By Lorie Hailey
Associate Editor
More photos below the story.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 12, 2012) — The Home Builders Association of Lexington (HBAL) is the first homebuilders association in the nation to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), the association announced today.
Under the MOU, the association commits all of their builder members to have all of their homes energy rated and market their homes’ Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index score. Developed by RESNET, the HERS Index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. It is the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance.
The association committed to having all homes individually inspected and tested.
HBAL made the announcement at 3012 Blackford Parkway, one of the two “Homes of Excellence” featured on this year’s Grand Tour of Homes.
The 2,775 s.f. home, The Chesnut Springs, was built with an Energy Smart HERS rating, and includes a high-efficiency geothermal HVAC system and a tankless water heater. It is estimated that the energy costs savings at The Chesnut Springs would be nearly $4,000 a year.
The home’s HERS rating is 39, while a standard new home rates around 100, according to Todd Johnson, executive vice president of HBAL. The lower the score, the more efficient the home. The score is based on the home’s energy performance as determined by a certified RESNET Home Energy Rater.
“We’re proud that HBAL is the first Home Builders Association in the nation to support the HERS rating system by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing to encourage 100 percent of its builder members to participate in the Energy Smart Builder Program by signing their own MOU with RESNET as a commitment to rate 100 percent of their new homes,” Johnson said.
The MOU shows that HBAL members are committed to promoting energy efficiency, he said.
The agreement with the Lexington association “will be a model for future agreements with other homebuilder associations,” according to RESNET.
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