The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has launched the second phase of a multi-year Home Energy Rating Pilot initially launched in February.
NYSERDA is seeking applications from licensed home inspectors to deliver home energy ratings during pre-purchase inspections to support homebuyer remodeling of a newly purchased one- to four-family home.
Alicia Barton, president and CEO of NYSERDA, said reducing energy use in homes “provides a foundation for greater statewide energy savings and advances us another step towards meeting Gov. Cuomo’s energy efficiency target by 2025. Piloting home energy ratings with home inspectors offers New York homebuyers access to a useful and informative tool that will identify energy efficient needs, features and upgrade opportunities to inform future remodeling decisions that will help them lower energy costs and increase the comfort of their homes.”
Under this program, licensed home inspectors will be selected to deliver home energy ratings to homebuyers as part of the pre-purchase inspection, an independent third-party examination report detailing the condition of a home, to help them understand the efficiency, comfort, and value of the home they are considering purchasing.
Home energy ratings are similar to a miles per gallon rating on a car, providing easy-to-understand visual reports that provide insight into how a home performs in areas like insulation, air sealing, heating and cooling efficiency, and water heating efficiency. With nearly 60 percent of home buyers considering a property that needs renovating, a home energy rating can provide a road map of energy efficiency opportunities that can be made after the purchase is complete, officials said.
Qualified home inspectors will be selected through a competitive process. Interested individuals can apply on NYSERDA’s website by Oct. 3.
Two home energy rating systems will be piloted: the U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score and the Pearl Home Certification from Pearl, a private residential energy efficiency certification firm. Six locations across the state were selected to evaluate the impact the rating systems will have on consumer awareness and demand for energy efficiency services in different geographic areas.
NYSERDA’s Home Energy Rating Pilot is being implemented in four phases through 2020. Phase one of the home energy ratings pilot was launched earlier this year to select qualified contractors to provide owners of one- to four- family homes with independent, trustworthy home energy performance information. Future phases of the pilot are expected to launch in the coming months.
Funding for this program is part of the state’s 10-year, $5.3 billion Clean Energy Fund, a core component of the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy to achieve a clean, resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.