Increasingly, states and municipalities are crafting policies and programs for transparency in home energy use. They range from voluntary to mandatory and encompass a variety of approaches from requiring utility bill disclosure at time of sale to voluntary asset labels based on efficiency programs. The purpose of these programs is to allow for greater transparency of a home’s energy use in the real estate transaction process. The Missouri Division of Energy’s Missouri Home Energy Certification (MHEC) program encourages Missourians to reduce energy usage by making improvements or upgrades to their homes. MHEC is a voluntary program designed to promote energy-efficient homes through clear and meaningful recognition. It is intended to help home sellers convey the invested value of the energy-efficient features of their home to potential buyers. The criteria for recognition have been determined by working with interested and affected parties. Both new and existing single-family homes in Missouri are eligible for MHEC program. An eligible home can achieve one of two levels of certification under this program: Gold level or Silver level. HERS® rated homes in the state that score a 65 or less are awarded the gold certificate as part of the program. More recently Missouri automated the process of generating state-specific labels and scorecards. The Missouri Division of Energy is collaborating with Earth Advantage and their Green Building Registry™ is collaborating with Earth Advantage and their Green Building Registry™ to automate the process of generating their state-specific scorecard and certificates. This includes the ability to generate a scorecard for HERS® rated homes, like the example shown below.
