It is important to know if the Home Energy Rater you are using is in good standing with RESNET. Click the link below to verify their status. Verify a Rater 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. The lower a home’s HERS® Index, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS® Reference Home. Each 1-point decrease in the HERS® Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS® Reference Home. Thus a home with a HERS® Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than the HERS® Reference Home and a home with a HERS® Index of 80 is 20% more energy efficient.
