Home Building Articles

Department of Energy Program to Simplify Performance Evaluations

December 21, 2010

The Department of Energy (DOE) launched a pilot program on November 9 designed to make it easier to gage a home's energy efficiency. Home Energy Score compares a home against others in the region and provides custom recommendations on how to reduce energy costs. It evaluates 40 points to generate a score ranging from one to ten, with ten representing excellent energy efficiency. The evaluation takes about on hour to complete and is conducted by a trained inspector, who looks at a range of factors including HVAC systems and insulation levels. DOE plans to launch the program in 2011.