The HERS Rating Is Catching On

Nearly one in four new homes built during 2020 was rated for energy efficiency with the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).

HERS scores are calculated by a rater certified by the Residential Energy Services Network. The rater scores the energy efficiency of a home against a 2006 standard code-compliant house, which has a set score of 100. So if a new home is scored as 70, it is 30% more energy efficient than the reference home.

Since the inception of the HERS Index in 1995, there have been more than 3.2 million HERS-rated homes, with more than 230,000 homes rated this year. 2020 saw a 24% increase in number of rated homes over 2019.

“Home builders are increasingly seeing energy efficiency as a major selling point for buying a new home,” says RESNET Executive Director Steve Baden. “It is particularly encouraging that the average HERS Index Score of homes HERS rated [in 2020] was 58. This is 42% more efficient than homes built as recently as 2006 and 72% more efficient than a typical home built in the 1970s.”

Texas is the top state with 65,081 HERS-rated homes and an average score of 58 followed by Florida with 23,750 homes and an average score of 55. To see the top ten states … 

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