Our home received a HERS index score of 32 without solar and -3 once we incorporated the photovoltaic panels. The score of 32 earned our home “The Lowest Score American Custom Builder Award” for the 2019 CROSS BORDER BUILDER CHALLENGE presented at the 2019 RESNET Conference in New Orleans, LA. this February.
After all the energy efficiency choices are made, construction starts and then is completed, and you pile all your stuff into your beautiful new home the measurements and comparisons can start to see if all your hard work payed off. We hired XRG concepts to do our blower door tests and compute a HERS rating of our new home. A HERS (Home Energy Rating System) test is a nationally recognized scoring system for measuring a home’s energy performance. The energy rater takes into account the levels of insulation, energy performance of windows, what level of infiltration the home has (based on blower door test) and the efficiency of electricity (or other energy) drawing appliances and HVAC systems. From this they can compute/estimate the yearly energy draw of the home and
compare the data against a ‘reference home’ – a design modeled home of the same size and shape as the actual home, so the HERS Index Score is always relative to the size, shape and type of house you live in. The lower the number, the more energy efficient the home.
The average American home represents approximately 130 on the HERS Index while the reference home (a standard new home built in 2006) is rated at 100.
A home with a HERS Index Score of 70 is 30% more energy efficient than the reference home.
A home with a HERS Index Score of 130 is 30% less energy efficient than the reference home.
Here are the major components of the house that went into the energy efficiency calculation.
Here is the computed energy use for our home.
This final analysis included the photovoltaic panels giving us a HERS index of -3 and a projected surplus of over 1000 kWH so we have a good chance every year of making more power than the house uses, NET-ZERO! Without the panels the house was rated at a HERS index of 32 which means the house will use 68% less energy than the typical 2006 reference home.
XRG concepts submitted our home to the 2019 CROSS BORDER BUILDER CHALLENGE which helps promote the utilization of the HERS Index and is a friendly competition between American and Canadian Home Builders to determine just how energy efficient builders can build. Here were the winners for 2019, presented at the 2019 RESNET Conference in New Orleans, LA. this February.
Lowest HERS Index Score American Custom Builder – Vetting/Wolf Home, Minnesota with a HERS Index Score of 32
Lowest HERS Index Score American Production Builder – Lennar Minnesota with a HERS Index Score of 42
Lowest HERS Index Score Canadian Production Builder – Empire Communities, Ontario with a HERS Index Score of 38
Lowest HERS Index Score Canadian Mid Production Builder – North Star Homes, GTA with a HERS Index Score of 36
Lowest HERS Index Score Canadian Custom Builder – Royalpark Homes, GTA with a HERS Index Score of 26
Net Zero Canadian Builder – Campanale Homes, Ottawa with a HERS Index Score of 0
Net Zero American Builder – TC Legend Homes, Washington with a HERS Index Score of -25
Congratulations!!!