101.1 Purpose
The purpose of these Standards is to ensure that accurate and consistent home energy, water efficiency, and carbon emissions ratings are assured by RESNET accredited Rating Quality Assurance Providers through their Certified HERS Raters nationwide; to increase the credibility of the Rating Quality Assurance Providers; and to promote voluntary participation in objective, cost-effective, sustainable home energy, water efficiency, and carbon emissions rating process.
Leaders in both the public and private sectors have identified the need for an accreditation process for Rating Quality Assurance Providers. This accreditation process may be used by these stakeholders to accept home energy, water efficiency, and carbon emissions ratings and to assure accurate, independent information upon which the mortgage industry may accept home energy, water efficiency, and carbon emissions ratings for the purposes of issuing energy, water, and/or carbon emissions efficient mortgages or similar products; a state may recognize the home energy, water efficiency, and carbon emissions ratings as a compliance method for state building and energy codes; the ratings may be used as qualification for public and private sector programs designed to reach specific energy, water, and/or carbon emissions saving goals; and the ratings may be used as a way to provide housing markets the ability to differentiate residences based on their estimated energy, water, and/or carbon emissions efficiency. These Standards have been developed to satisfy the above purposes.