Importance of HERS Score for Your Log Home

What is HERS score and should it matter to me?

When we're buying a car, one of the things we look at is its fuel economy. How many miles can you get to the gallon? But energy performance doesn't just apply to the automotive industry -- your home should achieve top energy efficiency, too. If only there was a way to measure "miles per gallon" for your home. Well . . . there's a way. And it's call a HERS rating.

HERS (i.e., the "Home Energy Rating System") was developed by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), a non-profit organization to help homeowners reduce the cost of their utility bills by making their homes more energy efficient. It's a comparative tool that rates a particular house as compared to an average home in the U.S. on a 100point-average scale. Since HERS Index measures the amounts of energy consumed (an undesirable thing), a score lower than 100 means that it performs better than average when it comes to fuel efficiency.

Using a variety of technical equipment, a HERS-certified inspector will examine your home's insulation, windows and doors, the HVAC system and other home elements like alternative energy sources and ductwork. It includes a blower-door test, which identifies any air leaks in the exterior envelope that would affect the home's efficiency. The results are compiled and entered into a computerized simulation using the RESNET software to compute the final HERS score.

The results absolutely matter, because they don't just decrease your carbon footprint -- they can put money in your pocket in two ways:

1. By identifying and repairing any problem areas, you stand to save considerable amounts of money on your energy bills.

2. A good HERS rating can increase the value of your home and give your home an advantage when/if you decide to sell. And that's a win-win for everyone.

Published on: March 12th, 2018

Like what you read? Need more information? Achieving energy efficiency for you log homes goes beyond the logs. We've asked industry experts, Katahdin Cedar Log Homes to help with the answers. Click here to see more.