Connecticut residents are being introduced to a new tool for gauging the energy efficiency of houses they own or may want to buy.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said Connecticut becomes the first state in the country to adopt the Home Energy Score program statewide.
Houses are rated on a scale of 1 to 10 for energy efficiency in a labeling program that’s designed to give buyers more information about houses before they buy. Homeowners benefit as well. The free inspections give them suggestions for making their homes more efficient.
DOE said the program, called EnergizeCT Home Energy Solutions, provides a label similar to a miles-per-gallon rating for new cars that could be included in real-estate listings so buyers will get a good idea of the true cost of owning the property.
Connecticut hopes to score between 12,000 and 14,000 homes per year, part of a statewide effort to weatherize 80% of all homes in the state by 2030. DOE said Colorado and Vermont also have signed on, with Alabama, Arkansas, and New Hampshire expected to do so in the near future.
Money to run the program in Connecticut comes from Energize Connecticut, an agency that pays for energy-efficiency efforts for commercial and residential customers, underwritten with a surcharge on energy bills.
Data gathered on a brief home walk-through
Assessors take a walk-through of about an hour to collect data about the house, then turn to the Home Energy Scoring Tool developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in order to produce the numerical score and suggestions for improvements.
DOE says the scoring tool takes into account “fixed attributes” of a house–walls, windows, and heating and cooling equipment–and makes assumptions about occupant behavior. Appliances, lighting, and home electronics aren’t included. Recommendations and energy savings are based on national averages for specific improvements as well as average state utility rates.
Assessors collect some 40 pieces of information, but the inspection isn’t as thorough as a full-blown energy audit that would include the use of diagnostics such as a blower-door test, and a better accounting of occupant behavior. But the department said homeowners might be encouraged to follow up with a whole-house assessment later.
DOE cautions that there’s often more to it than a simple number. A home in New England with a high score (meaning high energy efficiency) may use more energy than one in southern California simply because of differences in climate. Occupants who keep summer thermostat temperatures low and never bother to turn off lights or electronics may use a lot of energy despite a high score.
Energy scores can be compared for houses in different parts of the country, but not to compare projected energy bills. The software takes into account the typical range of energy consumption in the region where you live, according to DOE.
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A free inspection gives you an energy score and suggestions for making your home more energy efficient. Connecticut becomes the first state in the country to adopt the Home Energy Score on a statewide basis.
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Factoid: A statement that appears to be meaningful, but is actually irrelevant. Such "Energy ratings" are factoids.
Why? Because they cannot address the specific details of any particular house. I'll use my 1957 house as an example.
My ongoing remodel has revealed that every third stud bay lacks most of it's insulation. Even in the 'good' bays, the insulation is improperly installed (by current standards, and only filled to half-thickness. That means, at most, 2" of fiberglass in a 2x4 framed wall.
Likewise, the framing uses much more lumber than we would today, with studs often placed closer than 16"OC, and several areas where 3,4,5,even 7 studs are grouped together. This grouping was done to fill the space, rather than for any structural reason. So, from the start, these walls have a much lower insulation value than you would expect.
Then there is the effects of age and maintenance. Insulation in the attic and enclosing the eaves has blocked all the eave vents. Attempts to add on to the house directed rainwater into several stud bays, ruining the insulation there. Much of the attic insulation has been similarly damaged by roof leaks over time. When the roof was replaced, the wet attic insulation was ignored.
Also, over time the crawl space vents have rusted away. In winter this means uncontrolled air flow under the house. Result? Ice cold floors, with no insulation under them.
While it's easy to identify 'old' windows, simply replacing the windows will not address faults with the sealing around the original window frames.
The Connecticut ratings would only mislead home buyers into thinking homes were better insulated than they actually are.
@renosteinke Even if you're right, and you've made a lot of good point in your comment, isn't it still better to have this sort of system?
Even if a bit dysfunctional at first, the technology by which they rate the homes is bound to improve and its accuracy to rise.
I sustain the belief that this is better than nothing.
On paper it sounds like a great idea and it's a start towards something better, but until those in Hartford stop trying to put the cart before the horse, the horse will never pull the cart towards any real solutions. An average homeowner has no real incentive (through state funded rebate programs) to completely overhaul their home with a deep energy retrofit. They could never recoup the investment to show savings in their pockets.
One example would be a homeowner (we'll say a condominium) who lives where electric heat is their only option (I've inspected them and there are more out there than you might think). Would a mini split, ductless system installation reap the rewards to their bank accounts in future savings? I doubt it... Even if natural gas service was available, would a condo association put together a financial plan for the major energy overhaul? Every owner would have to buy into the change. Plus the homeowner still has to come out of pocket to get the service connected.
Just a thought