Energy efficiency matters to homebuyers. While they may not always receive the information and tools to make it a central part of their home-buying decision, the results of our most recent consumer survey are clear: 84% of homebuyers say that energy efficiency is either very or moderately important in their decision-making when looking for a new home.

As part of the “Home Buying in the Energy Transition” research, conducted with partners 257 and the National Association of REALTORS®, we surveyed over 1,500 real estate professionals to get their perspectives on the energy characteristics of homes – including both energy efficiency and clean energy technologies – and the impact these features have on home sales.

In this month’s blog, we share five insights from SECC’s survey of active real estate agents, highlighting what they think about energy efficiency and clean energy technologies, how open they are to learning more and where they see opportunities to partner with electricity providers.

1. Agents are familiar with energy efficiency but not overly confident.

The vast majority of agents (84%) say they’re somewhat or very familiar with home energy use and energy efficiency topics. However, familiarity does not equal fluency. When asked how confident they are explaining specific features, agents were only “somewhat confident” on a few basics, such as utility cost savings and the impact of energy efficiency on resale value. Confidence drops sharply for energy technologies like heat pumps, EV charging and home batteries. For these technologies, over half of agents do not feel comfortable explaining them to clients. While agents recognize energy efficiency, most lack the deeper knowledge needed to proactively guide buyers, especially on more advanced topics.

2. Agents say homebuyers aren’t asking them about energy features.

Despite strong interest found in our consumer survey, agents report that buyers aren’t really initiating conversations about the energy features of homes. A quarter of agents say they’ve never been asked about energy efficiency, and half (49%) say they’ve never been asked about the sustainability of a home. When asked about the challenges preventing them from discussing energy efficiency with clients, the top barrier cited is limited client interest (60%), followed by a lack of personal knowledge (42%). Another 22% say they lack accessible resources or tools. The absence of buyer questions may be a symptom of a larger issue: Neither side feels equipped to initiate the conversation. Buyers may not know what to ask, and agents may not feel confident enough to raise the topic, leading to energy features being under-discussed.

3. Agents prefer to refer homebuyers to utilities, government or other sources.

When energy questions do arise from clients, agents overwhelmingly defer to outside experts. Nearly half (48%) refer clients to expert sources, and 33% refer them directly to utility companies. Only 17% provide detailed information themselves. The most common expert sources include online utility program pages, government incentive sites, HVAC contractors, ENERGY STAR, solar installers – and even Google. Many real estate agents feel that energy topics are “outside my area of expertise,” reinforcing the need for accessible, trusted resources.

4. Agents don’t see energy efficiency as a major selling point – unlike homebuyers.

While buyers clearly value the energy performance of homes, our survey found that agents are less convinced of its market impact: 42% said that energy efficiency has no impact on property value. Only 7% believe it significantly increases value, while 47% believe there could be a moderately positive impact on the sales price. Agents are similarly split when it comes to energy efficiency being a competitive differentiator in their local housing market. About a third (35%) are neutral, while 19% do not agree at all and just 3% see it as a competitive differentiator today. While agents on the West Coast and in the Northeast are more likely to value energy efficiency, agents remain largely unconvinced that consumers’ interest in efficiency is translating to higher sales prices.

5. Agents are very open to receiving training on efficiency and technologies.

The most encouraging finding from the survey of real estate agents is that 58% of agents want training around energy efficiency, incentives and emerging technologies. And interest is especially strong among agents with less than 10 years of experience (65%). When asked about specific topic areas, the top training needs include financial incentives and rebates (56%), the valuation of energy-efficient features (47%) and communicating the benefits to clients (43%). Preferred resource types include quick-reference materials, such as checklists and fact sheets, (54%) and webinars (41%). This openness presents a clear opportunity for utilities and industry organizations to partner with real estate professionals and strengthen consumer education.

As the energy transition accelerates, real estate agents can play an increasingly important role in helping buyers understand the comfort, cost savings and long-term value of energy-efficient homes. SECC’s new research highlights both the challenges and the opportunities ahead and underscores the importance of collaboration between utilities and real estate agents.

To learn more about the roles that energy efficiency and clean energy technologies play in the home-buying process, including findings from the survey of homebuyers, download SECC’s “Home Buying in the Energy Transition” report here.