Seattle Real Estate Professionals and Appraisers to Receive Free Training to Boost Home Energy Upgrades

Online, June 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - SEATTLE, June 7, 2010 - Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit green building resource and education group that has certified more than 11,000 green homes, will work with the City of Seattle and Seattle City Light to educate real estate brokers and appraisers about the City's Energy Performance Score (EPS) home energy audits and retrofit program.

Brokers will play a key role in transforming the Seattle residential marketplace by marketing the benefits of the EPS. It will also be important for residential appraisers to understand the EPS and how it applies to homes. EPS is a points-based home energy scoring system and audit that can include energy upgrade recommendations. The City's objective is to boost the number of residential energy upgrades.

Earth Advantage Institute will train more than 350 real estate brokers and salespeople who work in the Seattle area, using its S.T.A.R. (Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals) curriculum to teach them about green building techniques, green home certification programs, and the value of energy audits and energy upgrades. The classes begin June 16 at Olive 8, the first LEED® Silver-certified high-rise hotel/condominium building in Seattle, and will be taught by Dave Porter of PorterWorks, Inc. Earth Advantage Institute has certified more than 700 brokers in Oregon through the S.T.A.R. program.

The organization will commence training for more than 100 area appraisers starting July 30. Appraisers are critical in helping to provide accurate valuation and successful financing of green and energy saving homes, which offer benefits ranging from reduced energy costs to healthier indoor air. Appraisers will learn how to apply recent cost data for green homes, apply energy efficiency adjustments, and assess quality of construction.

"Energy efficient and green homes are gaining a larger market share in many parts of the country, expanding what was once a niche market," said Taylor Watkins, principal, Watkins & Associates, and developer of Earth Advantage Institute's appraisal class. "There are also various legislative movements afoot to directly affect the appraisal of these homes. It is clearly in appraisers' interests to familiarize themselves with these homes and how they perform in the market in order to appraise them appropriately."

While there is normally a fee associated with these two-day courses, the Seattle trainings are being underwritten by the City of Seattle. Spaces are limited and will be offered on a first-come first-serve basis to licensed professionals from the Seattle area. Continuing education hours are available upon successful completion of coursework. For more information or to register for one of the courses, contact Earth Advantage Institute at (503) 968-7160.

About the Seattle EPS Program
The Energy Performance Score (EPS) program is administered by the City with Seattle City Light. It offers homeowners concerned with energy efficiency and carbon emissions the opportunity to receive an energy and carbon audit as well as an energy performance score and energy upgrade recommendations. Earth Advantage Institute has provided the City with a scalable pilot infrastructure that includes home EPS software for use by energy auditors, auditor training, real estate professional and appraiser education, and a Web portal that offers qualified energy contractors the opportunity to bid on retrofit projects for audited homeowners.

About the Energy Performance Score
The EPS is a miles per gallon-style rating for new and existing homes, providing a score for the home's estimated energy consumption and related carbon emissions. The EPS offers homebuyers the opportunity to compare performance of homes to each other while providing an incentive for homeowners to make energy upgrades. On a larger scale it can provide a residential energy and carbon emissions baseline for cities and regions seeking to measure and address greenhouse gas emissions.

About Earth Advantage Institute
Earth Advantage Institute works with building and home industry professionals to help implement sustainable building practices. Its nonprofit mission is to create an immediate, practical and cost-effective path to sustainability and carbon reduction in the built environment. The organization achieves its objectives through a range of innovative certification, education and technical services programs.