What You Need to Know About EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certified

Homes Program

Learn more at energystar.gov

1

The Basics

Program Requirements

• Each ENERGY STAR certified home is independently verified to be at least 15% more energy efficient than a home built to the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and includes additional measures that deliver a total energy efficiency improvement of 20-30% compared to a typical new home.

A full list of program requirements is listed at: www.energystar.gov/newhomesguidelines

Training Requirements

• Builders: hour-long online orientation course• Raters: ENERGY STAR Rater Training through an Accredited

Training Provider• HVAC contractors: proper credentialing through a third party

oversight organization

More information at www.energystar.gov/newhomestraining

Certification Process and Key Roles

Certification Process Overview

1. Build the home using the ENERGY STAR Reference Design.

2. Complete the inspection checklists.

3. Have Rater Verify Home4. Place ENERGY STAR

certification label on breaker box and provide homeowner with ENERGY STAR certificate.

Prescriptive Path

1. Model the home and find the ENERGY STAR HERS Index Target.

2. Select upgrades that achieve a HERS Index ≤ ENERGY STAR HERS Index Target and meet other program requirements.

3. Complete the inspection checklists.4. Have Rater Verify Home5. Place ENERGY STAR certification

label on breaker box and provide homeowner with ENERGY STAR certificate.

Performance Path

Home Energy Rater’s Role

Raters provide:• Third party verification• Quality assurance• A deep knowledge of building science

Raters are trained to:• Evaluate energy efficiency features and construction

techniques• Take key measurements• Perform inspections• Provide answers to common questions

HVAC Contractor’s Role

•Builders must work with a credentialed HVAC contractor to gain the ENERGY STAR certification. A builder’s current HVAC contractor can go through the credentialing process, or the builder can search for credentialed contractors in their area.

Visit www.energystar.gov/newhomeshvac for more information.

More About the Program Guidelines

Recent Changes

• More stringent core efficiency measures• New inspection checklists• Move from features to systems• Additional Quality Assurance• New marketing platform: “Better is Better”

Checklists

four inspection checklists: • Thermal Enclosure System Rater Checklist• HVAC System Quality Installation Rater

Checklist• HVAC System Quality Installation

Contractor Checklist• Water Management System Builder

Checklist

Thermal Enclosure System

1 • Features– High-quality insulation installation– High-performance windows & doors– Tightly sealed home– Reduced thermal bridging in walls

Complete HVAC System

2 • Features– A right-sized and properly installed

heating, cooling, and duct system– A ventilation system that meets the

industry standard– Reduced safety and air quality risks

from combustion appliances

Water Management System

3 • Features– Water-managed roof, walls,

foundation, site, and building materials

Water Management System

3 • Why is this important?– Prolonged moisture in walls, floors,

and ceilings can cause rot and mold, hurting durability.

– Wet walls, floors, and ceilings in air-sealed homes don’t dry as quickly; therefore, it’s more important to not let them get wet.

Resources

Residential Professional Page

www.energystar.gov/newhomespartners

Consumer Brochures

www.energystar.gov/publications

Fact Sheets

• Thermal Enclosure• Water Management• Heating and Cooling• Lighting and

Appliances• Independent Testing

and Verification

www.energystar.gov/newhomefactsheets

Webinars

www.energystar.gov/newhomestraining

Social Media

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/energystarhomes

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/energystar

Additional Resources

Partnership Agreements • www.energystar.gov/homesPA

• Program Guidelines & Inspection Checklists

• www.energystar.gov/newhomesguidelines

• Recorded presentations • www.energystar.gov/newhomestraining

• Partner Locator • www.energystar.gov/partnerlocator

• Builder Orientation • www.energystar.gov/mesa

• Verifier Training • resnet.us/energystar

• HVAC credentialing • www.energystar.gov/newhomeshvac

• Marketing Resources • www.energystar.gov/newhomesmarketing

• Consumer Website • www.energystar.gov/newhomes