Use these “Green Fields” to find or feature Energy Efficient Homes in NorthstarMLS Add/Edit

This event focused on energy efficiency housing and was held at the American Swedish Institute’s Nelson Cultural Center, an environmentally friendly building that made ASI the first museum in Minnesota to receive a LEED® Gold-certification in 2012.

It was an excellent opportunity to showcase the property information NorthstarMLS Add/Edit offers to identify energy efficient homes. You can use these “Green Fields” to highlight the energy efficiency features in a listing or search for properties with these features.

Energy Certifications and Ratings

There are two Add/Edit Green Fields agents can use to identify energy certifications and ratings:

Green Certification. This field identifies energy certification and the status of the certification.

Documentation of certification must be attached as a listing supplement if certification is noted in the listing.

How often is Green Certification being used?

So far in 2022 almost 800 listings indicate certification “Pending,” meaning the test has been ordered or in process of being tested. Almost 100 listings indicate the home has been energy “Tested,” where final testing is completed by a certified rater, but is awaiting certification. Just under 100 listings indicate “Certified,” which may include indoor air quality, water resource management, etc. As energy awareness increases, so should use of the certification process.

HERS Score. The HERS Score (Home Energy Rating System) is the industry standard by which the home’s energy efficiency is measured. To have this field selected in a listing the HERS score sheet must be attached as a supplement.

Year to date, over 200 listings have included a HERS Score.

Home Efficiencies Fields

The following MLS property fields also contain selections to identify home efficiencies:

Heating + Air Conditioning. The value Geothermal is available for both the Heating and Air Conditioning fields. This year nearly 250 listings in NorthstarMLS have indicated geothermal air conditioning.

Fuel. The value Solar is a selection in the Fuel field. This value was used for over 200 listings so far this year.

Appliances. In the Appliances field, Tankless Water Heater is a value option. Leading the pack as the most used home efficiency so far this year, nearly 1800 listings indicate that they have this feature.

Roof. A property with a roof partially or completely covered with vegetation can be indicated as a Green Roof in the Roof field. While not a common sight in Minnesota, in 2022 there were 15 listings indicating they have this type of roof.

Get the Handout

This information is available as a pdf handout we provided at Connect 2022. Download it for reference next time you want to create a listing or search for listings that included Green Fields.

DOWNLOAD HANDOUT

Are there any green features you would like to see highlighted in NorthstarMLS? If so, post your ideas in the comments.