To: Accredited Rating Quality Assurance Providers
Across the nation the RESNET HERS Index Score is fast becoming a mainstream in the housing market. Homebuilders are having their homes energy rated and marketing the HERS Index Score of their homes. Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are incorporating the HERS Index Scores in their listings and code jurisdictions are recognizing a HERS Index Score as a building energy code compliance option. With the increased visibility of the HERS Index Score, RESNET is obligated to ensure that HERS Index Scores are as consistent as possible.
This need has been made more important with the International Code Council adopting an Energy Rating Index option to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code.
Large national production builders several years ago raised the issue to RESNET of instances where HERS Index Scores varied by provider. This started RESNET on a process to enhance the national consistency of HERS Index Scores. After a two year transparent process that involved industry vetting; technical subcommittees and task forces, the RESNET Board of Directors adopted a set of policies on the consistency of HERS Index Scores. The policies adopted are:
RESNET certified Quality Assurance Designees must in the future:
That the RESNET quality assurance standards maintain the current requirement of annual quality assurance review of raters consisting of 1% field reviews and 10% building file reviews with provisions through modification to the standard to add additional oversight of HERS Raters when errors are found in these reviews.
RESNET incorporate changes to rating software standards that would include:
RESNET is currently in the process of developing amendments to RESNET’s standards to implement these policies.
These policies will increase RESNET’s quality assurance activities. Additional resources are needed to meet these new responsibilities. The RESNET Board has adopted a policy that the funding of the new responsibilities must be met through rating activities.
At its Fall 2015 meeting the RESNET Board adopted that beginning January 1, 2016, RESNET will charge accredited Rating Quality Assurance Providers a $3.50 surcharge per rating to support its added quality assurance duties.
This surcharge will support:
The use of the surcharge funds will be transparent and will be tracked separately. Annually the RESNET Board will review the need and whether the funds can be reduced.
Beginning in the second quarter in 2016, RESNET will invoice providers for the surcharge of ratings that were submitted to the registry in the previous quarter.
At the same time as initiating the rating quality assurance surcharge, RESNET is striving to streamline its quality assurance procedures. This is designed to reduce the cost to providers. One example of this is the ability to conduct virtual rating quality assurance inspections that will be proposed in the standard amendment.
RESNET has been conservative in the use of its funds and has strived to keep its overhead administrative costs as low as possible. The charts below will give you an idea of where RESNET receives its funding and how it spends it funds.
Across the nation the RESNET HERS Index Score is fast becoming a mainstream in the housing market. Homebuilders are having their homes energy rated and marketing the HERS Index Score of their homes. Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are incorporating the HERS Index Scores in their listings and code jurisdictions are recognizing a HERS Index Score as a building energy code compliance option. With the increased visibility of the HERS Index Score, RESNET is obligated to ensure that HERS Index Scores are as consistent as possible.
This need has been made more important with the International Code Council adopting an Energy Rating Index option to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code.
Large national production builders several years ago raised the issue to RESNET of instances where HERS Index Scores varied by provider. This started RESNET on a process to enhance the national consistency of HERS Index Scores. After a two year transparent process that involved industry vetting; technical subcommittees and task forces, the RESNET Board of Directors adopted a set of policies on the consistency of HERS Index Scores. The policies adopted are:
RESNET certified Quality Assurance Designees must in the future:
- Serve as agents of RESNET
- Have neither a financial interest nor an employee/employer relationship with the entity performing the rating
That the RESNET quality assurance standards maintain the current requirement of annual quality assurance review of raters consisting of 1% field reviews and 10% building file reviews with provisions through modification to the standard to add additional oversight of HERS Raters when errors are found in these reviews.
RESNET incorporate changes to rating software standards that would include:
- Establish limits on input variables for whole-house ventilations systems and other in the RESNET Standards
- Determine bounds checks that can be incorporated into software to limit or warn users when input values are beyond reasonable limits
- Enhance rating software tools to enable Quality Assurance Designee flags to be set for internal inconsistencies that should be checked prior to entering a building file into RESNET registry
- Modify RESNET registry XML schema to include reporting of the Quality Assurance Designee flags to RESNET staff
RESNET is currently in the process of developing amendments to RESNET’s standards to implement these policies.
These policies will increase RESNET’s quality assurance activities. Additional resources are needed to meet these new responsibilities. The RESNET Board has adopted a policy that the funding of the new responsibilities must be met through rating activities.
At its Fall 2015 meeting the RESNET Board adopted that beginning January 1, 2016, RESNET will charge accredited Rating Quality Assurance Providers a $3.50 surcharge per rating to support its added quality assurance duties.
This surcharge will support:
- Development by RESNET of a standardized interpretation layer to ensure all HERS Rating Software calculate HERS Index Scores consistently
- Establish and maintain electronic quality assurance data management systems
- Upgrade to RESNET Registry for enhanced quality assurance
- Training and certification of new RESNET Quality Agents
- Management of independent Quality Assurance Contractors and Quality Agents
- Development and implementation of virtual quality assurance field reviews
- Development and implementation of pilot project to test new quality assurance process
- Rating Quality Assurance Provider staff training
- Quality Assurance Management
- Some of these expenses will be upfront expenses that will decrease over time. The RESNET Board, therefore, designed a plan where the surcharge can be reduced overtime. The surcharge schedule will be:
- 2016 - $3.50
- 2017 - $3.00*
- 2018 - $3.00*
- Beginning in 2019 - $2.50*
The use of the surcharge funds will be transparent and will be tracked separately. Annually the RESNET Board will review the need and whether the funds can be reduced.
Beginning in the second quarter in 2016, RESNET will invoice providers for the surcharge of ratings that were submitted to the registry in the previous quarter.
At the same time as initiating the rating quality assurance surcharge, RESNET is striving to streamline its quality assurance procedures. This is designed to reduce the cost to providers. One example of this is the ability to conduct virtual rating quality assurance inspections that will be proposed in the standard amendment.
RESNET has been conservative in the use of its funds and has strived to keep its overhead administrative costs as low as possible. The charts below will give you an idea of where RESNET receives its funding and how it spends it funds.
