HOME ENERGY RATING SYSTEM (HERS)Being certified Green Professionals through the National Association of Home Builders, we can help you build an energy efficient home.

Many of the homes we have built in the last five years have been Energy Star rated or tested and given a Home Energy Rating System(HERS) Index which rates their energy efficiency. This benefits you as your “green” house will have healthier air quality, be environmentally conscious and save you money with lower utility bills.

Here is the process:

• First it is prescriptive; we plan and document all of our energy requirements before construction to have an approximate idea of how the house will rate.
• Secondly during construction there are several phases of calking, sealing and insulating in critical areas, that will make the house tighter than normal.
• Next we do a blower door test and any air leaking areas are sealed; we also do a duct blaster test to ensure a tight heating and cooling system.
• Finally an independent certified energy rater does an energy audit on the entire house and assigns it a HERS Index Score.

The lower the number, the more energy efficient the home and the greater the savings for you. (The U.S. Department of Energy has determined that a typical resale home scores around 130 on the HERS Index while a standard new home is awarded a rating of 100. So for example, a home with a HERS Index Score of 130 is 30% less energy efficient than a standard new home but a house with a HERS Index Score of 70 is 30% more energy efficient than a standard new home. ) Our homes that have been tested have rated a HERS Index Score of 65 or less.