Is there rating/HERS score software for builders and designers?
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| Posted in Building Code Questions on
I’m a general contractor/designer and I want to design with a HERS target plan. I’d like to have a good idea of the likely HERS score before submitting the plan to the township or hiring a rater.
When I was building in Alaska, I used AKWarm. I could get a very accurate picture of my eventual star rating for the house (required for rebates from AK Housing). That software was also incredibly accurate at predicting yearly energy usage.
I downloaded the REMDesign trial thinking I could enter the data a see a preliminary HERS score. However, when I try to generate a Energy Star report (any one), a screen appears for a microsecond and disappears. I’m now looking at the other RESNET approved software and don’t see anything available to non-raters.
Does anyone know if there is software available to non-raters that can generate a HERS score?
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Replies
BEopt? Not 1-for-1 with HERS (REM/RATE) but does a good high-level job of modeling energy usage.
Thanks. I've since answered most of my question.
Anyone can download and install a trial version of Rem Rate and get an actual (though unofficial) HERS score. You can then design to your target and hand off that file to your rate.
Ekotrope also may provide software access for folks interested in using their good cloud-based software.
I'm aware of a program in the works that may provide non-raters with access to scaled down versions of rating software which will create a real HERS score based on actual designs. I'm not at liberty to provide any details, but I do believe it will be a real boon to small contractors and builders who need to try out different scenarios, designs, technologies prior to engaging architects and raters.