Miles per gallon: How far can your home go?
November 16, 2015 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
Recent studies suggest that the value of energy-efficiency to consumers is increasing. Another recent development adds more credence to the findings.
A new database allows users to look up the energy-efficiency rating of homes anywhere in the United States. The National Registry, created by national nonprofit Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), features the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) -- a nationally recognized system for inspecting, testing and labeling a home's energy performance and the industry standard by which a home's energy efficiency is measured. With the launch of the RESNET National Registry, consumers can now go online to look for new and existing homes that have been rated for energy performance, and comparison shop based on HERS Index scores. The database informs users if a home has been HERS-rated for energy efficiency, and if so, what its resulting HERS Index Score is. To date, more than 1.5 million American homes have been HERS-rated for energy efficiency. Every time a home is HERS-rated for energy efficiency, it is assigned a HERS Index Score as a numerical value of its energy performance. The lower the score, the more energy efficient the home. The HERS Index Score has been likened to a kind of miles per gallon (MPG) sticker for homes. A HERS Index Score is the result of a HERS energy rating, which is an in-depth analysis of a home's energy efficiency. An independent and certified RESNET HERS Rater examines the home, carrying out a range of tests to determine its energy performance. The data is entered into sophisticated HERS rating software, which calculates the HERS Index Score. For more: © 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex, LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.smartgridnews.com/story/miles-gallon-how-far-can-your-home-go |