In 2014 there were 146,860 homes in the United States that were energy rated by certified RESNET HERS® Raters and issued a HERS® Index Score. According to the data from the U.S. Census Bureau this represents over 33.8% of all new homes sold in the nation. The average HERS® Index Score of the homes rated in 2014 was 63. The five leading states in terms of homes receiving a HERS® Index were: Texas – 28,784 Florida – 14,994 North Carolina – 10,271 Colorado – 8,315 Indiana – 8,007 The five states with the lowest HERS® Index Scores were: Hawaii – -8 Montana – 49 North Dakota – 49 Vermont – 49 Maine – 50 The following is the number of homes issued a HERS® Index Score in 2014 and the average HERS® Index Score by state State Number of Homes Rated Average HERS® Index Score Alabama 1,213 75 Alaska* 163 54 Arizona 3,318 62 Arkansas 533 77 California** 701 69 Colorado 8,315 59 Connecticut 746 53 Delaware 1,403 57 District of Columbia 100 65 Florida 14,994 60 Georgia 4,986 71 Hawaii 11 -8 Idaho 722 61 Illinois 1,721 59 Indiana 8,007 67 Iowa 4,007 60 Kansas 1,047 70 Kentucky 1,964 67 Louisiana 230 62 Maine 21 50 Maryland 4,928 59 Massachusetts 4,887 63 Michigan 2,026 60 Minnesota 3,665 57 Mississippi 17 62 Missouri 838 68 Montana 20 49 Nebraska 507 53 Nevada 1,893 62 New Hampshire 253 57 New Jersey 3,005 63 New Mexico 1,223 56 New York 2,568 56 North Carolina 10,271 68 North Dakota 10 49 Ohio 5,389 59 Oklahoma 3,278 62 Oregon 123 54 Pennsylvania 2,408 61 Rhode Island 437 87 South Carolina 6,121 68 South Dakota 17 56 Tennessee 1,016 68 Texas 28,874 65 Utah 1,063 60 Vermont 334 49 Virginia 4,778 62 Washington 439 57 West Virginia 125 64 Wisconsin 1,932 62 Wyoming 92 64 * Alaska number does not reflect State’s energy standard ratings ** California number does not reflect Title 24 HERS The total number of ratings conducted in 2014 is lower than reported for 2013. There were several reasons for this. The first is that the federal tax credit for energy efficient homes expired in 2014. Another reason was that 2013 was the first year for the RESNET National Registry and it was discovered that there were glitches in the registry that resulted in an over reporting of homes rated in 2013. RESNET Executive Director Steve Baden commented on the fact that over 146,000 homes HERS® rated in 2014, “Homebuilders are increasingly seeing energy efficiency as a major selling point for buying a new home. To take advantage of this opportunity builders across the nation are presenting their homes’ energy performance in a way that every home buyer can understand, the home’s HERS® Index Score. I expect that this trend will continue. It is also encouraging that the average HERS® Index Score was 63. This is 37% more efficient than homes built as recently as 2006 and 67% more efficient than a typical re-sale home.”
