It's not easy being green

It’s not easy being green

Green is a beautiful thing.  It is the color of grass, the color of money and the somewhat universal name given to something that is good for the environment.  I am not trying to go all Kermit the Frog on you, but I do want to talk about the green basis that seems to be used for energy efficiency ratings on new homes, the HERS index. 

HERS stands for Home Energy Rating System and has become the standard to define the energy efficiency rating of a home.  I think this is a great idea.  However, I do believe that the information is somewhat misleading.  The rating claims that a Standard New Home has a basis of 100.  Therefore, any home that has a HERS rating lower than 100 is more energy efficient than a Standard New Home.  Once again, this sounds great.  In fact, homebuilders are continually touting how their homes have HERS ratings well below the Standard New Home benchmark.  This is where the problem comes into play.  I am not aware of any new home builders that build standard homes to a HERS rating of 100.  Whether it be due to in-house construction improvements or changes to local building codes, every new home builder that I am aware of builds all their homes to a HERS rating less than 100.  This allows all builders to promote how green their construction practices are.

This is great for the builders and they should all be applauded for building better and more efficient homes.  However, wouldn’t it be more appropriate for the HERS standard to be adjusted on a yearly basis?  In reality, if construction practices and building codes are improving every year, shouldn’t the standard rating bar be moved every year as well?

I agree that a home that is more efficient that the Standard New Home is a very energy efficient home.  Just show me where they are building new homes to a 100 HERS rating for comparison.  Otherwise, change the bar on a regular basis so that we can get a better idea as to which new home builders are being truly innovative in their green building construction practices.

Our old pal Kermit once sang “It’s not easy being green!”  Let’s raise the bar and keep it that way.

Until next time…

Keep kicking the dirt!

Jeff Gersh is President of Gersh Consulting Services, a real estate advisory firm, headquartered in Orlando, FL.  He may be reached at jsgersh@gmail.com or 407-468-9328