Energy Requirements for Homeowners

Point-of-Sale Home Disclosure Requirement

Montgomery County requires home sellers to provide an energy cost and consumption history, along with information on residential energy efficiency opportunities. The law went into effect January 1st, 2009 and applies to owner-occupied single family homes and condo which are individually metered by electricity of natural gas utilities.

Before signing a contract, the seller of the home must provide:

• Copies of applicable electricity, gas, and home heating oil bills, or a cost and usage history for the 12 months immediately prior to the sale, unless the home was previously unoccupied for the entire 12-month period;
• The required information for the part of the prior 12 months, if any, the single-family home was occupied; and
• Information approved by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, to assist the buyer in making energy conservation decisions. This requirement is intended to ensure that the home buyer is informed of the home’s energy performance before the sale, and provides options to finance energy efficiency improvements. Often, a realtor may provide energy cost and consumption data through the regional Multiple Listing Service (MRIS) and can use this Energy Disclosure for Homes Sales (PDF) document for residential energy efficiency opportunities.

This law is enforced by the Office of Consumer Protection.