Buyers purchasing new homes built after Sept. 1 may save on their energy bills, but there won't be a label showing the energy conservation this year.

At Monday evening's city council meeting, members passed third reading of the new Building and Plumbing Bylaw with the regulations to come into effect Sept. 1.

They opted to hold off on requirements that homes include a label, moving that required date by a year until Sept. 1, 2013.

The labels will show the energy rating, similar to how vehicles are given a fuel rating on how much gas the vehicle will use in optimal conditions.

Coun. Ranj Pillai, who proposed the extension, suggested the additional year period would give officials the time required to get ready for the labeling.

For example, Yukon Housing Corp. staff will have to assess the labels and how they will be dealt with when homes are resold.

"Let's give it a year,” Pillai said.

He then asked city planning manager Mike Gau if there's a way to ensure the work required for the labeling to happen will be done over the next year and not put on the back burner.

As Gau explained, sustainability projects co-ordinator Shannon Clohosey has been working on the initiative.

She will continue to lead the work over the next year to ensure the labelling is ready to go come Sept. 1, 2013.

Pillai then told Gau he would like a council and senior management meeting to be held where council members and staff could come up with the terms of reference and timelines for tasks on the labelling requirements.

While the rest of council ended up voting with Pillai for the amendment, Coun. Florence Roberts was initially reluctant to put any labelling requirements in the bylaw.

"I'd like it deleted until we have all our ducks in a row,” she said.

Right now, she noted, there is no one qualified to do the assessments on the energy ratings for the homes.

This will add extra costs to the homeowner, and there should be some thought given to older homes as well, Roberts said.

After Pillai stated his arguments for the extension, Roberts said she would support his amendment, but still questions why the city's "ducks aren't in a row.”

Gau then noted that the three Yukon Housing Corp. workers trained to do energy audits on local homes can't make a full-time job out of that alone because it's not required.

While the labelling will require additional training, Gau noted if they are required, there will likely be more work in energy audits, but there has to be an impetus for it.

And because it has never been required, the city does not know what effect it will have on the marketplace, he said.

Gau also clarified with Roberts, when she raised the question, that the labelling would not take the place of home inspections typically done when a property is sold.

Those inspections, he explained, look at the structural integrity of the building while the labelling requirements will deal with energy use in the home.

In stating her support for the labelling requirements being put off by a year, Mayor Bev Buckway said the labels will mean home buyers are given the energy information about their home up front.

Though residents can seek out that information through the city's planning department, many don't, and aren't aware of it, she noted.

Putting it off by a year, the mayor argued, will mean the requirements will still be there but staff will have time to prepare for the change.

As well, the bylaw won't have to be reopened in the future to include the labelling requirements.

The bylaw includes other provisions to enhance energy efficiency beginning Sept. 1 of this year through regulations such as having triple-pane windows rather than double-pane, an increased minimum energy rating of 82 instead of the current minimum of 80 and other such initiatives.

Coun. Dave Austin attended the meeting by conference call.