding is available; she also said some state and federal loan products (including discounted-rate loans) can be accessed if a home has a qualifying assessment attached to its financing. Staff recommended more analysis of impacts on appraisals, mortgage insurance and any state-law constraints before moving any ordinance forward.
The council did not vote on an ordinance. Instead members asked staff to continue analysis, meet with realtor and lending stakeholders, examine enforcement models (including MLS-based listing gates and director-level exemptions for assessment availability), and return with clarified legal guidance and cost estimates. Joneswood listed decision options ranging from continuing discussion to pursuing a voluntary program or pausing formal ordinance work.
(Reporting note: quotations and program details are drawn from the presentation and Q&A recorded in the work session. Legal questions (RCW/REIT) were raised by councilors and flagged for staff research.)
