Consumers are increasingly being made aware of the value of high energy performance homes and the HERS® Index. On April 3, 2015, the Arizona Republic carried a front page feature in its new homes section entitled, “Recognizing the Importance of Energy-Efficiency – Energy-efficiency is good for your wallet – and good for the environment too”. The feature states that “Buyers looking for energy-efficient new homes will have an easy time finding them in the Phoenix market. That’s because at least 60 major production builders in the Valley build new homes to the standard of the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program.” The feature highlights the HERS® Index stating, “A key component of determining a home’s level of energy-efficiency is the HERS® (Home Energy Rating System) rating which is an index or score that is the industry standard by which a home’s energy-efficiency is measured. The HERS® Index runs from zero to 100 or 150; every point on the scale working backward from the highest number represents a 1 percent improvement in the home’s energy-efficiency.” To download the feature go to Arizona Republic Recognizing the Importance of Energy Efficiency RESNET Executive Director Steve Baden commented, “The HERS® Index is becoming mainstream in housing markets throughout the U.S. Such coverage serves to increase consumer awareness of the HERS® Index when shopping for a new home.”
