How Green is the RESO Data Dictionary?

Rob Larson, Chair of the RESO Data Dictionary Workgroup and CIO for CRMLS, discusses the multiple ways that "green" has grown within the Data Dictionary over the years.

Larson notes that there are several ways of how the Data Dictionary treats "green." The first is sharing "efficiency" information with consumers on a home's particular feature. The next is when a listing needs to cite a type of green components, such as a specific type of green roof or insulation.

He points out that these components won't have the word "green" attached to them, a purposeful move by the Workgroup when they were contributing to GreentheMLS.org, because "those features need to be called just what they are because they are green today and not tomorrow."

Larson adds the RESO Data Dictionary also allows for listings to include green-related certifications. Where green elements that are much more explicit, such as a home's energy rating, these can be added.

Finally, one of the most recent green additions to the Data Dictionary is the ability to denote power production, he explains. Listings can now inform consumers of the type of energy system the home employs – "this is geothermal, this is solar, or this is wind" – as well as the manufacturer's rating for the output of the system, and know how that system is going to perform.

More insight into the RESO Data Dictionary, including how members can join its Workgroup, is available here. For the latest information about the RESO Data Dictionary, check out the Data Dictionary Wiki, available here.