NEW ENERGY SAVINGS BOOKLET NOW AVAILABLE

The California Energy Commission has recently released a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) booklet to help homeowners determine the energy efficiency of their homes based on an HERS rating scale of 0 to 250, and identify energy-saving improvements. The HERS booklet is not a mandatory disclosure for any sales transaction, according to section 2079.10 of the California Civil Code. However, disclosure is highly recommended for all residential transactions, because it provides a valuable shield from liability for sellers and brokers. Delivery of the HERS booklet will be deemed to be adequate to inform the buyer about the existence of a statewide home energy rating program.

C.A.R. will be offering the HERS booklet as part of our Combined Hazards Booklet in both print and through ePUBS® for zipForm®. C.A.R.'s updated Combined Hazards Booklet should be available in print in early October, and through ePUBS® in November. In the meantime, the HERS booklet is available at the California Energy Commission's website at

http://www.energy.ca.gov/HERS/booklet.html,

which includes an acknowledgement of receipt for parties to sign.