What is HERS rating?

What is a HERS rating? (According to my wife my "HERS" rating has been down lately)

His HERS who cares? Well today’s buyer is beginning to care, since the quality of life and the amount of the energy a home uses can be directly related the HERS score. Didn’t the marriage councilor tell me not to keep score? Woops I digress. As any smart man knows it is about her or in this case HERS, which stands for Home Energy Rating System and yes keeping score matters

The lower a home’s HERS Index number is, the more energy efficient the home is. A home built to standard code scores 100. A “net zero” energy home scores a 0. See I told Cyndy she should be happy she married a 0. Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index means a 1% reduction in energy consumption. So a home with a HERS rating of 75 is 25% more energy efficient than the stand home built to code scoring a 100.

How to score a high HERS rating.

Home efficiency starts with the envelope of the home. Upgrades such as double or triple pane windows and high quality insulation greatly impact your HERS rating.
Next is heating system; Tank-less water heater, high efficiency heater, geothermal water pipes in ground.

Another leading factor is your appliances, energy stars appliances are a must! So are Low flow toilets and showers which limit the amount of water usage.
How can you supplement power to the property? PV solar power, passive solar design, wind power are all ways to lower your overall impact and achieve a lower HERS rating.

The design features of the home can also have a direct impact on your HERs rating. How have you integrated overhangs into your design? What percentage of the home is glass, where do you have breaches in the envelope, such as fireplaces?

In essence the HERS rating system requires architect and builders to plan ahead to achieve the most cost effective and efficient home. In many cases it requires compromise and an eye on the long-term pay off. In essence maybe the two types of HERS ratings are not that different.

Below are links to some of the Energy Efficient homes we have for sale:

Caribou Ridge, Nederland

Alpine Dr, Boulder

Euclid Ave, Boulder

Sunset, Boulder