The Home Energy Rating System, or HERS Index, is a way to measure how energy-efficient your home is. As a general rule, the lower the number, the more energy-efficient your home is. The average value of an older home is 130, but a newer home that was built around 2006, has an average rating of 100. As time goes on, the standard is getting lower, as newer homes tend to focus on energy efficiency. If you want to make the most money for your home in the energy-conscious world we live in, then lowering your HERS rating can be a good way to do that.
Source: Pexels
How to Lower Your HERS Rating with an Older Property
If you have an older property, then you may find it harder to achieve a lower HERS rating. With that said, it can be done. Installing solar panels, simplifying the design of your roof, or even reducing the height of your ceiling can all be very effective ways of making your home more energy efficient.
With heating and cooling being one of the biggest expenses that homeowners face, it does help to make sure that your home has a good rating. Replacing your windows can be a good move, especially if you only have single-glazing, and it also pays to repair any holes you may have in the roof. As heat rises, this could drastically affect your energy rating.
Before making any huge changes, it’s a good idea to do a quick search for how much is my house worth, so you can benchmark the money you’d be investing to lower your HERS rating. In some cases, especially with a home built before 1950, improvements might not be worth making. In cases like this, using a service that will buy your house for cash might be useful. This allows you to get a lump sum for your home, without you having to appeal to environmentally-conscious buyers. If you want to make improvements without renovating your home, then simple things like draft excluders and window films can help you to keep the heat in, as can installing carpets over wooden floors.
Source: Pexels
Getting a HERS Audit Done for your Home
If you want to find out what your HERS rating is, so you can maximize it in time to sell your home, then you’ll need to get a HERS audit done. This is an assessment of your home’s energy efficiency. A certified HERS rater will come to your home and perform an inspection. They will measure how much air is leaking from your home, and they will also track things like your home’s heat loss. A lot of this is done by noting your insulation, the efficiency of your HVAC sysem, and the appliances you have.
As a general rule, if you make improvements to lower your HERS score, you can expect your home to have better temperature regulation, a higher level of air quality, and lower utility bills across the board. In other words, if you invest now, it will pay off later.
No comments