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RESNET Cross Border Challege

2016 RESNET Cross Border Challenge Winner!:

For those of you who don't know, RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) is the independent organization founded to help homeowners reduce their utility cost. They do quite a bit nationally to promote building efficient buildings utilizing tools such as:

HERS Index - Essentially a MPG for a house

Energy Efficiency Mortgages - Mortgages that Credit a homes energy efficiency in the home loan (you can spend more to build the house because your utility bills will be lower)

Energy Audits and Home Energy Ratings - a much more involved energy audit that one offered by Home Performance with Energy Star. It would probably be a great idea for anyone buying an existing home to have one of these audits done. It is far more comprehensive and can uncover some important information for the prospective home buyers

A RESNET Rater is one who is responsible for all the necessary field work and energy modeling for a new construction Energy Star Home. They have all of the skills necessary for any of the 2015 Code Requirement Testing and they can also be tasked with PHIUS field verification.

Canada has a similar organization - CRESNET for homes built in Canada

Back to the Cross Border Challenge...

Each year for the past decade or so the 2 organizations have had a friendly competition to see who can build more efficient homes:

The Cross Border Challenge is simple - Lowest HERS Score wins. Now there are a few categories:

Lowest HERS Score by an American Production Builder (>49 HERS Ratings per year)
Lowest score American Mid Size Builder ( 10 to 49 homes HERS rated per year)
Lowest score American Custom Builder (< 10 homes HERS rated per year)
     -Rochester Passive House was entered in this category
Lowest score Canadian Production Builder (> 49 homes HERS rated per year)
Lowest score Canadian Mid Size Builder (10 to 49 homes HERS rated per year)
Lowest score Canadian Custom Builder (< 10 homes HERS rated per year)

Net Zero Award American Builder
Net Zero Award Canadian Builder

In 2015: 190,180 homes were rated in the USA. The winner of the lowest HERS Score in 2015 was a house 26

In 2016:  206,583 homes were rated in the USA. The winner of the lowest HERS Score in 2016 was ROCHESTER PASSIVE HOUSE with a HERS score of 22!

While it is possible to get your HERS score down to 0 or below (net zero homes) they are incorporating some kind of onsite renewables - solar panels or wind turbines. Almost any house can be a net zero house with enough solar panels.


Just because a home is a net zero home, it doesn't necessarily mean it is energy efficient. 

Rochester Passive House achieved the lowest HERS score without the use of onsite renewables  of any home submitted in 2016 (and 2015).



This award is certainly a compilation of efforts from:
Airtight Services - Matt Johnson, Bill Labine
Garbacik Construction - Tad Garbacik
Grater Architects - Tim Burke and Bill Grater

Great Job Everyone! I will be getting all of my paperwork submitted to PHI for certification by the end of the month! Keep your fingers crosses!

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