Click to View A Sample Home Energy Score Report Here

What is the Home Energy Score?

The Home Energy Score Report estimates home energy use, associated costs, and provides energy solutions to cost-effectively improve the home’s efficiency.

 

Like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score is an easy-to-produce rating designed to help homeowners and homebuyers gain useful information about a home’s energy performance.

 

Based on an in-home assessment that can be completed in less than an hour, the Home Energy Score not only lets a homeowner or homebuyer understand how efficient the home is and how it compares to others, but also provides recommendations on how to cost-effectively improve the home’s energy efficiency.

 

The Home Energy Score uses a simple 1-to-10 scale where a 10 represents the most energy-efficient homes. The Score was designed to be easily understood and to tap into people’s desire to improve their score or to outperform their peers.

 

Since the program launched in 2012, more than 400 Assessors have generated over 50,000 Home Energy Scores nationwide.

​

What Does My Home Energy Score Mean?

https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/What%20Does%20My%20Score%20Mean%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

​

Access Financing with the Home Energy Score

The Home Energy Score is an asset rating that allows homeowners, buyers, and renters to compare U.S. homes in terms of estimated energy use and costs. Based on a standard assessment of a home’s energy-related assets, the Home Energy Score Report provides information that can be included in multiple listing service (MLS) listings and potentially influence home appraisals and financing.

 

FHA Energy Efficient Homes Policy

• Updated policy was enacted January 2016 to include Home Energy Score

• Allows lenders to provide for a borrowers purchasing or refinancing a home

• Home must score or reach a 6 or higher with financed improvements

• See FHA’s Mortgagee Letter for additional information:

https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=15-22ml.pdf

 

Fannie Mae’s HomeStyle® Energy Mortgage Loan

Finance up to 15% of “as completed” home value for energy improvements with purchase or refinance; requires Home Energy Score or comparable report if financing improvements worth at least $3,500 2% stretch on debt-to-income ratios available for high scoring homes$500 incentive to lender on each loan Learn more in Fannie Mae’s fact sheet:

https://www.fanniemae.com/content/fact_sheet/homestyle-energy-real-estate.pdf 

 

Connecticut Green Bank’s Residential Solar Incentive Program

Uses Home Energy Score as a path to fulfill the energy audit requirement Visit the Green Bank website: http://ctgreenbank.com/programs/homeowners/

 

Freddie Mac also recognizes Home Energy Score and plans to undertake analysis to support more systematic consideration of energy efficiency in loans Homeowner insurance companies interested in potentially using Score to set rates; provides insight into riskPACE (property assessed clean energy financing) programs considering integrating the Score