Home buyers want more information on energy usage. Utilities can help. — SkimNews
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- Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, National Association of Realtors, and 257 released joint research showing over 80% of recent homebuyers rate energy efficiency as very or moderately important, but only 34% of real estate agents believe buyers care that much — a perception gap that leaves efficiency undersold during the listing process.
- 257's analysis of 143 million real estate listings from 1995-2025 found only 8.3% of listings last year mentioned energy efficiency at all, even though roughly one in four U.S. homes has at least one major energy-efficient or clean energy feature.
- Underrepresentation is severe for specific technologies — heat pumps appear in listings only 8% of the time when present, and rooftop solar goes unmentioned a third of the time when present, hiding major value from prospective buyers.
- Listings that do surface energy features command price premiums — solar listings sell for 2% more (+$10,000 on a $557K median home) and heat pump listings sell for 0.6-1% more (+$2,300-3,900 on a $399K median), representing 16-33% of the typical upfront investment in those systems.
- Recent buyers are retrofitting rapidly after moving in — 33% installed energy-efficient appliances, 33% installed smart thermostats, and 19% installed EV charging, underscoring an engagement window utilities are currently missing.
- Real estate agents are open to utility support — 42% cite lack of personal knowledge as a barrier to discussing efficiency and 22% lack accessible resources, yet almost 60% are interested in training on energy features and incentives.
- The "Home Buying in the Energy Transition" report outlines practical steps for utilities, including agent-specific resource hubs, sponsored content on MLS and Zillow, bill-estimation tools for homes on the market, and partnerships with contractors and appliance installers.
Why it matters: Unreported energy features cost buyers up to $10,000 in lost solar premium and $2,300-3,900 on heat pumps, while utilities gain a direct channel to accelerate adoption of storage, heat pumps, and solar at a moment when a third of buyers are already retrofitting within weeks of moving in. For utilities facing declining customer satisfaction scores, the home-buying process is a ready-made engagement moment that also advances grid-friendly load management.
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