The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released its fall 2026 updates to the Efficient New Homes Program, formally known as Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH). The updated program requirements will apply to projects with permit dates on or after January 1, 2027. These annual updates incorporate clarifications developed through ongoing discussions with participating builders and raters. This year’s revisions include updates related to Indoor AirPlus certification, California energy requirements, multifamily program documents, and the Phius performance pathway. Key Updates for Builders and Raters Indoor AirPlus certification. Indoor AirPlus Version 1 certification will continue to be accepted as the co-requisite certification for DOE Efficient New Homes projects with permit dates on or before December 31, 2028. California performance requirements. The California program has been updated to incorporate the 2025 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards (BEES). Projects must demonstrate a 12% improvement over the 2025 BEES Standard Design using the Long-Term Service Cost, Efficiency metric. The single-family points compliance pathway has been discontinued. Simplified multifamily ERI documents. DOE has developed a separate set of simplified documents for multifamily partners using the Energy Rating Index (ERI) certification pathway. This change makes it easier for partners to identify the requirements that apply to those projects. Updated Phius performance pathway. Following partner engagement and technical review, DOE has updated the Phius alternative pathway within the Multifamily ASHRAE compliance path. Projects may meet the program’s performance requirement through Phius compliance modeling using one of the following options: Exceed all five Phius 2021 or 2024 thresholds by 2%–4%, depending on climate zone. Meet or exceed the Phius 2021 or 2024 Source Energy Threshold and include either a central heat pump water heater or in-unit heat pump water heaters for domestic water heating. Meet or exceed the Phius 2021 or 2024 Source Energy Threshold and use gas heating and/or water heating. For buildings with at least 18% common area, meet or exceed the Phius 2021 or 2024 Source Energy Threshold. Projects using any of these options must also meet all applicable DOE Efficient New Homes’ mandatory requirements. Review the Updated Documents The revised requirements are available through DOE’s program document pages: Single Family Program Documents: Version 2, Revision 4 for the national program and Version 2, Revision 3 for California. Multifamily Program Documents: Version 2, Revision 3 for both the national and California programs. Additional details about the revisions are available in the Single Family Policy Record and Multifamily Policy Record. DOE also plans to release a brief training video later in October, outlining the updates. Raters should review the training through their overseeing Home Certification Organization (HCO) or Multifamily Review Organization (MRO) when it becomes available. Questions and comments may be directed to EfficientNewHomes@doe.gov.
