It s not a question many folks ask as they plot and plan a home. Cheryl Roberts, proud and happy owner of a recently completed Monolithic Dome home in La Junta, Colorado, didn t . Simply put, an energy rating is a score a house can earn by having its energy consumption evaluated.
Scores range from zero to one hundred points and determine how many E-Stars a structure merits.
The reverse is true for a home with a score of eighty-six to a hundred that earns the maximum of five stars. Colorado is not the only state with an E-Star program. Besides Colorado, ERHA has member programs in Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin. Even if a state does not have a program affiliated with ERHA, it probably still has an E-Star program since many major lenders now require or strongly suggest getting the rating. Those lenders include Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, Chase Manhattan Mortgage, Countrywide Home Loans, GMAC Mortgage and others.