HERS … Never Heard of It
What does "HERS" stand for?
California Energy Commission's Home Energy Rating System.
Under the HERS system there are HERS Providers, HERS Registries and HERS Raters.
Not all building projects trigger HERS measures or the need for a HERS Rater. An energy consultant preparing Title 24 documentation will direct the need for HERS measures and which HERS provider will host the energy documentation registration.
What is a HERS provider?
There are multiple HERS Providers in California, and their role is to create and maintain a registry and database, to train and certify HERS Raters, to create a Quality Assurance Program, to conduct quality assurance on HERS Raters' work, and to report annually to the Energy Commission certain data as required by the HERS Regulations.
The most often used HERS Provider is CalCerts, because currently, it is the only HERS Provider that can accept all project types for HERS registration.
The two California Energy Commission approved HERS Provider are:
HERS Registries
All projects that trigger a HERS verification are required to register all project Title 24 energy compliance documentation in a HERS Provider registry.
Every CF-1R Title 24 document prepared for building department submittal that requires a HERS measure with field verification must be registered at a HERS Provider — HERS Registry. Two parties are involved in this registration process. The documentation author (usually an energy consultant) uploads the CF-1R document to the HERS Registry. A second party, either a builder, architect, plan designer or homeowner will then sign-off the CF-1R document. All of this must be completed before Title 24 Energy Documentation can be completed for building department submittal.
Each party must have an unique account set up with the HERS Provider. Contact the HERS provider's website for instructions to create an account.
The use of which HERS Provider will be determined by the Title 24 energy documentation author (usually an energy consultant).
HERS Rater
HERS Raters throughout the state conduct Field Verification and Diagnostic Testing services as well as Whole-House Home Energy Ratings. HERS Raters are responsible for performing in-the-field observations and testing to confirm compliance with HERS measures that are specified within the Standards and according to the specific Title 24 Energy documentation requirements.
As part of the field testing, HERS Raters are also responsible for completing required Certificates of Verification through a HERS Provider website.
As always, I am available to discuss the process of meeting the California Energy Code for any building project. Contact me …