This simple score can help you find an energy-efficient home

As for interpreting the score, which takes into account the local climate, a home that scores a 1 languishes in the bottom 15 percent of homes with respect to energy consumption; a 5 describes an average home; and a 10 is in the top 10 percent, but often can still be improved. Because the score reflects total energy usage, bigger homes that consume more energy — even if they have efficient equipment — will get a lower score, all else equal.

With the score, you also get an estimate of energy costs, recommendations for upgrades to improve your score, and how much the upgrades would save you in cash and carbon emissions. That prescription is similar to what you can expect with a home energy audit, which the DOE also encourages — and which the federal government incentivizes with a 30 percent tax credit, 25C. Until the end of the year, the cost of getting a Home Energy Score qualifies for the 25C tax break, according to the DOE.

But a Home Energy Score assessment is designed to be less comprehensive than a full-scale energy audit in order to be quicker (around an hour) and cheaper (average cost depends on the market, but in the $125 to $300 range). Whereas a thorough energy audit deploys tests to measure energy use and loss, Home Energy Score assessments model energy usage instead.

Besides the Home Energy Score, there are loads of green-home certifications out there, including Energy Star, LEED, Pearl and Passive House. But what sets Home Energy Score apart is its simplicity, said Beth Baxter, associate director at TRC Companies, who works in energy efficiency. ​“It’s so clear for the consumer,” she said.

Baxter recently got a Home Energy Score report for a property she owns in Michigan. She appreciated seeing what her score is now and how she could boost it, she said. ​“More people should use these” scores.

For added appeal, homes with high Home Energy Scores sell for more. A 2022 study by the DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that in cities requiring Home Energy Scores, a one-point increase was associated with a half-percent boost in sales price. A home with the top score of 10 would therefore likely sell for 2.5 percent more than a home with a middling score of 5.

The Home Energy Score program does have some limitations, though. The DOE tool used to calculate the scores currently only applies to single-family homes and townhouses. And to the chagrin of climate-conscious city officials who are urging residents to swap out fossil-fired furnaces for electric heat pumps, the tool is ​“fuel-agnostic.” It’ll suggest upgrading to a more efficient gas appliance if that’s what it calculates to be most cost-effective.

But the agency is coming out with an update that can tabulate Home Energy Scores for multifamily units and manufactured homes. It’ll also have an electrification option to help cities and homeowners decarbonize. The DOE plans to release the update by the end of the year, Plog told Canary Media.

Finding Home Energy Scores in the real (estate) world

If you’re looking for a home, keep an eye out for Home Energy Scores in the listings. Seeing a score could sway your selection; a sunny five-bedroom house with warm wood trim and soaring living spaces loses some luster when you find out it has an Energy Score of 1. (I speak from experience.)

If you’re curious to see what U.S. homes have gotten Home Energy Scores at any point, you can check out the Green Building Registry, a site developed and updated by the nonprofit Earth Advantage. (The site allows you to filter by other building performance certifications, as well.)

And to get a Home Energy Score yourself, you can find a certified assessor by checking with your utility, searching the DOE partner map and assessor database, or scouring the web with the search terms ​“Home Energy Score” plus the name of your town. You could also ask about Home Energy Scores when you’re shopping for an energy audit; some utility programs and home weatherization companies offer Home Energy Scores separately or as an add-on.

Whether or not you opt to get a Home Energy Score, if you own a home, Brett Little, education manager at the nonprofit GreenHome Institute, recommends investing in energy-efficiency upgrades to increase your home’s resale value. ​“It’s not any different than a Realtor who gives people advice like, ​‘Before you sell, make sure you paint the walls,’” Little said. Add energy-efficient improvements to that to-do list, ​“because that’s what people want.” But getting a Home Energy Score can clearly communicate that value to homebuyers — which otherwise might be all too easy to overlook.