Eugene home sellers will soon have to prove how energy-efficient their houses are before putting them on the market. The Eugene City Council voted 6-1 on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, to require certain sellers to obtain and publicly disclose a Home Energy Score before listing a dwelling, with the rule set to take effect April 28, 2027.
The ordinance means sellers will need to hire a certified assessor to evaluate a home before listing it for sale, according to Lookout Eugene-Springfield. The resulting score and report must then appear in real estate listings, be shared with agents, and be made available to prospective buyers touring a home in person. Assessors evaluate features including a home's foundation, insulation, windows, and heating and cooling systems to gauge expected energy use on a scale of 1 to 10.
What the Assessment Will Cost Sellers
How much that assessment will cost remains somewhat murky. The city estimates the evaluation will run between $150 and $250 and take about an hour, per the same Lookout Eugene-Springfield report, while KLCC cited an estimated cost of $150 to $300 during council testimony in September. Either way, the scores won't last forever — they expire eight years after the assessment, or sooner if a seller makes qualifying energy-related improvements or changes the dwelling's square footage.
The ordinance carves out seven exemptions, covering situations such as distressed sales, homes incompatible with the scoring system, and dwellings used for commercial purposes, the outlet reports. The city also plans to cover assessment costs for low-income sellers, with eligibility expected to include households earning up to 80% of area median income.
A Shortage of Local Assessors
One practical hurdle looms before the rule kicks in: Eugene currently has just four home energy assessors serving the area, and the city expects to train 10 to 15 more ahead of the deadline, per the same account. That capacity question could shape how smoothly the rollout goes once sellers start needing appointments.
Councilor Mike Clark cast the lone dissenting vote. He argued the requirement adds another cost burden at a time when home buying is already very expensive, according to reporting from Oregon Public Broadcasting. Councilor Alan Zelenka, meanwhile, said the policy could help Eugene reduce greenhouse gas emissions, OPB reported. Councilor Matt Keating called for further discussion about extending similar disclosure requirements to the city's renters.
A Climate Push With a Longer History
Eugene climate advocates pushed for the policy after an earlier attempt at a partial ban on natural gas hookups ran into legal roadblocks, according to OPB. The city has tried something like this before: Eugene, the University of Oregon and the Eugene Water and Electric Board rolled out a voluntary home energy scoring program for low-income homeowners and renters back in 2017, but it was later discontinued due to staffing limitations, Eugene Weekly reports. The Oregon Department of Energy later partnered with the nonprofit Earth Advantage in 2019 to offer a voluntary statewide scoring program.
The new mandate arrives as the city touts progress on emissions. Communitywide emissions in Eugene decreased 11% between 2010 and 2025, according to the Lookout Eugene-Springfield report, and city officials frame the energy score requirement as a way to inform buyers, spur energy-efficient upgrades, lower utility bills and further cut greenhouse gas output.
Eugene Joins a Growing List of Oregon Cities
Eugene isn't the first Oregon city to go this route. Portland, Hillsboro, Milwaukie and Bend already have similar home energy score requirements in place, according to Lookout Eugene-Springfield. Portland's policy requires sellers of most single-family homes there to obtain and disclose a score when listing a home, per the city's own program page, and a report to Portland City Council found the real-estate market had not been disrupted by the requirement, citing an average score cost of $125.
