The CRC for Low Carbon Living have conducted a rapid systematic review of international academic literature, finding that home buyers typically value a more energy efficient home, and when presented with easily accessible information in the form of an energy performance rating, are willing to pay more to live in one.

Disclosing energy ratings is common practice in the commercial building sector in Australia, where it has been found to have a positive effect on the value of buildings with higher energy ratings. In this study, researchers from CRCLCL investigated if see if a similar effect exists in the residential sector. The central question driving this research was: What are the effects of residential building energy performance disclosure policies on property values?

The systematic review found that a majority of academic publications agreed that price premiums do exist for more energy efficient homes, typically in the order of 5% to 10%. A price premium was found both when comparing rated versus not rated residences, and higher rated residences with lower rated residences.

Researchers concluded that a disclosure policy of a building’s energy rating can assist consumers in making a more energy efficient choice, which may result in lower energy bills and a healthier home. They recommended that homeowners, agents and policy makers consider the way that the rating scheme is calculated, the local context, and the associated evaluation model.

More information here