To provide buyers with more information about a home’s energy efficiency, the Residential Energy Services Network and the Appraisal Institute have struck a partnership to start including Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scores on appraisals.
Green Building Advisor reports that in the past, standard appraisals inadequately valued energy-saving features. HERS scores will be added to the existing green-building addendum for appraisers.
The inclusion of the HERS scores may influence builders to construct high-performance buildings. In 2015, the U.S. had 206,000 HERS-rated homes, with the bulk of them (40,000) in Texas.
The HERS Index is a numerical rating system that measures energy consumption relative to a standard reference house. The reference house, a standard new home, has a score of 100; a house with a HERS Index of 70 uses 30% less energy, while a house with a HERS index of 130 uses 30% more energy. The lower the HERS score, the lower the energy costs.
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