101 General Provisions

101.1 Purpose

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

101.1.1 Relationship to State Law

These Standards specifically recognize the authority of states that have laws requiring certification or licensing of Rating Quality Assurance Providers. To the extent that state laws differ from these Standards, state laws shall govern.