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Members of RESNET Quality Improvement Task Force Appointed

Dec 16, 2013

Across the nation the RESNET HERS® Index Score is fast becoming a mainstream in the housing market.  Homebuilders are having their homes energy rated and marketing the HERS® Index Score of their homes, Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are incorporating the HERS® Index Scores in their listings and code jurisdictions are recognizing a HERS® Index Score as a building energy code compliance option.

With the increased visibility of the HERS® Index Score RESNET is obligated to ensure that HERS® Index Scores are as consistent as possible.

This need has been made more important with the International Code Council adopting an Energy Rating Index option to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code.

To achieve this goal the RESNET Board of Directors adopted a set of policies which are:

  • 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
  • That the RENSET 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

The RESNET Board voted to create a RESNET Quality Improvement Task Force composed of representatives of Rating Providers, Quality Assurance Designees, Rating Companies and homebuilders that would develop recommendations to the RESNET Board to implement the policies.

The following individuals have been appointed to serve on the task force:

Rating Provider Representatives

  • Galo LeBron, Energy Inspectors, Nevada
  • Greg Thomas, Performance Systems Development, New York

Quality Assurance Designee Representatives

  • Sean Shanley, Earth Craft Virginia, Virginia
  • Matt Sharpe, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Vermont

Rating Company Representatives

  • Bob Eipert, Bremen Energy Auditors, Kentucky
  • Jerry Fenchel, Fox Energy Specialists, Texas

Home Builder Representatives

  • CR Herro, Meritage Homes, Arizona
  • Dean Potter, K. Hovnanian Homes, New Jersey

The next step in the process will be to appoint the members of the RESNET Quality Improvement Working Groups that will prepare option analysis for the task force.