Homeowners in Connecticut will soon have a systematic way to evaluate their home’s energy performance and to compare their home with others in the market, the Department of Energy announced on May 19 (see: “Connecticut launches nation’s first statewide Home Energy Score Program.” )
Developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Energy Department’s “Home Energy Scoring Tool” is designed to accurately estimate the energy costs of operating a particular home. The goals are twofold: help remodelers identify cost-effective energy upgrades, and help home appraisers correctly estimate the value of energy-related home improvements when determining a reasonable sales price (or qualifying the home for financing).
“In Connecticut,” says the Energy Department, “Home Energy Score Assessors collect data during a home’s energy assessment and provide a score on a 1-to-10 scale. A score of 10 indicates that the home has excellent energy performance… The in-home program begins with on-the-spot improvements, including energy efficient lighting, hot water measures, and air and duct sealing to seal critical leaks. Residents are then presented a Home Energy Score containing information about their house and recommendations for further improvements. After launching the home energy score program, Connecticut plans to score between 12,000-14,000 homes annually. The effort helps the state track its progress in meeting a goal of weatherizing 80% of homes by 2030.”
