HERS HERS Index Scoring 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A home receives a HERS Index score of 0. What does this indicate?
- The home has no energy use at all
- The home is a net-zero energy home that produces as much energy as it consumes (Correct answer)
- The home failed the energy rating
- The home is 100% more efficient than the reference home
Correct answer: The home is a net-zero energy home that produces as much energy as it consumes
A HERS Index of 0 indicates a net-zero energy home where annual energy production equals annual energy consumption.
Question 2: Which software tool is most commonly used by certified HERS raters to calculate HERS Index scores?
- EnergyPlus standalone
- REM/Rate or equivalent RESNET-approved software (Correct answer)
- Microsoft Excel energy templates
- ASHRAE 90.1 calculator
Correct answer: REM/Rate or equivalent RESNET-approved software
HERS raters use RESNET-approved software such as REM/Rate, EnergyGauge, or equivalent tools to calculate HERS Index scores.
Question 3: If a home's HERS Index is 85, approximately how much more or less energy does it use compared to the HERS reference home?
- 15% less energy than the reference home (Correct answer)
- 85% more energy than the reference home
- 15% more energy than the reference home
- 85% less energy than the reference home
Correct answer: 15% less energy than the reference home
A HERS Index of 85 means the home uses 15% less energy than the reference home (100 − 85 = 15%).
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of the HERS reference home in the rating system?
- To represent the most energy-efficient home possible
- To provide a standardized baseline for comparing energy performance (Correct answer)
- To represent the average energy consumption of existing US homes
- To set the maximum allowable energy use for new construction
Correct answer: To provide a standardized baseline for comparing energy performance
The HERS reference home is a standardized baseline built to the 2006 IECC with RESNET modifications, used to compare the rated home's energy performance.
Question 5: Which of the following home features would most directly LOWER a home's HERS Index score?
- Installing a larger HVAC system
- Adding more square footage to the home
- Installing rooftop solar photovoltaic panels (Correct answer)
- Increasing the number of windows
Correct answer: Installing rooftop solar photovoltaic panels
Rooftop solar PV panels generate on-site renewable energy, which reduces net energy consumption and can significantly lower the HERS Index score.
Question 6: Under RESNET standards, a Confirmed HERS Rating requires the rater to perform which of the following?
- A desktop review of builder plans only
- On-site inspections and testing including blower door and duct leakage tests (Correct answer)
- Only a blower door test with no duct testing
- A third-party audit of the energy model without site visits
Correct answer: On-site inspections and testing including blower door and duct leakage tests
A Confirmed HERS Rating requires the rater to conduct on-site inspections and performance tests such as blower door and duct leakage testing to verify actual construction.
Question 7: A home with a HERS Index of 130 is best described as:
- 30% more energy efficient than the reference home
- 30% less energy efficient than the reference home (Correct answer)
- Meeting current energy code minimums
- A net-zero energy home
Correct answer: 30% less energy efficient than the reference home
A HERS Index above 100 means the home uses more energy than the reference home; a score of 130 means it uses 30% more energy.
HERS HERS Index Scoring 2
A home receives a HERS Index score of 0.
What does this indicate?