For you non-Austinites (and you Austinites that don’t keep up with local politics…I know, that’s redundant) there has been a lot of churn around proposals for new regulation on selling/buying homes in Austin that aspires to increase the energy efficiency of real estate in the area. Most of it has been fodder for the City Council run-off elections, but it’s nice to see Mayor Wil Wynn release a letter explaining what is going on.

… I want to try to set the record straight. I hope that you will take a moment to read this. … Make no mistake: powering our homes and buildings is going to get more expensive, perhaps dramatically. Right now, we have an opportunity to get in front of it. … Sellers wouldn’t have to make upgrades, and they wouldn’t have to pass an inspection – they would just have to let buyers know what kind of efficiency condition the house is in. … The Task Force is discussing a VOLUNTARY program. Under a voluntary program, “low-hanging fruit” like weather stripping and duct sealing would be prioritized, and spending caps would be proposed. All of Austin Energy’s rebates and incentives would be available, including their low-interest loan program. …
Sincerely,
Will Wynn
Austin Mayor

I love having a mayor whose name is so aggressively positive, and while he hasn’t been a perfect mayor I think this kind of missive is representative of why I think he’s been a really good mayor.