The push to require home sellers in an Alaskan community to get an energy rating before they list is getting a lot of pushback.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation announced the initiative in January exclusively for Fairbanks North Star Borough, an Alaskan county of some 95,000 residents that's home to the cities of Fairbanks and North Pole. Sellers must commission an energy rating that measures a property's environmental impact starting Dec. 31.
Why only Fairbanks North Star? The Greater Fairbanks area can face dire air pollution levels in the dead of winter when temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees. Ice fog can roll in, impairing visibility. The initiative is part of the state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plans to address environmental concerns.
Sellers and their listing agents would need to submit the home’s energy rating to the DEC. The ratings range from zero to seven stars and consider factors such as insulation around an attic and triple-pane windows. The requirement would also require sellers to register wood-fired heaters. The department would store and analyze the data.
The state commission announced the initiative in January. Both departments reopened the comment period after it closed in February due to widespread pushback.
The service cost ranges from $700 to $1,200, money homeowners just can't spare, opponents argue.
The area has four licensed professionals to conduct the energy rating but only two are actively working in the market, said Heather Ferguson, a real estate agent in the borough and chair of the legislative committee for the Greater Fairbanks Board of Realtors. Ferguson said the wait time could add another three weeks to the sale process.
“The way the code is written, they can’t even put a for-sale sign in their yard until they have this,” Ferguson said. “It’s just a document that you’re going to mail to DEC, and it doesn’t do anything to improve pollutants.”
Residents have until April 23 to submit a comment.