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The Blaine County Commissioners are considering a new, more efficient energy building code that would be implemented county wide should they adopt it.

Under the proposed code, new homes more than 11,000 square feet in size would be required to have a Home Energy Ratings System (HERS) score of zero, effectively meaning all the home’s energy must be produced by solar power or other renewable energy systems.

Smaller

new homes would need to comply via a sliding scale of the HERS scoring system based on

the amount of their energy used. The smaller a home, the more

energy it’s permitted to use per square foot.

For those not aware of how the HERS system works, here’s a brief summary with links for more information

The HERS Index

The HERS Index is a scoring system established by the

Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) in which a home built to

the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (based on the 2006

International Energy Conservation Code) scores a HERS Index of 100,

while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0. The lower a

home’s HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the

HERS Reference Home.

Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1%

reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home.

Thus a home with a HERS Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than

the HERS Reference Home and a home with a HERS Index of 80 is 20% more

energy efficient.

U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergySmart Home Scale

The EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale) was developed by the U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE) for the National Builders Challenge. The

E-Scale is based on RESNET’s HERS Index. For more information view a brief  .

DOE has developed an E-Scale Interactive Tool to compare

estimated cost and energy savings of new and existing homes. To chart

the savings how improving the E-Scale score, launch the .

Choosing a Rater

As in any trade, all raters are not the same. Raters have

different experience, training and skills. You should not select a rater

based solely on price. The following are issues to consider when

choosing a home energy rater to work with:

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Windermere Real Estate, Sun Valley – Hailey, Idaho @ George Martin, Jr. Associate Broker