What is a HERS Rater (Home Energy Rating System Rater)?

An individual who is certified by an accredited Rating Provider to inspect and test a home in order to evaluate each of the minimum rated features and complete a Home Energy Rating according to the RESNET Standards.

How Are Home Energy Raters Certified?

The knowledge base and skill sets for Home Energy Raters are defined by chapter two of the RESNET standards and the training providers are all accredited by RESNET, including:

• Curricula approval

• Instructors that are certified by RESNET (must pass examination)

All Home Energy Rater candidates must pass a national online exams and perform 5 ratings under the supervision of an accredited Rating Provider’s Certified Field Assessor. Only then can the Home Energy Rater candidate be certified by a RESNET accredited Rating Provider.

What is a HERS Rating?

A home energy rating involves an analysis of a home’s construction plans and onsite inspections. Based on the home’s plans, the Home Energy Rater uses an energy efficiency software package to perform an energy analysis of the home’s design. This analysis yields a projected, pre-construction HERS Index. Upon completion of the plan review, the rater will work with the builder to identify the energy efficiency improvements needed to ensure the house will meet ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. The rater then conducts onsite inspections, typically including a blower door test (to test the leakiness of the house) and a duct test (to test the leakiness of the ducts). Results of these tests, along with inputs derived from the plan review, are used to generate the HERS Index score for the home.

What is the HERS Index?

A scoring system established by RESNET in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code) scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0.