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What is the HERS^® Index?

The Home Energy Rating System (HERS^®) Index, established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET^®), is a scoring tool that measures a home’s energy efficiency. Knowing a home’s HERS Index score encourages actions to become more energy efficient, which has many benefits for different people, among others:

Homeowners can make their homes more environmentally friendly and save on long-term energy use costs.
Home sellers may be able to command a higher price and make their properties more attractive to environmentally and fiscally conscientious buyers.
Homebuyers can make better decisions about a property.
Property builders can positively increase their reputation as a “green” builder and reduce costs for their clients and tenants over time.

HERS Index

How a HERS Index Score is Determined the HERS Index is a comparison of a home in question to the RESNET Reference Home (International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 2006). The Reference Home is generated through an approved software using the specifications of the home being compared (size, shape, design, geometric configuration, location and type, among others) in order to give a more accurate comparison.

The lower a home’s HERS Index score, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS Reference Home. Each one-point increase or decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to an approximate 1 percent increase or decrease in estimated energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home. Thus, a home with a HERS Index score of 105 consumes approximately 5 percent more energy than the same home built to the 2006 IECC, and a home with a HERS Index of 95 uses approximately 5 percent less energy than the same home built to the 2006 IECC. The HERS Index is based on estimated energy usage and should not be considered a guarantee of a home’s actual performance.

Visit www.RESNET.us for more information.