Posted on 01/13/2014 8:14:17 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
(CNSNews.com) - The Energy Department on Tuesday is rolling out new, improved software to help Americans measure the energy efficiency of their homes.
DOE says its energy-scoring software -- called the Home Energy Scoring Tool -- is like a vehicle's mile-per-gallon rating because it allows homeowners to compare the energy performance of their homes to other homes nationwide. It also provides homeowners with suggestions for improving their homes' efficiency.
The software is part of the government's effort to reduce the nation's energy consumption; but it's also billed as a way to keep home-retrofitting going, at a time when stimulus funds for weather-proofing have run out.
The Home Energy Scoring Tool "can be a powerful motivator in getting homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements," DOE says. "It's also a great way to help trained workers enter the private sector energy improvement market as funding for weatherization efforts decline."
DOE says its Home Energy Score is useful if you are a homeowner looking to renovate or remodel your home, lower your utility bills, improve the comfort of your home, or reduce your energy usage. Moreover, "the score serves as an official way to document these improvements and thereby enhance your home's appeal when you're ready to sell."
Right now, getting your home scored is voluntary.
To produce a Home Energy Score, a trained, "qualified assessor" comes to your home -- for a fee -- and collects approximately 40 pieces of data about the home's "envelope" (e.g., walls, windows, heating and cooling systems) during an hour-long walk-through.
Based on the home's characteristics, the DOE software estimates the home's annual energy use, assuming "typical homeowner behavior." The software then converts the estimated energy use into a score, based on a 10-point scale (10 being the most energy-efficient). The 1-10 scale accounts for differences in weather conditions by using the zip code to assign the house to one of more than 1,000 weather stations.
In addition to showing the home's current energy efficiency -- or inefficiency -- the score also shows where a home would rank if all of the energy-saving improvements identified during the home walk-through were made. That may prompt some homeowners to buy new windows or doors, for example, boosting the market for home retro-fitters.
DOE recommends getting a Home Energy Score "as soon as the program becomes available in your area." The program launched in 2012, and at this time, only single-family homes and townhouses can be scored.
The scoring is available only through DOE's participating partners, which include state and local governments, utilities, and non-profits. DOE does not determine how much an assessor charges to score a house. "It will depend on what the local market supports." But DOE says its partners "have indicated plans to charge between $25 and $125 for the Home Energy Score."
And yes, the size of the home matters because larger homes use more energy.
The Home Energy Score and the associated report is generated through DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory software. The 2014 version of DOE's Home Energy Scoring Tool will be introduced at a webinar on Tuesday.
So far, DOE says more than 8,500 homes have been scored by the Energy Department's growing network of more than 25 partners and 175 qualified assessors.
I'll take it a step further... you want to sell your house, you'll need to pass an "energy audit". Pretty subjective, of course.
Being an "Energy Auditor" for a few years might set a man up for life.
you and I will have to pay to upgrade it. << BINGO!
plus...we'll have a wonderful new bureaucracy of trough feeders to fund as well!
And, of course, the “Energy Auditor” positions will only be granted to the government-favored individuals.
The highest ratings will be reserved for homes that allow MONITORING AND CONTROL!!!
You know that Utility Company flyer that tells you about a “reward” for installing that Air Conditioning SHUT OFF MECHANISM....?!?!?!?!
They will have a penalty or a tax for every situation I’m sure.
We’ll have to wait on the Supreme Court to determine whether to call it a penalty or a tax.
AND, those with big homes will be penalized in some way for not having high scores.
A trained, “qualified assessor” comes to your home — for a fee — and collects approximately 40 pieces of data.
Adolf is that you?.
Ah, another indirect attack on large families, just like MPG requirements in cars.
My heating bill will be $825 plus $523 for hot water and cooking, I live in a cold part of the country. This is for a 1500 sq ft retirement home.
The inspections will be mandatory, and if your house is found deficient you will be forced to hire union labor to fix it.
You won't be allowed to fix it yourself. Code violations and all that.
How soon does “suggestion” become “mandate”?
So a celeb builds a 35,000 sq. ft. house that is energy star..and that’s ok. Meantime granny has a 900 sq. ft. house that can’t be sold because it doesn’t have thermopane windows and organic studs.
Yeah, just like the healthcare navigators.
We already are. There is a federal weatherization program, can't remember which alphabet agency runs it. There is currently a two year backup to get your home retrofitted.
aka Acorn members
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