RESNET
& HERS Ratings
RESNET’s Home Energy Rating System (HERS) provides the homeowner with a certificate of energy efficiency.
These tests are performed by certified independent third party inspectors, and include the mandated Infiltration Test (blower door) and Leak Free Duct Certification at no extra cost.
RESNET’s Standards
RESNET’s Standards are officially recognized by the federal government for verification of building energy performance for such programs as federal tax incentives, the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program.
RESNET Standards are also recognized by International Energy Conservation Code and state utility benefit funded residential energy efficiency programs.
What is the HERS Index?
The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. It is also the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance.
What does a HERS rating say about a house?
The HERS Index measures a home’s energy efficiency and there are a lot of great reasons to have a home energy rating performed on your house.
It can tell you so much about the home you live in, like how efficiently it’s operating and where you can make modifications for greater energy savings. When you’re selling your home, a low HERS Index Score can command a higher resale price. And when you’re buying a home you can anticipate the costs of energy bills and efficiency upgrades.
How does the HERS Index work?
A certified Home Energy Rater assesses the energy efficiency of a home, assigning it a relative performance score. The lower the number, the more energy efficient the home.The U.S. Department of Energy has determined that a typical resale home scores 130 on the HERS Index while a standard new home is awarded a rating of 100.
A home with a HERS Index Score of 70 is 30% more energy efficient than a standard new home
A home with a HERS Index Score of 130 is 30% less energy efficient than a standard new home
Some of the variables included in an energy rating
- All exterior walls (both above and below grade)
- Floors over unconditioned spaces (like garages or cellars)
- Ceilings and roofs
- Attics, foundations and crawlspaces
- Windows and doors, vents and ductwork
- HVAC systems, water heating system, and your thermostat
What is a HERS Rater?
An individual who is certified by an accredited Rating Provider to inspect and test a home in order to evaluate each of the minimum rated features and complete a Home Energy Rating according to the RESNET Standards.
How Are Home Energy Raters Certified?
The knowledge base and skill sets for Home Energy Raters are defined by chapter two of the RESNET standards and the training providers are all accredited by RESNET, including:
Curricula approval
Instructors that are certified by RESNET (must pass examination).
All Home Energy Rater candidates must pass a national online exams and perform 5 ratings under the supervision of an accredited Rating Provider’s Certified Field Assessor. Only then can the Home Energy Rater candidate be certified by a RESNET accredited Rating Provider.
What is a HERS Rating?
A home energy rating involves an analysis of a home’s construction plans and onsite inspections. Based on the home’s plans, the Home Energy Rater uses an energy efficiency software package to perform an energy analysis of the home’s design.
This analysis yields a projected, pre-construction HERS Index. Upon completion of the plan review, the rater will work with the builder to identify the energy efficiency improvements needed to ensure the house will meet ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. The rater then conducts onsite inspections, typically including a blower door test (to test the leakiness of the house) and a duct test (to test the leakiness of the ducts).
Results of these tests, along with inputs derived from the plan review, are used to generate the HERS Index score for the home.
What is the HERS Index?
A scoring system established by RESNET in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code) scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0.
Why have a home Rated?
The Zillow Group’s Consumer Housing Trends Report lists the top ten features that buyers of new homes want most and one of those features is that “the home must be energy efficient”.
