REALTORS® Support Government’s Decision to Put the Brakes on Mandatory Home Energy Audits

“Ontario REALTORS® support the Government’s decision to repeal the Green Energy Act, 2009, specifically, Section 3 of the Act which mandated time-of-sale home energy audits and would force sellers to post the results on their property listings.

Mandatory home energy audits would be to home owners what Drive Clean was to car owners: a pointless program that costs families precious time and money but does nothing for the environment.

These energy audits can take weeks to schedule and perform, often adding an unnecessary layer of red tape and making it more difficult for Ontarians to sell a home. This is especially true in Northern and rural communities, where many homes heated using wood, gas and oil-based furnaces would fail a home energy audit.

Moreover, in cases where a home owner is forced to sell quickly for personal reasons – a divorce, or job relocation – a mandatory audit scheme would punish these people by delaying their sale. This puts the weight of additional mortgage payments, bill payments and delays on their shoulders during an otherwise trying time.

And this scheme would punish seniors and low-income families the most, who don’t have the money to fund expensive green retrofits recommended by a government mandated home energy auditor.

This is why we, as REALTORS® support Bill 34 and it’s protections from costly red tape and unnecessary runaround for Ontario homeowners.”

- David Reid, President, Ontario Real Estate Association