Builders: get ready to test bath fan performance, locate a properly trained HVAC contractor, and cross your fingers over rising construction costs
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On the 1st of this month, the Energy StarLabeling system sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy for labeling the most energy-efficient products on the market; applies to a wide range of products, from computers and office equipment to refrigerators and air conditioners. new homes program moved fully (well, almost) into the much more rigorous set of guidelines called Version 3. There's been a lot of discussion on the the transition for the past three years, when the Energy Star team at the U.S. EPA first started vetting the update with HERSIndex or scoring system for energy efficiency established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) that compares a given home to a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Reference Home based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code. A home matching the reference home has a HERS Index of 100. The lower a home's HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is. A typical existing home has a HERS Index of 130; a net zero energy home has a HERS Index of 0. Older versions of the HERS index were based on a scale that was largely just the opposite in structure--a HERS rating of 100 represented a net zero energy home, while the reference home had a score of 80. There are issues that complicate converting old to new or new to old scores, but the basic formula is: New HERS index = (100 - Old HERS score) * 5. raters and home builders. In case you've ignored or haven't heard much about it yet, here's a quick overview of what's new:
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[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/energy-star-homes-version-3-implementation-schedule-2012.jpg (ENERGY STAR implementation schedule)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-blog/energy-star-homes-must-comply-version-3-guidelines-now
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/bath-fun-duct-making-180-degree-turn-reduced-air-flow-medium.jpg (Bath fan with reduced air flow because of bad duct installation)
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