What is a HERS Score and Why is It Important?

As new home sales steadily trend upward amid the ongoing pandemic, Florida home builders continue to design floor plans that reflect today’s homebuyers wants and needs. In addition to private outdoor spaces, favorite kitchen styles, and preferred finishes, 1 in 2 new construction buyers list energy efficiency as a top desired home characteristics according to a Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report. Riverside Homes is committed to providing environmentally friendly new homes that use less energy and deliver improved comfort. That’s why each Riverside Home receives a HERS home energy rating, an in-depth, comprehensive assessment of a home’s energy performance.

What is the HERS Index?

Developed by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance. It is the industry’s gold standard for measuring a home’s energy efficiency. Just as someone in the market to purchase a car would look at the vehicle’s MPG sticker to learn how much mileage to expect, a homebuyer can use the HERS score to project energy savings per year.

How Does the HERS Index Work?

A certified Home Energy Rater assesses the energy efficiency of a home through a series of tests and inspections of various features and building components of a home throughout the construction process. Diagnostic assessments include a thermal bypass test, duct blaster test, and blower door test. The data collected is then entered into RESNET approved software where it assigns the home a relative performance score. At Riverside Homes, all our homes are HERS rated by a third-party certified RESNET Home Energy Rater. The lower the score, the more energy efficient the home.

Variables included in an energy rating are:

• All exterior walls (both above and below grade)
• Floors over unconditioned spaces (like garages or cellars)
• Ceilings and roofs
• Attics, foundations and crawlspaces
• Windows and doors, vents and ductwork
• HVAC system, water heating system, and your thermostat.
• Air leakage of the home
• Leakage in the heating and cooling distribution system

HERS Index scores fall on a scale from 0 to 150, with zero being the most energy efficient possible (net zero) and 150 being very inefficient. When comparing homes, a typical resale home scores 130 on the HERS Index while a standard new home is awarded a rating of 100. To calculate each Riverside Homes’ HERS Index Score, the RESNET Home Energy Rater does an energy rating on each house and compares the data against a ‘reference home’– a designed-model home of the same size and shape as the actual home, so the score is always relative to the size, shape and type of house being reviewed.

In the Home Energy Rating Guide shown here, the HERS Index scores this home in Nocatee at a 56, which is 44% more efficient than a standard new home and 74% more efficient that the average resale home. Riverside Homes is dedicated to ensure that each of our new homes fall below the average HERS Index Score in 2019. Based on the rating guide, this homeowner will pay approximately $1,436 annually, which means a savings of around $784 annually on energy costs. In just a decade, that is a savings of over $7,800.

Benefits of a HERS Rated Home

In addition to protecting the environment by reducing pollution and carbon emissions (it’s calculated that HERS rated homes will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 449 tons annually), homebuyers are realizing the cost savings and health benefits that HERS rated homes provide. Heating, cooling and water heating constitute the largest cost of homeownership outside of the mortgage loan. Often homebuyers can overlook the significant role that energy costs play in determining the affordability of a home. With HERS rated homes having a superior energy performance to a normal standard home, this translates into lower utility costs. In fact, the annual energy savings for HERS rated homes in the U.S. in 2018 was $235,000,000. And since HERS rated homes are built with fresh air ventilation systems, you can breathe easier knowing you are always breathing fresh air inside your home.

Every Riverside Home, no matter the plan or price, is constructed with advanced building practices and energy-efficient, high-performance features which depending on the community and build type can include at minimum: radiant barrier roof sheathing, R-38 fiberglass ceiling insulation, 15 SEER air conditioning unit, vinyl windows with Low-E glass, and energy efficient water heater. These energy efficient products used in our construction process result in a Riverside Home with a low HERS rating. 

In summary, HERS rated homes offer the buyer a number of benefits, including:

• Reduced utility costs
• Increased thermal comfort
• Lower maintenance costs
• Healthier indoor air quality with fewer moisture problems
• Higher market appraisal value
• A more durable home through improved building techniques and materials

It is apparent to see the value that comes with owning an energy efficient home, and why HERS rated homes are becoming the first choice for more and more American homebuyers.

If you are ready to live better in an energy friendly home built by Riverside Homes, we have a wide variety of home designs and communities across Northeast Florida to choose from. Give our team a call today at 904-530-4720