Top US Rating Companies Combine to Create Industry Collaborative

Jan. 20, 2015, LAS VEGAS – To help meet the growing demand for energy efficient homes, as well as the renewed growth in new home construction, the country’s top energy raters announced today at the National Association of Home Builders’ 2015 International Builders’ Show  the first-ever industry collaborative to provide builders with a central energy rating resource.

Known as the EnergyPro Exchange (EPX), this new, independent group of home energy rating system (HERS) experts will provide builders a variety of services to support new home construction with greater durability, comfort and safety, and lower operating costs for homeowners. From energy ratings and code compliance to design and consulting services, EPX helps builders meet evolving national and local energy codes that incorporate HERS. It is designed to help builders who are concerned about delivering the highest-quality homes with a high performance-to-cost ratio.

“Many home builders take great care in hiring the best engineers and architects. Working with the best HERS raters is just as important – and building to the highest industry standards in energy efficiency adds immediate and long-term value to the homes they build while mitigating risk and liability,” said Steve Byers, managing director of EPX.

Unfortunately, not all energy efficient homes are created equal, and builders often need help finding a HERS rater who meets the high caliber of service and integrity they expect from a vendor.

“Energy raters represent an underutilized resource among builders. Competent, professional energy raters create added value for builders – while the inverse exposes builders to additional risk,” said Byers.

As the only collaborative of its kind, EPX members are carefully selected to ensure sophisticated guidance and expert HERS knowledge in virtually every major market in the U.S. These experts helped set the industry standard for HERS as a national energy efficiency rating system. Several EPX members are accredited Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) training providers and have participated in the development of national energy efficiency code standards of the International Code Council. They have established long-standing business relationships with the country’s biggest builders and the top 20 Leading Builders of America.

EPX member organizations currently include EnergyLogic, Inc.; American Energy Advisors; Building Energy, Inc.; Clean Efficient Energy Company; DRW; DuctTesters; Earth Advantage; Efficient Home, LLC; Energy Diagnostics; Green Building Consulting; MaGrann Associates; Southern Energy Management; and Sustainable Energy Analytics, LLC. Negotiations are currently underway with several other member organizations.

With the support of its partners, Owens Corning, Huber Engineered Woods and Panasonic, EPX has access to research and development resources, industry training and education, and financial support.

According to research from the National Association of Home Builders, four of the top most desired features in a new home involve saving energy: for instance, 94 percent of home buyers want ENERGY STAR-rated appliances and 91 percent want an ENERGY STAR rating for the whole home. Additionally, the number of homes rated according to HERS grew from 5 percent in 2007 to over 22 percent in 2013. Building permits for new, privately-owned housing units in the U.S. have grown 62 percent since 2010.

About EnergyPro Exchange

EPX is a national collaborative of the country’s top Home Energy Rating System (HERS) providers who work with residential builders to make better purchasing decisions that reduce builder risk and liability and lead to a greater stock of energy efficient homes in America. EPX is also a forum for sharing innovative ideas and best practices about operational performance, energy efficiency and sustainability, and a business incubator dedicated to developing new industry processes and solutions in residential energy efficiency. More information can be found at https://energyproexchange.com/.