Water resources are becoming increasingly strained in many parts of the country and water prices are increasing faster than energy prices. Water price increases are not based solely on availability of water, but also are significantly impacted by the costs to upgrade aging water infrastructure and water utility rate structures. This means that the potential for water cost savings through water efficiency measures is available in nearly all regions of the U.S. To address this issue RESNET has created a water efficiency rating system, HERSH2O. HERSH2O® builds off on RESNET’s nationally recognized Home Energy Rating System (HERS®) Index, which is the gold standard for rating the energy efficiency of a home. HERSH2O® is a system for rating whole-house water efficiency that includes both indoor and outdoor uses. With the average family spending more than $1,000 annually on water costs, HERSH2O® provides a simple, easy to compare rating on a scale from 0-100+; where lower numbers mean less water use. The HERSH2O® Index was developed as part of a partnership between RESNET and the International Code Council. The technical basis for HERSH2O® is the ANSI/RESNET/ICC Standard 850 The RESNET water efficiency rating system has gained considerable traction since being launched in October 2020. Signs of this momentum include: Thirteen HERSH2O Providers Accredited by RESNET. Accredited Providers to date are: • Building Efficiency Resources of Brevard, North Carolina • Building Knowledge of Burnsville, Minnesota • Burgess Construction Consultants, Inc of Plano, Texas • Energy Inspectors of Las Vegas, Nevada • EnergyLogic of Berthoud, Colorado • Fox Energy Specialists of Fort Worth, Texas • Green Zone Home of Austin, Texas • Quality Built of San Diego, California • Southface Energy Rated Homes of Atlanta, Georgia • Steven Winter Associates, Inc. of Norwalk, Connecticut • U.S. EcoLogic of Irving, Texas • Viridiant of Richmond, Virginia • Washington State University Energy Program of Olympia, Washington If you are a RESNET accredited HERS® Rating Provider and interested in becoming accredited as a HERSH2O® Provider go to RESNET HERSH2O Provider. As an EPA WaterSense Home Certification Organization, HERSH2O® Providers are also able to certify WaterSense homes. 127 RESNET HERS® Raters Certified as RESNET HERSH2O Raters. If you are a certified RESNET HERS® Rater and interested in becoming a HERSH2O® Rater go to RESNET HERSH2O Since October 2020 218 Homes Have Been HERSH2O Rated. RESNET Executive Director Steve Baden commented, “The development of the RESNET water efficiency rating system took five years, which included the contributions of many water efficiency and HERS® Ratings subject matter experts. As critical as the issue of water is, it is gratifying to see the results the new program has achieved since it was launched four months ago.”
