Two-car garages and living room fireplaces might be important criteria for some homebuyers. But with rising energy costs and global warming forecasts, energy-conscious buyers are becoming just as concerned about inheriting Energy Star appliances and asbestos-free insulation when they move into a new house.

Portland house hunters, through their real estate agents, will find it easier to discover their green dream house starting in early 2007. The Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS), a comprehensive, searchable database of real estate in the Portland area, is currently updating its Web site to incorporate energy-efficient features for new and existing homes.

The RMLS board approved the proposal in September, which makes Portland the first city to include such information in its real estate listing database. Home buyers and real estate professionals can currently use the online catalog to search for homes by price, number of bedrooms, square footage and other conventional information. But soon, realtors and appraisers will be able to seek out homes with high-efficiency furnaces, energy-efficient appliances and double-pane windows, among other features.

The database will include new houses that have received third-party certification through programs such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes, and Portland-based Earth Advantage Inc. There will be additional criteria, though, including environmentally preferred interior design features and air quality, for existing homes.

“It will focus on energy efficiency — the lowest rung of green design,” said Kria Lacher, a real estate agent for Meadows Group Realtors Inc. “That’s the one thing that both lenders and appraisers will be able to add value to.”

Lacher, one of the area’s only certified “EcoBrokers,” approached the RMLS board in 2004 with a proposal to add green building criteria to its database. Her persistence paid off this September when the board approved her proposal.

“I expected nothing less,” Lacher said of the number of calls she’s received since the announcement was made. Realtors from California to Seattle to Virginia have shown interest in revamping their real estate listing services to reflect green design, she said. 

Being able to quantify green building features, such as the cost savings equated with owning an Energy Star dishwasher, as well as the durability of such features, is critical in gaining acceptance in the fairly conservative real estate and lending industry, Lacher said.

“Some people have 1920s houses with those old furnaces, and they are valued the same as a house that has a new high-efficiency furnace,” Lacher said. “That’s just not right.”

Duane Woik, green building consultant for Earth Advantage, said energy-efficiency houses cost more than standard houses, but it’s a wise investment. The consulting firm helps homebuilders and remodelers incorporate energy-efficient and healthy design principles into their work. All homes with the Earth Advantage seal-of-approval are 15 percent more efficient than standard homes.

“We only make recommendations that are cost-effective,” Woik said. “It must pay for itself in 10 years or less.”

Woik, a member of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) board serving on the energy and green building subcommittees, said Portland’s new RMLS green building criteria is stirring up interest among homebuilders.

“It was big news that Oregon could get this passed,” he said after returning from a board meeting in Colorado.  

Three years ago, NAHB passed a resolution to help educate home builders on green building concepts. The backbone of the resolution is the NAHB’s Green Building Guidelines, a free 156-page online book which includes information about lot preparation and design, indoor environmental quality, and resource, energy and water efficiency.

The homebuilding industry has embraced the guidelines, said David Presley, president of NAHB. “Homebuilders are responding to an increased demand from their customers.”

Nine out of 10 homebuilders say they incorporate energy-saving products or features into new homes, according to NAHB. Homes that qualify for the Energy Star program use substantially less energy for heating, cooling and water heating, saving homeowners $200 to $400 annually. To date, over 2,500 homebuilders have partnered with EPA to construct more than 500,000 Energy Star qualified homes.

“Five years ago, home builders didn’t know what green building was,” Woik said. “Now homebuilders are interested and see the value in it.”