This session will feature a message from Congressman Mike Levin (D-CA). 

Mark Johnson, RESNET® Board President

Welcome to the 2023 RESNET® Conference! 

An overview of everything you need to know as we kick off the first full day of the 2023 RESNET Conference.

This session will feature Robert Wick of the large national production builder Meritage Homes and their outlook on the emerging build-to-rent market in single-family homes.  

Increasingly, American corporations are including Environmental/Societal/Governance (ESG) reporting to their stockholders and financers. A number of builders and finance institutions are using HERS® Index Scores as part of their ESG reporting. To track these developments and to discover the opportunities this presents to the rating industry, the RESNET® Executive Director has appointed a RESNET® ESG Advisory Committee. This session will introduce the new group and explore what activities it will be undertaking. 

 

In 2022, Congress extended and amended the 45L federal tax credit for energy-efficient homes. The legislation extended the credit for ten years and based a $2,500 credit for complying with the EPA ENERGY STAR for New Homes and $5,000 for being certified by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Net Zero Energy Ready program. This session will explore the details of how to qualify homes for this important effort to improve the energy performance of new homes. 

In this session, the CEC’s Commissioner Andrew McAllister will cover:

 

The Cross Border Challenge RESNET®/CRESENT Awards session is a presentation of a number of awards

including RESNET® President’s Awards, CRESNET Canadian President’s Awards, and more.

ROOM- Toucan

Currently, over half the states and numerous jurisdictions have adopted or are in the process of adopting the latest model energy code (2021 IECC/90.1-2019), where additional capacity, education and training, and programs to support their implementation will be critical. The passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will provide over $1.2 billion to support this implementation effort, but with the aging enforcement workforce and resource constraints at the jurisdictional level, alternative enforcement programs may be necessary. To address capacity constraints, many jurisdictions have developed a Third-Party Energy Code Inspection program – where outside inspection entities are vetted, approved, and managed by the Authority Having Jurisdiction to conduct energy code inspections – and implemented it successfully. In this discussion session, we will learn from these established programs and discuss challenges, opportunities, and best practices when developing a successful Third-Party Party Enforcement Program from the ground up.

ROOM- Macaw

In addition to tracking progress with RESNET® HERS® Ratings, the hundreds of data points collected on each home in the RESNET® National Registry provide insight into the trends in energy efficiency, component selection, and electrification. What are some of the latest trends in HERS® Rated homes? What value can this data provide to all the stakeholders in RESNET®? RESNET® Program Director Ryan Meres will share some insights he has gathered from the report: Trends in HERS® Rated Homes, A Statistical Abstract.

 

The session would address the impetus of this report and the latest trends in its third year of publication.

ROOM- Cockatoo

Join Roy Mittleider of CalCERTS as he discusses the ANSI / RESNET®/ ACCA 310 Standard. This standard establishes an overview of the procedures, tolerances, and record-keeping required to evaluate and grade the energy efficiency elements of an HVAC system’s design and installation.

 

National builders are looking to RESNET® 310 certified Raters to provide HVAC grading services as it can reduce their overall home score by as much as 6 points. This session will provide an overview of the data collection form and the five tasks associated with a 310 HVAC grading, which include HVAC system design, total duct leakage testing, a blower fan volumetric airflow test, a blower fan watt draw test, and a non-invasive refrigerant charge test.

ROOM- Rousseau Center

RESNET® has launched a new rating program, the RESNET® Carbon Index®. The new rating rates the carbon performance of a home caused by the energy used in the operation of the home. The Carbon Index can be produced by a certified RESNET® HERS® Rater at the same time as a HERS® Index rating. What are the practical applications of the RESNET® Carbon Index?

This session will feature different perspectives on how builders, utilities, and ESG reporting can take advantage to carbon ratings of homes.

ROOM- Rousseau West

Home builders across the United States have begun the hard work of gathering, analyzing, and publicly reporting the carbon emissions related to their homes and businesses. This is an amazing first step in the process of achieving net zero construction and a net zero emissions economy. Missing from this equation is a call for subcontractors and trade partners to perform similar carbon accounting. With significantly more subcontractors providing both materials and labor services they are playing a crucial step in calculating the embodied carbon going into a home. As a key trade partner in helping builders achieve net zero construction, HERS® raters have a special opportunity to advise other subcontractors on how to work together to understand their relative impact on the climate and lead the way towards a net zero future.

