Item 4a-Amend the ECAD Rules to Require Additional Disclosure-Draft_Lanetta Cooper — original pdf

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Recommendation Number ____ Amend the ECAD Rules to Require Additional Disclosure Recommendation: The ECAD Rules should be amended to require the Energy Guide to list the estimated average summer monthly electric cost and the estimated average winter monthly electric cost, as well as the annual average electric cost. Targeted Underserved Group: Low and moderate-income renters Time Schedule: Implement in 2015 Budget Impact: none Brief Description: The Energy Guide is required to be provided to prospective tenants. It currently provides an annual monthly electric cost. Because the rates AE charges in the summer are much higher than in the winter, providing a summer average electric cost and an average winter average electric cost would be more useful to prospective renters, than just the annual average. This would be similar to how auto dealers break down average miles per gallon into in-city and highway average miles per gallon. Community Need: A majority of Austin residents rent and renters disproportionally have lower incomes than homeowners. Rental properties, particularly those with lower rents are often not very energy efficient. Landlords have little incentive to improve energy efficiency at their properties because it’s the tenants who pay the electric bills. . Consumers should be provided the information they need to make an educated decision about where to live. Program Description: This recommendation is simply requiring additional information be provided the prospective tenant to ensure the tenant has a grasp on the cost of his/her electric bills in the summer when rates are high.