Since 2006, builders wanting an Energy Star qualified home have been following a set of rules commonly referred to as “Energy Star 2.0.” This April, Energy Star announced Energy Star 3.0, changes to the qualification process for new construction that had a lot of builders scrambling to figure out exactly what the implications will be. In general, the altered requirements will make for more efficient homes and a higher standard for builders to meet. That may not make some people happy at first, but I think it really protects the Energy Star name and bolsters its reputation for builders who want to distinguish themselves and provide more efficient homes for home buyers.
The changes are coming in a staggered timeline with versions 2.5 to 3.0 rolling out between January and December 2011. That should give builders time to hash things out, but it also complicates things a little. With this post, I’m hoping to clear up some of the confusion about the coming changes, and as we learn more, we’ll continue sharing our insights and useful information here on The Smart Energy Exchange.
HERS Index
The first major change relates to the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index. To meet Energy Star standards right now, a home has to reach an index of 85 or lower — meaning it’s at least 15 percent more energy efficient than a home built to code. When the changes start to take effect in 2011, though, each home will have its own unique HERS index to meet based on an energy efficient reference home. Most of those required scores will be lower than the current standard score of 85. For example, a typical 2,400 square foot two-story home might have to get down to 75 depending on that specific home’s characteristics. In general, this will require homes to be built with more energy efficient techniques and features.
The new standards also ask more of bigger homes to be qualified. Previously, the larger the home, the less had to be done to meet qualification because even relatively minor changes had a bigger overall impact on the home’s energy performance. With version 3.0, however, homes larger than the Energy Star Benchmark Home must adhere to specific rules, such as achieving a HERS index that’s lower than the HERS index required for a home that’s under the benchmark. See the chart below, which explains that a “larger” home would apply to, say, a four bedroom home with 2,801 square feet or more.
Checklists
Energy Star certification is about to become a little more checklist oriented, but builders shouldn’t despair; with a few exceptions the checklists are more focused on ensuring quality construction than adding technology or expensive features. The current process for getting a home qualified Energy Star involves one Thermal Bypass checklist. That checklist is getting a name change (Thermal Enclosure System Rater Checklist) and a few more items, like requiring quality insulation installation, adding sheetrock sealed to the top plates, and, most significantly, reduced thermal bridging.
In addition, three new checklists are getting added to the process: one HVAC checklist for the rater, another HVAC checklist for the contractor, and a water management system checklist for the builder. Specifics of the new checklists will be settled during the extended implementation period.
Timeline
These changes start coming online in less than six months, but it can seem confusing to figure out who has to do what by when.
Here’s the bottom line:
All homes — single family, condos and multifamily buildings — permitted or completed after January 1, 2012 will have to meet the new Energy Star 3.0 standards. That’s pretty straightforward; but the potential for confusion comes during the interim period between the current version of Energy Star and adoption of the 3.0 version.
As the table below outlines, if a home is permitted any time in 2011, builders will have the rest of 2011 to get construction finished while “Energy Star 2.5” is in effect. This will require the builder to use all the new checklists, but not all of them will be strictly enforced except for certain sections of the Thermal Enclosure System checklist (however, if those projects aren’t finished by the start of 2012, they’ll have to conform to version 3.0).
Single family homes permitted in 2010 are getting singled out. As described above, if they’re finished between July 1, 2011 and January 1 2012, those homes will be in that 2.5 transition zone. However, after that, and they too will have to meet 3.0 requirements. Condos and Apartments permitted in 2010 never have to worry about dealing with 2.5 guidelines.
Code Changes on the Horizon
All of these changes to Energy Star may seem daunting at first glance, but for many builders, a code-built home will likely have a lot of similarities soon. In North Carolina, proposed changes for 2012 would require all new homes to be 30 percent more energy efficient than the current code requirements, making for one of the strictest state energy codes in the US. This means that the leap from code to Energy Star will be a little easier. Having an Energy Star qualified home will still be a great selling point and big improvement in energy efficiency, but in relative terms, it won’t be quite as tough to achieve.
This is a complicated issue and there are several other nuances, but this should be a good starting point for builders hoping to assess what’s coming down the pipeline, or for anyone interested in better understanding the Energy Star for New Homes program and its evolution. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer.
Scott Hoover is a member of the Building Science team at Southern Energy Management and a nationally certified Resnet Quality Assurance Designee. Read more about him here.
Images courtesy of Residential Energy Services Network.
Tags: energy star, Energy Star 3.0, HERS index
