In this episode of Tim O’Brien’s Buiding Sustainably podcast, “What is the HERs Index and Why Should I Care?” Tim O’Brien is joined by the Program Director of RESNET, Ryan Meres, to discuss the meaning of The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index, and why new home buyers should better understand how and why this Index is calculated. Tim and Ryan discuss the history of RESNET and HERS, and current and future initiatives to reach out to the building and real estate industries such as featuring scores on MLS across the country. Tim O’Brien Homes is the May 2021 RESNET HERS® Index Builder of the Month. As owner Tim O’Brien says, “We are proud to have been a part of the RESNET program and truly believe in what the program stands for. In fact, we’re a part of your Energy Smart Builder Program, which requires us to guarantee that every single home we build is HERS® rated. We’ve had every home we’ve ever built go through the HERS® program since Tim O’Brien Homes was founded in 2007.” In 2020, Tim O’Brien Homes achieved the low average HERS® score of 49 for a builder completing more than 50 homes, compared to the national average of 58. Ryan Meres has 15 years of experience in energy and water efficiency, energy policy, and building energy codes and has worked at the Federal, state, and local levels. As the Program Director for the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), Ryan currently leads numerous programs, including implementation of RESNET’s HERSH2O® whole-house water efficiency rating; as well as initiatives to get energy and water efficiency valued in the real estate transaction process. Ryan got started in the energy efficiency industry as an EarthCraft House Technical Advisor, working with builders in the Atlanta metro area to make their homes more energy-efficient. Click here to listen to the full episode.
