What is a HERS Rating?
3 Dec2009
Filed Under Green, Homeowners · Tagged: energy efficiency, Energy Star, HERS · Print This Article
A HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rating is an analysis of a home’s projected energy efficiency in comparison to a ‘reference home’ (based on 2006 International Energy Conservation Code.) The reference home is basically a standard, built-to-code home.
The rating, done by a certified Home Energy Rater, involves both an analysis of a home’s construction plans, as well as onsite inspection and testing.
The Home Energy Rater uses special software to analyze the expected energy use of the home based on the construction plans. That study yields a pre-construction score, which is called a HERS Index. (This is when the rating is done before or during the process of a home being built.)
If a home builder is trying to reach Energy Star standards when building a home, the specialist who is conducting the analysis will make suggestions to improve the efficiency of the home as it is being built to help achieve a better score.
After a home is built, or for an existing home, the rater conducts onsite inspections. Don Simon of Professional Energy Consulting informed us a little about the process. “The process involves inspection and testing of the building for envelope tightness, duct leakage, heating & cooling efficiency, duct work leakage, window efficiency and other features which may affect energy consumption.”
Results of those tests, along with the earlier software analysis, are used to generate the HERS score. A home built to standard code has a score of 100. The lower the number, the BETTER the score. For every 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the standard number, the score lowers by a point. So a home with a HERS rating of 80 is 20% more efficient than a standard home.
“A home must achieve a HERS index of 85 or less to qualify as an Energy Star home. Homes meeting this standard can be labeled as Energy Star compliant,” says Don Simon.
Anyone can have the testing done on their home, and there are companies in the Cincinnati area who will conduct these testings, including Professional Energy Consulting or Green Building Consulting, Inc./Homes +.
The cost for the testing is hard to pin down — it depends greatly on where you are in the construction phase of a home, what kind of home you have, how much consulting you may need, and several other factors. Talk to a professional if you want to know more. I can put you in touch with one near your home!
Learn More:
Professional Energy Consulting
Green building paying off in Cincinnati
(Interview with Barb Yankie, another tester I’ve worked with.)
RESNET – Residential Energy Services Network
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