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Portland has become the first city in the United States to require sellers of single-family homes to disclose an energy score.

The requirement took effect Jan. 1.

Sellers are now required to obtain an assessment from a Home Energy Score assessor who has been authorized by the city. A list of authorized assessors is available online.

Portland instituted the Home Energy Score program to give buyers, sellers and real-estate professionals a way to compare home energy performance, according to the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, the city agency that administers the program. It was adopted unanimously by the City Council in 2016.

The cost of a home energy assessment is set by each assessor. According to BPS, assessments for similar programs in other cities range from $150 to $250. This year, the city will offer free scores to qualified low-income sellers.

The new requirements caused some homeowners to list their properties for sale before Jan. 1, said Zack Eaton, a real-estate agent with RE/MAX Equity Group.

鈥淚’ve had sellers who planned to list (do so) before the first of the year to avoid dealing with it,鈥� he said.

Eaton shrugged off the disclosure requirement.

鈥淚t’s just another thing to deal with,鈥� he said.

Under the program, homes are evaluated on a 10-point scale. If a home scores a 5, it is expected to perform comparably to an average Portland home in terms of聽energy聽use. A聽score聽of 10 means a home ranks among the top 10 percent in energy performance. A home scoring a 1 is estimated to consume more聽energy聽each year than 85 percent of homes, according to a news release from BPS.

If a home has received a Home聽Energy聽Score, a report聽will be available聽at the聽Portland Green Building Registry. It’s accessible at .

For more information, including a list of approved assessors, visit .