While that's still important, there's a new emphasis on HERS as an incentive for builders to build more efficient homes. It seems to be working. For example, Energy Rated Homes of Indiana recently joined with the utilities, the state government and the Indiana Builders' Association to promote the Home Energy Rating System as a state energy code compliance tool. What they've gotten so far is better than mere compliance. Jansen reports that in the part of the state where the program started, most new houses already exceed code.
Builders see high ratings as a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
How it works The HERS concept is simple. It is basically an energy audit that rates homes according to a relative energy-efficiency scale. The score is then translated to a star rating. The same rating scale is applied to existing homes. Although HERS have been around since the mid-1980's, a lack of uniformity kept them from fulfilling their promise.