By David Ritchie
In the Oklahoma City metro area, approximately 35 percent of the new homes in 2011
David Ritchie
were "scored" for energy efficiency using the HERS rating, which stands for Home Energy Rating System. ONG rated 420 homes and OG&E, 703.
One of the most valuable tools you'll gain from attending the Oklahoma Green Building Summit Sept. 27 -- and during the pared-down session Tulsa Sept. 28 -- is a better understanding of how important the HERS ratings are to you and your customers.
HERS stands for Home Energy Rating System, and it's been around for a decade. It wasn't until about three years ago that it gained traction, though, when production builders started adopting it. It's similar to the Energy-Star rating on an appliance, and consumers know to expect it not.
A new home without a HERS score is a huge red flag to home buyers, who are becoming more and more aware that what has gone on inside the walls of a new home can determine how much it will cost them to heat and cool it.
Homes built to the current code are scored at 100. You want to lower your score as much as you can. The lower the better. My houses score in the low 50s.
While brainstorming in the Summit planning meetings, we thought a funny -- but true -- title for our HERS-related session would be "Behind the Sheetrock," because it's really about what most people will never see that makes the HERS score go higher or lower.
A good HERS score is a win-win, and really should be a no-brainer.
Your buyer gets a house that's less expensive to own, and you will actually earn more. A recent news article stated that newly-build Green homes sell for about 9 percent more than non-Green homes.
You can look at the whole schedule and register for the Summit by going here: http://
www.okgreenbuildingsummit.com
The 2012 Green Building Summit is presented by the Oklahoma State Homebuilders
Association, Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors Green Resource Council, Association of Energy Engineers/OKC Chapter and Guaranteed Watt Saver Systems. Oklahoma Green Building Summit Title Sponsors include: American Electric Power, C & S Supply-Masco, CenterPoint Energy Inc., Climate Master, Dolese Bros. Co., DuPont Tyvek, Forest Door & Window - Maritech Windows, Huber Engineered Woods, Lennox Industries, Morrison Supply Company, OG&E, and ONG. Exhibiting Sponsors are: Dow Building Solutions, Kirkpatrick Bank, Kohler, Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority and ProBuild. WebRevelation is a Contributor level sponsor.
