BayREN, Franklin Energy, and Sonoma County partnered to bring nationally recognized green real estate training to Sonoma County — and the results speak for themselves

Ask any real estate agent in a room full of their peers: “Have you ever had a client ask about solar, energy bills, or what it would cost to upgrade a home — and you weren’t quite sure what to tell them?”

Almost every hand goes up.

That’s the gap BayREN is working to close. This past May, Sonoma County partnered with Franklin Energy and BayREN to host a two-day National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Green Designation training in Santa Rosa, bringing nationally recognized green real estate education directly to real estate professionals. It was free, it was practical, and it’s already changing how agents talk to their clients.

What BayREN Offers for Real Estate Agents

BayREN, the Bay Area Regional Energy Network, was created to help Bay Area residents and businesses reduce energy use and transition to cleaner, healthier homes and places of work. For real estate professionals, BayREN offers a unique set of resources: training programs, market insights, and direct connections to the contractors, incentives, and programs that can help clients make smarter home decisions.

When it comes to green real estate, BayREN’s role is to bridge the gap between the energy world and the real estate world, because those conversations are increasingly happening at the same table.

The NAR Green Designation: What It Is and Why It Matters

The NAR Green Designation is the only green real estate credential conferred by the National Association of REALTORS®. It’s not a course about environmental concepts in the abstract, it’s a focused, two-day training on real estate practice: how to market green homes, how to guide clients through upgrades and retrofits, and how to communicate the true cost of homeownership beyond just the mortgage payment.

Day 1 — The Resource-Efficient Home covers retrofits, remodels, renovations, and new construction. Agents learn why consumer demand for efficient homes is growing, how to advise clients on everything from low-cost DIY improvements to full system replacements, and how to add real value when working alongside builders and design teams.

Day 2 — Representing Buyers and Sellers of Resource-Efficient Homes shifts to the transaction itself. How do you price and market a home with green features? How do you help a buyer understand why lower utility bills and healthier air quality have real dollar value? How do you prepare clients for regulatory shifts, like Air District rulings, that are already beginning to reshape what buyers and sellers need to know?

Earning the designation also unlocks ongoing resources: a members-only marketing toolkit, access to green market research, curated social media content, exclusive industry webinars, a listing in the NAR GREEN directory, and a monthly newsletter from the GREEN REsource Council. It’s a credential that keeps delivering.

What Made the Sonoma Event Special

Congratulations to the eight real estate agents that received their NAR Green Designation and participated in our May 2026 Sonoma training. From left to right: Shannon Deschler, Kristofer Chun, Shari Skaife, Drew Thomas, John Shipman (Trainer), Norma Gomez Tagle, Aquileo Leal, Molly Stokeld, Meera Borthwick. This was the third time Sonoma has hosted the training — and the community around it keeps growing.

Day 1 was held at the North Coast Builders Exchange, an ideal setting for conversations about construction, retrofits, and building science. Day 2 moved to the Sonoma Clean Power Customer Center, a space where real estate agents can actually see and interact with the technologies they’re learning to talk about.

The instructor brought something rare: he’s both a seasoned real estate agent and a high-performing contractor. That dual perspective made the training immediately practical. Agents weren’t just learning theory, they were getting real answers to the questions their clients are already asking.

Both days included breakfast and lunch. The entire two-day training was completely free, with 16 continuing education units from the California Department of Real Estate (CA DRE).

In Their Own Words: Agent Feedback

The best measure of a training is what agents take away from it. Here’s what two Sonoma agents had to say:

“The NAR Green Designation Training was inspiring and affirming. The concepts presented helped marry my knowledge and passion for permaculture design, sustainability, and non-toxic living with my career in real estate. I also really appreciated connecting with other like-minded agents in my community.” — Shannon Deschler 

“One key takeaway was that high-performance and green homes are about more than features — they’re about understanding the science behind the home and being able to clearly communicate the real-life benefits to clients, such as comfort, efficiency, and healthier living. When we elevate the conversation with buyers and sellers and focus on value, not just upgrades, we position ourselves as true advisors and help clients make more informed, long-term decisions.” — Aquileo Leal

Stay Engaged: What’s Coming Next

The Sonoma event was a success — and it’s just one piece of a larger effort to build green real estate capacity across the Bay Area. Here’s how to stay involved:

Sonoma Green Home Tour — September 2026 This two-hour walkthrough of a fully transformed 1950s Santa Rosa home is designed specifically for real estate professionals — though clients are welcome too. You’ll walk through a home that’s been upgraded with solar panels, a heat pump HVAC system, heat pump water heater, induction range, blown-in insulation, drought-tolerant landscaping, and more. The goal: give agents a firsthand experience of these features so they can speak to their value with confidence. Location is shared after registration. Date to be announced, stay tuned!

Future NAR Green Designation Trainings BayREN and its partners are committed to bringing this training to more communities throughout the Bay Area. If you’re an agent, association, broker, or local partner interested in hosting a future event — or simply want to be notified when the next training comes to your area, get in touch.

Connect with BayREN Visit bayren.org to explore resources for real estate professionals, find upcoming events, and learn more about how BayREN supports energy-efficient homes across the region.

 

About BayREN

The Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) is a collaboration of the nine counties that make up the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), BayREN provides regional-scale energy efficiency programs, services, and resources. BayREN is funded by utility ratepayer funds through the California Public Utilities Commission, as well as other sources, drawing on the expertise, knowledge, and proven track record of Bay Area local governments.

BayREN provides trainings specifically for real estate professionals to enable market recognition of the value of a green home during real estate transactions. Trainings also help real estate professionals understand the basics of an energy efficient home and available resources, such as incentives for upgrades and assessments offered through BayREN.