“A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.” -Segal’s Law Consistency is important when it comes time to rely on…anything. A key to ensuring the quality of HERS® ratings is the software calculation consistency of the HERS® score. Too often in the past, the same home could receive a different score based upon the software program being used. What actions has the RESNET Board taken to enhance the consistency of calculation of HERS® Index Scores? Neal Kruis, Vice President of Big Ladder Software joins us to discuss his role as the RESNET Energy Modeling Director. With a doctoral degree in building systems engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Neal has extensive experience with computational software for building energy analysis. Neal will act as the arbitrator of the Software Consistency Committee (SCC) established by the RESNET Board. Neal gives us a great overview of this very complex topic. He acknowledges that while the goal is not to be disruptive to the HERS® Scoring process, the necessary improvements can be disruptive to an extent. To this end, bi-directional communication is the key. Below you find links to the real-world FAQS on this topic along with a link to a form to report software inconsistencies. Links discussed in the podcast: • Modeling Consistency Inquiry Form • FAQs • Neal’s presentation from the 2019 RESNET Conference In addition, some of the other roles for the SCC include researching and identifying major drivers that cause inconsistency, as well as propose resolutions that will enhance consistency between software tools. Listen to the full episode here.
