The RESNET Board of Directors adopted a set of policies aimed at enhancing the national consistency of HERS® Index Scores. The policies adopted were: RESNET certified Quality Assurance Designees must in the future: Serve as agents of RESNET Have neither a financial interest nor an employee/employer relationship with the entity performing the rating RESNET quality assurance standards maintain the current requirement of annual quality assurance review of raters consisting of 1% field reviews and 10% building file reviews with provisions through modification to the standard to add additional oversight of HERS® Raters when errors are found in these reviews. RESNET incorporate changes to rating software standards that would include: Establish limits on input variables for whole-house ventilations systems and other in the RESNET Standards Determine bounds checks that can be incorporated into software to limit or warn users when input values are beyond reasonable limits Enhance rating software tools to enable Quality Assurance Designee flags to be set for internal inconsistencies that should be checked prior to entering a building file into RESNET registry Modify RESNET registry XML schema to include reporting of the Quality Assurance Designee flags to RESNET staff To develop options on implementing the adopted policies the RESNET Board created two working groups on quality assurance and rating software fixes. The process that RESNET is following to enhance rating consistency is posted at RESNET Process for Enhancing the National Consistency of HERS® Index Scores The RESNET Quality Improvement Working Group – Software Fixes members are: Co-Chairmen Philip Fairey, Florida Solar Energy Center Dave Roberts, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Members Brett Dillon, IBS Advisors Joel Gilbert, Apogee Rating Software Mark Jansen, Energy Efficient Homes Midwest Cy Kilbourn, Ekotrope Rating Software Rob Salcido, REM/Rate Rating Software The working group adopted a set of recommendations that RESNET accredited rating software tools be required to verify the reasonableness and internal consistency of certain user inputs as specified by this Section. Accredited software tools shall generate user warnings, software errors that prohibit further calculation and RESNET National Building Registry flags. The recommendations of the working group are posted at RESNET Quality Improvement Working Group – Software Fixes The recommendations will be forwarded to the RESNET Quality Assurance Task Force in making its recommendations to the RESNET Board. The RESNET Quality Improvement Working Group – Quality Assurance released its options to the RESNET rating industry for review and comments. The comments are now being considered by the working group before it submits its final options to the task force. RESNET staff has drafted recommended added additional oversight of HERS® Raters when errors are found in quality assurance reviews. The recommendation is currently undergoing industry review and comment before being submitted to the RESNET Quality Improvement Task Force. The task force will make its recommendations to the RESNET Board of Directors prior to its Fall 2014 Board Meeting.