ROOM- Kon Tiki

This session will review the 4 methods of completing blower door tests in multi-family buildings as outlined in the RESNET® Guideline published in 2014. This will include whole building single zone, whole building multi-zone, compartment, and full building blower door test simultaneously with the target dwelling unit test.

ROOM- Toucan

The soon-to-be-published International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) was developed following the ANSI standard process for the first time for the 2024 edition. The presenters were heavily involved in the development of the 2024 IECC and will discuss the new process and highlight the significant changes found throughout the residential chapters. The presenters will discuss the technical changes to the code as well as permit and plan review submittals and other items significant to the rater community. In addition, there will be a discussion of how the credits were calculated for the additional efficiency section.

ROOM- Macaw

This session will focus on RESNET®’s new QA tools:

 

New Mobile Application

 

This session will include a full demonstration of the new mobile and desktop application that RESNET® has developed for both field and file QA reviews. Learn why the RESNET® QA app represents a significant step forward for RESNET®’s overall QA program and why it matters to all stakeholders.

 

QA Data Analytics Tool:

 

RESNET® has developed its own QA Data Analytics tool. This effort gives RESNET® the ability to monitor and analyze data from well over 1 million ratings, building on an existing data analytics software platform called Kibana. For more than a year, this tool has been used exclusively by RESNET® staff to support its QA oversight efforts of Rating Providers nationwide and to support other key RESNET® data-driven initiatives. In early 2023, RESNET® launched a new dashboard feature that allows Rating Providers to access data analytics for their own ratings. This session will provide a demonstration of the Provider dashboard features, along with practical applications for new users.

ROOM- Cockatoo

Join Jeremiah Ellis of CalCERTS as he discusses how California’s energy codes impact Beyond Compliance Programs. This session will provide an overview of program requirements such as Energy Star+45L, CA-RESNET®, HERSH20® and DOE ZERH to better model beyond code compliance in California.

National and Regional builders alike lean on energy consultants to know and educate them on ever-changing energy codes and various program requirements. Modeling for more than simply meeting minimum energy codes is expected. Gain exposure to trending beyond compliance programs in addition to understanding how modeling their key components for complying translates to field inspections and documentation.

ROOM- Rousseau Center

This session will provide background information on how more places in the country are switching to all-electric homes for both new construction and retrofits, and the impacts on overall energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and indoor air quality and health. There are changes to the HVAC equipment and appliances used in all-electric homes, as well as changes to home infrastructure (such as smart electric panels and low-power appliances) that go beyond energy use to include limiting peak power requirements and grid integration capability. The session will include discussions of cost breakdowns from over 1,700 energy retrofit projects in single family homes and over 50,000 dwellings in more than 1,000 multifamily buildings, together with observations on how to optimize home electrification. This session will provide the technical background and practical advice that is needed for Raters who encounter more electrified homes so that they can understand how they work and what impact they might have on an energy rating and home performance in general.

ROOM- Rousseau West

If you attend just one ENERGY STAR session, this is the one for you! Hear the latest IRS-provided guidance about 45L, the federal tax credit for efficient new homes and apartments; get key programmatic updates related to the national program requirements, the development of the next Revisions, and the roll-out of ENERGY STAR NextGen; and learn what the team will be focused on in 2023 and beyond.

ROOM- Kon Tiki

In this session, learn about the work that is being done by manufacturers, Raters, and contractors on a proposed shift from insulation grading (I, II, and III) to Quality Installed (QI) or Not Quality Installed (Non-QI). In this session, attendees will learn how the updates have been developed, what the changes mean for Raters, and how it better aligns RESNET® standards with manufacturer and code requirements. This session will also serve as preview of these proposed changes to Standard 301 that will be put out for comment via RESNET®.

ROOM- Toucan

Energy code compliance and enforcement is a national challenge. Currently it is fragmented, inconsistent, inefficient, and unpredictable, and many code departments lack resources and energy expertise. However, in many markets there are HERS® Raters with the knowledge, equipment, and staff to support code compliance and enforcement. This session will explore the relationship between code departments and HERS® Raters, and how we can improve collaboration and communication between the two in order to improve compliance rates and mitigate code department staff shortages.

ROOM- Macaw

RESNET®’s Software Consistency Committee (SCC) has been working towards improving consistency in HERS® Index calculations across software tools for the past four years. In this session, RESNET®’s Energy Modeling Director (and SCC Chair) will provide an overview of the accomplishments of the committee and present a roadmap of strategic improvements to enforce greater accuracy (and, consequently, consistency) moving forward.

