 | Mike Goebel
has been involved in the construction and home improvement industry for more than 40 years and is currently the Senior Vice President of the Home Center Division at Star Lumber & Supply Co. Inc. You may contact Mike by e-mail at mgoebel@starlumber.com or by phone at (316) 942-2221. |
Home Improvement
2002-05-01 15:03:00
What's a 'HERS' rating?
Question: What is a 'HERS' rating insofar as it relates to the energy efficiency of a home? Who are energy raters? Are they independent? What is an acceptable score?Answer: "HERS" stands for "Home Energy Rating System." A trained expert compares your house with a hypothetical exact duplicate of your home in the same area, with the same environment but with optimum energy efficient construction. The rating then is a comparison of your home with the model and the percentage is expressed as a "HERS" rating. In other words, if your home is "perfect" your HERS rating would be 100. Scores of 80 or above are good, 70 to 80 is typical and ratings of below 60 earn your home the title of "Energy Hog." Your expert should be certified by the state Chapter of the Residential Energy Services Network. In Kansas that would be the Energy and Environmental Ratings Alliance with headquarters in Manhattan KS. The rater inspects the home and measures its energy characteristics such as insulation, window efficiency, wall-to-window ratio, heating and cooling system, water heater and the solar orientation of the home. The "HERS" system was developed for the mortgage industry They use the rating not only to help value the home but also to determine the buyer's ability to pay(lower utilities leaves more money to pay the mortgage). Today the ratings are used by consumers, builders(for marketing) real estate agents, appraisers public housing authorities, utilities as well as lending institutions. Consumers of course use the rating to make purchasing decisions but also can use the system to determine what to do to get the most bang for the buck on home improvements. The "HERS" system sounds like a great deal for everyone but right now it's not being used very much. I know of only one "rater" in Wichita and he does very little for the mortgage companies, realtors or home builders. Most of his work is for companies that need to comply with certain specifications connected with government programs. Perhaps when the cost of energy gets high enough we'll all start paying more attention to the "HERS" rating system.
