Jan. 22, 2014: DOE Updates Its Home Energy Scoring Tool
Tool Provides Recommendations for Energy Efficiency Improvements
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the first major software update to its Home Energy Scoring Tool, developed by DOE’s Building Technologies Office and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
DOE said the Home Energy Scoring Tool allows homebuyers to compare homes on an apples-to-apples basis and provides recommendations for energy efficiency improvements. In addition, homeowners and homebuyers receive a cost-saving estimate of how these improvements could reduce utility bills and improve a home’s score. This provides homebuyers with the opportunity to undertake energy investments when improvements are most likely to take place — at time of purchase or within the first year of owning a home.