Sitting at the intersection of luxury and energy efficiency, you’ll find a modern farmhouse envisioned by a homeowner who wanted the best of both worlds and built by custom luxury home builder R.E.A. Homes. Recently, this spacious home located in Ladue, Missouri, earned an exceptional ENERGY STAR® rating of negative six (-6) on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index Score. More on this in a minute, but basically the lower the score, the more energy efficient a home is.
To earn an ENERGY STAR® certification, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based on extensive experience with the nation’s homebuilding industry. ENERGY STAR® certified homes are at least 10% more energy efficient than homes built to code and achieve a 20% improvement on average.
Why HERS is Important
The HERS Index is the industry standard when measuring a home’s energy efficiency. To date, more than 2 million homes have HERS Index scores; 200,000 U.S. homes are rated annually for energy efficiency and issued HERS Index scores.
When assessing a home’s efficiency, a certified Home Energy Rater assigns a relative performance score—the HERS Index Score—to the home. This score, a result of inspection, performance testing and computer modeling, is based on the home’s energy rating compared to a reference home—a designed model home that’s the same size and shape as the home being measured. This ensures a home’s score is always relative. The lower the number, the more energy efficient the home is.
How the HERS Index Score Works
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a standard new home is awarded a rating of 100. So, if a new home receives a HERS Index Score of 70, that means the home is 30 percent more energy efficient than a standard new home.
A lower HERS Index score means a more affordable, comfortable, and energy efficient home.
Modern Farmhouse’s Exceptional Rating
The farmhouse HERS rating of negative six (-6) means the house is 104 percent more energy efficient than a standard house. Even before the house was completed, the solar panels installed on the roof generated energy which was sold back to the local electric company for credit. After moving in, the homeowners received some electricity credits back because of the credit on their account.
R.E.A. Homes Building Beyond the Code
This high-performance custom luxury farmhouse was built by R.E.A. Homes without compromising the owner’s vision or budget. Incorporating features such as multigenerational and outdoor living spaces, innovative materials, solar panels, and geothermal energy, this home will be a source of comfort and healthy living for its owners for decades. The energy-efficient features serve the home’s design and can produce more energy than the homeowners consume. Should the owners decide to sell, the low HERS Index will command a higher resale price. With the right builder and the right craftsmanship, you can build the energy-efficient custom luxury home of your dreams!
ENERGY STAR Certification + Low HERS Index Score = More Energy Savings and More Luxury
R.E.A. Homes builds High Performance Luxury Homes℠ with the customer’s entire well-being in mind. To learn more about our custom homes in the St. Louis, Missouri, area visit our blog or Facebook page.
