Prius or Hummer? How Green Is Your Home? Go Green at Home and Save
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Mon, Mar 15, 2010
Lower Home Energy Rating Scores Mean Greater Energy Efficiency
Newly constructed homes come with many energy-efficient features. Energy-saving furnaces and air conditioners, energy-maximizing heat pumps and water heaters, energy-conserving insulation and building materials all contribute to a new home’s HERS rating. A building’s HERS, or home energy rating is a measure of the building’s total energy efficiency from construction materials and techniques to the appliances used to run it. Lower HERS scores mean greater energy efficiency.
The government is now attempting to develop a home energy rating system that could be applied to all homes. Like the miles per hour standard for cars, a universal energy formula would allow consumers to instantly understand the energy consumption of a home. A universal HERS rating would let you know if your home was a Prius or a Hummer and might encourage you to retrofit the more energy-consuming components of your home with energy-efficient products, at least that’s the government’s goal.
Pilot testing of a HERS home energy labeling program is planned for this summer with national launch by the U.S. Department of Energy planned for fall. The program is a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Energy, the White House and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. One DOE official suggested that HERS ratings could be tied to the President’s proposed HomeStar program, also known as Cash for Caulkers. If HomeStar received Congressional approval, the program would provide cash rebates for the purchase and installation of energy-efficient home materials like weatherizing, windows and insulation.
The non-profit Earth Advantage Institute in Oregon has already teamed up with realtors to provide energy-efficient ratings for new and used homes. The Institute’s Energy Performance Score (EPS) takes into account both a home’s energy use and its carbon emissions. Whichever rating system eventually becomes the national standard, your home’s energy-efficient rating is likely to pay a role in its future resale value.