Go Down Under for Right Side Up Ideas

This article came out earlier this month from New Zealand.  The government has proposed a new home energy rating scheme that they hope to have in place by the end of 2007.  This would take home energy efficiency to a whole new level and make it visible to everyone who buys a home.  The program would be voluntary at first then move to a more mandatory nature in the years to come.  The goal would be to have a scaled level of home efficiency 'fitness' that would account for insulation, lighting, water heating, and windows.  Eventually, home owners would be required to disclose their rating to potential home buyers.  It would be great if this home efficiency rating somehow became a common measurement of the value of a home similar to mileage ratings in automobiles.

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