Austin City Council Approves Changes To ECAD Ordinance

On Thursday, April 21, 2011 Austin City Council approved changes to the ECAD (Energy Conservation Audit & Disclosure (ECAD) ordinance. These changes clarify some points in the ordinance that were previously unclear. In brief here are the changes/amendments to the ordinance as they pertain to single family homes:

1. When buyers should receive audit: Sellers are now required to give buyers the energy audit three days before their option period expires. Sellers can no longer expect to provide the audit to buyers before title is recorded after closing.

2. Condos must be audited: Condos are no longer exempt from the ordinance and are now required to be audited and fully comply with the ECAD ordinance. Owners of four or fewer condominiums must meet the requirements for single-family homes and those owning five or more units at one location must meet the requirement for multifamily properties.

Austin Energy announced to auditors that these changes were to go into effect Monday, May 2, 2011. However there is some confusion right now as to the effective date of these changes.

It should be noted that there are other changes to the ordinance that will effect multi-family properties, such as apartment complexes, which are not covered here. For more information about these changes contact Austin Energy or click here: ECAD Changes Effective May 2, 2011.