Utilities Using HERS® Raters to Verify New Homes Energy Performance Increases 27% in 2017 A recent study by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) reports that the number of utilities that rely upon certified HERS® Raters to verify the energy performance for their new homes programs increased by 27% in 2017 over 2016. In 2017, there were 47 utilities that relied upon HERS® Raters as compared to 39 in 2016. The CEE has 73 member utility programs across the United States and Canada with new homes programs with a collective annual budget totaling over $100 million. This information is contained in the CEE’s report, “Overview of Residential New Construction Programs in the United States and Canada”. The publication reports on the new construction programs CEE utility programs are sponsoring. To download the report go to Overview of Residential New Construction Programs in the United States and Canada. The study also reported that the number of utility residential construction program use of the HERS® Index also increased in 2017. The chart below shows the distribution of HERS® Index Scores used by utility programs. The CEE Board of Directors has recently adopted a Residential New Construction Initiative that will implement a tiered specification with performance-based levels based upon Energy Rating Index scores. The initiative will have the following tiers: The new CEE initiative is expected to increase the increase the use of the HERS® Index by utility construction programs and a lowering of threshold scores.
