The Home Energy Scoring Tool: A Simplified Asset Rating for Single Family Homes

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) initiated development of a new web-based computer tool and method for providing an energy asset rating of single-family homes. The resulting Home Energy Scoring Tool (http://homeenergyscore.lbl.gov) is a key component of the DOE's Home Energy Score Program (http://www.homeenergyscore.gov) for residential building energy labeling, a voluntary national asset rating method that uses a simplified and standardized energy assessment process. The Scoring Tool component of the program has been designed to support the existing energy analysis marketplace by providing a substantially lower-cost entry-level assessment method. This paper presents technical details of the Home Energy Scoring Tool itself, including the Scoring Tool's relationship to the Home Energy Saver building simulation engine, the Home Energy Score calculation methodology, and the web services feature that allows any qualified third-party software developer to integrate the Home Energy Score method into their own web based applications and market delivery strategy.