Energy Smart Home Scale

In February 2008 the U.S. Department of Energy unveiled the Builders Challenge. This program is designed to give the consumer a rating scale similar to the MPG on a vehicle. This new scale is called the Energy Smart Home Scale or E-Scale and is designed to compare the energy efficiency of a home. The scale ranges from 150 – 0 with 100 being the average of a new home today based on the normal building codes. A home 10 years ago would fall 130 – 150 so a home with a 70 rating would be 30% more efficient than an average new home. A net zero home would produce as much energy as it uses from such sources as wind or solar power.
Homes today account for nearly 21% of all energy consumed and are on the rise with the construction of larger homes. By providing the consumer with an easy method of rating takes the guess work out of whether they are getting the energy efficient they planned. This will be very similar to the yellow energy guide found on appliances.
The Department of Energy has challenged the home building industry to build 220,000 high efficient homes by 2012. This is a good move to try and create measurable standards in home efficiency. This does not mean the home is green or certified but it will help with consumer confidence. The LEED certification process has steps to ensure a green certified home but many builders have found ways to get a home certified at the lower level so they can market them as green. This process does not ensure an efficient home. Now the consumer can compare homes and see the difference. But this is not a requirement so not all homes will have this rating. The Department of Energy’s goal is to provide affordable net zero housing by 2030. To read more about the Energy Smart Home Scale visit the Department of Energy – Builder challenge

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/challenge/