Berkeley's RECO Guidelines
As we all know, Berkeley is always ahead of the curve on many socio-political trends, especially on environmental issues. So, if you are selling a home in Berkeley, make sure you are in compliance with the City of Berkeley's RECO guidelines.
RECO stands for Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance, and the guidelines apply to all homes and apartment buildings being sold or transferred. It is the seller's responsibility to get the property in compliance and provide proof to the city. For the full rundown on Berkeley's RECO requirements, please visit the RECO website.
The compliance guidelines are fairly reasonable and will save money for the occupants in the long run. The requirements include such items as installing CFL lightbulbs, enhanced insulation, weatherstripping, and water-saving toilets and showerheads. Most of the 10 requirements are very affordable, and can even get you rebates from various utility companies like EBMUD and PG&E. Even better, the cost of your expenditures are capped so that you don't go into bankruptcy making your home energy efficient.
In fact, most these requirements are good ideas to save the earth and will also save you some money due to their cost-efficiency. So, whether you are ready to sell your house or not, get those upgrades done and call an inspector to come certify your home as RECO compliant.
There are many ins and outs to the RECO guidelines, but these are the basics. If you would like more information or would like to discuss how to get this work done, let me know. I'm always happy to help. I can be reached at 510-547-5970 x57 or MSmartt@jps.net.
PS...Here is a fun fact about the City of Berkeley. The nickname for their website is CobWeb.
No comments:
Post a Comment