ROOM- Cockatoo

There is currently an unprecedented investment in carbon emissions reduction in affordable housing, and with it a growing market for Raters to engage with on many levels. As new tech, tools, and funding to meet carbon draw-down goals come rapidly online for affordable housing producers, energy professionals will be essential technical advisors, energy modelers, and third-party verifiers. This session will explore how Raters can team up with producers like Habitat for Humanity to mutually increase activity and keep affordable housing at the center of equitable carbon emissions reduction.

ROOM- Rousseau Center

With today’s focus on ESG related investing ($11.6 trillion‚ AI or $1 of every $4 invested in the United States‚ AI was invested under ESG investment strategies), naturally, there is a lot of interest in this topic with the large publicly traded builders. But what about the small and mid size builders? How do they take advantage of this growth opportunity? How can you as a Rater help grow your own HERS® Ratings book of business by guiding these Builders to submit their homes to the Registry in order to take advantage of ESG related opportunities?

 

This session will cover a basic overview of how current trends in ESG investing interact in the lending process, how ESG reporting works through the RESNET® Registry, and requirements for Raters to be aware of to help their Builders fully take advantage of this program.

ROOM- Rousseau West

If you are new to ENERGY STAR or just new to Multifamily New Construction (MFNC), this session is for you! The ENERGY STAR MFNC program is a certification program for multifamily buildings that achieve above-code energy-efficiency by meeting rigorous requirements that start from design and follow the building through to completion.  For a building to earn the ENERGY STAR label, it must meet mandatory design & construction requirements, as well as demonstrate performance through either stricter prescriptive efficiency measures or through energy modeling. This session will provide a broad overview of the program, covering building eligibility, the certification process, program requirements & documents, and the roles and responsibilities of each project team member. 

ROOM- Kon Tiki

There have been many advances in building diagnostic tools since the last national conference was held. Whether it is inspection cameras or air flow measurement devices, the tools and technology that HERS® Raters use on a daily basis have continued to improve. Join Eric Kaiser from TruTech Tools and Sam Myers from Retrotec as they cover all of the latest tool developments.  

 

Blower doors and duct testers are two of the most important tools a HERS® Rater uses to collect air tightness data on a job site. This technology has greatly improved on multiple levels over the past few years. Cloth panels for blower doors now have outdoor reference tubing stitched in to remove the need for tossing a tube to the outside. There is also an option for a lightweight fan that can run on battery power. Manometers now offer a live graph that can be displayed during a test or logged over time, all with multipoint testing abilities built right in!

ROOM- Toucan

This session will review each of the 5 steps of the standard with a focus on what it takes to make the measurements. For each step, we will utilize a training video made of completing the process in the field.  We will then show the results being used to complete the RESNET®-310 worksheet. Last we will have a Q&A at the end of each process step.

ROOM- Macaw

The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is streaming billions of millions of dollars to state energy offices to provide financing for the energy and electrification of existing homes, enhanced energy codes and work force development. This session will explore the programs that will soon be going to state energy offices and share how you can participate in the process.

ROOM- Cockatoo

The EPA’s WaterSense Labeled Homes program provides builders, developers, and communities the opportunity to meet their housing goals while mitigating the impact of new development through water efficiency and carbon savings. WaterSense labeled homes save at least 30% more water than typical new construction. They also contribute to the energy & carbon savings profile of each home through their efficient water use. 

This session will provide an overview of the requirements to achieve certification as well as a deeper understanding of how WaterSense Homes can play a central role in a community’s ability to achieve their drought mitigation/environmental impact plans, while still having the ability for new development.

ROOM- Rousseau Center

Calculating carbon production in homes through energy use is only one part of the equation of understanding carbon produced in the building of homes. RESNET® is exploring developing an ANSI candidate standard for the embodied carbon in building materials. A RESNET® technical subcommittee is looking into this. This session will explore embodied carbon and explain the scope of RESNET®’s effort.

ROOM- Rousseau West

Come learn about EPA’s new top-tier certification label for homes and apartments built with key next-generation features that advance operational decarbonization. ENERGY STAR NextGen starts with ENERGY STAR Single-Family New Homes v3.2 or Multifamily New Construction v1.2, and adds connected space-conditioning heat pumps, connected heat pump water heaters, electric cooking, and electric vehicle charging capability.