About Us
Texas Home Energy Rating Organization (Texas HERO) is a non-profit, membership organization that exists to educate the public and the home energy rating profession; provide a forum for home energy rating industry cooperation on best practices, ethical standards and policy goals; and promote the benefits of energy conservation initiatives and incentives to homeowners, homebuilders and businesses.
Our organization consists of independent energy management professionals that are located throughout Texas. Regular voting members are Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Providers or HERS Raters. The following types of energy performance rating services are available from the members of Texas HERO.
HERS Rating
ENERGY STAR Qualified New Home Certification & High Performance Program Verifications
Existing Home Energy Audits
Custom Energy Inspections
A home energy rating is a standard measurement of a home's energy efficiency. A national standard-setting organization, RESNET, accredits Home Energy Rating System (HERS) providers to certify and oversee the work quality of individuals who pass a national qualifying exam to become Raters. The home energy rater inspects a home and measures its energy characteristics, such as insulation levels, window efficiency, window-to-wall ratios, the heating and cooling system efficiency, and the solar orientation of the home; conducts performance tests to find air leakage; and completes a computer analysis to estimate energy use and a standardized HERS Index that makes energy use information easy to compare.
ENERGY STAR© Qualified New Home Certification & High Performance Program Verifications
Texas HERO members can provide the guidance and perform the testing and inspections required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to have a home ENERGY STAR© certified. These homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that may make them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes.
Member Raters also provide trusted third party verification services for various other above-code and high performance initiatives like Department of Energy's Builders Challenge, Green Built Texas, and others.
Texas HERO has developed a Technical Standard for comprehensive home energy audits in existing homes and has begun to certify Raters to deliver a Texas Home Energy Audit that meets this standard. The Texas HERO standard and auditor certification have been recognized by RESNET[1][2] as leading efforts in improving home energy performance.
A home energy audit can help a homeowner or homebuyer in various ways, such as:
- Understand the critical factors in a home that contribute to inefficiencies and excessive energy use
- Identify low cost and no-cost strategies to reduce energy use as well as a more comprehensive analysis and recommendation of other cost-effective improvements
- Qualify a home for an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM), Energy Efficiency Improvement (EEI) loan or other possible incentives
- Identify an energy-efficient home that will be comfortable and cost less to live in.
Some lenders recognize rated homes for special financing options. A Texas HERO-certified Home Energy Auditor is trained to perform comprehensive home energy audits and help homeowners understand their energy saving opportunities.
[1] Approved by RESNET to certify Auditors to perform comprehensive home energy audits in compliance with RESNET's national standards, May 2009.
[2] Received RESNET's 2010 Industry Innovation Award, February 2010.
Custom energy inspections can also be designed for a homeowner, builder, or prospective homebuyer. Please contact a home energy rater in your area for additional details.
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