You want to sell that house, right? You want to buy a house? Why oughtn’t the recurring costs of operating a home be a factor?

Especially it’s energy costs. U.S. homeowners spend an average of over $2000 a year on energy costs. That’s not because electricity and energy prices are high. That’s principally because many homes are not built efficiently, are not inspected for energy efficiency, and because they use antiquated systems for heating, cooling, and supplying hot water.

Do you think a developer or a real estate agent is going to point out that a home is a lemon as far as energy use goes? No, they’ll probably put down people who have solar panels (“They’re so ugly”) or air pump condensers around their home (“Just think of what that does for resale values!”). Well, it’s wrong. A long-running study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that homes with solar panels sell for about 4% more than matched pair controls without solar, or about US$3.80/Watt of installed solar panels.

Energy efficiency measures improve home values as well, as can be seen at UtilityScore. Now, for the first time, energy efficiency scores are available to many candidate buyers who check listings at Redfin, Hotpads, or RealEstate.com. Details and explanations are available here, and advantages for buyers who check listings at these premium sites detailed here.

So, are you considering selling a home in Westwood or Wellesley or Dover or Weston or Waltham, Massachusetts? Are you considering building one? Check out what high efficiency energy measures can do for you, solar PV on your roof or property, and air source heat pumps for heating, cool, and even providing hot water. And for the value of your home. See how.