Podcasts: Nov. 17, 2014

A: RESNET is a national, nonprofit membership organization that sets the standards for creating home energy performance. Our landmark product is the HERS index score. We have more than 4,000 certified raters across the country, from Alaska to Florida.

Q: Tell us more about the 2014 Cross Border Challenge.

A: This is really a fun event. It allows a competition based on the HERS index score between U.S. builders and Canadian builders. We have a sister organization, the Canadian Residential Energy Service Network, or CRESNET, and we had a series of awards, including national awards — the American Award, the RESNET President’s Award, and the CRESNET President’s Award.

Q: What exactly is the HERS index?

A: The HERS index is akin to miles per gallon in American cars. It’s a way to express to a consumer the energy efficiency of a home. A score of 100 is the standard American home built in 2006. The reading is linear, so every percentile you reduce your energy consumption, you get a reduction on the score. And, vice versa, every percent you increase energy consumption, the score increases. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates the typical existing home at around 130. It goes down to zero, where zero equals zero, it’s a home that produces as much energy as it consumes.

Steve Baden
Executive director, Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET)
http://www.resnet.us/

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Publication date: 11/17/2014

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