Minnesota has the lowest average Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index Score of any state in the country that energy tested over 3,000 homes in 2021, according to Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). The lower the HERS Index Score, the more energy efficient the home. Minnesota energy tested 9,621 homes in 2021 and the state’s average HERS Index Score was 50, according to RESNET.
Minnesota’s Green Path program provides the Home Performance Reports (HPRs) that include the HERS Index Score. The U.S. Department of Energy has determined that a typical resale home scores 130 on the HERS Index, while a standard new home is awarded a rating of 100. A home with a HERS score of 70 is 30% more energy efficient than a standard new home.
Housing First Minnesota’s Green Path program has provided HPRs with HERS Scores for more than 35,000 homes that have been third-party tested since the program began. With the state’s average HERS score of 50, the average Minnesota Green Path energy-tested home is 50% more energy efficient than your standard new home and 61% more energy efficient than the average existing home.
With the help of Minnesota’s Green Path program, many builders choose to go above and beyond the code to provide additional energy-efficient benefits to their homebuyers.
“Minnesota’s Green Path Program and the HERS Index Score of a home help builders explain to their homebuyers the benefits of an energy-efficient home, making those efficiency upgrades more appealing to buyers,” said David Siegel, executive director of Housing First Minnesota. “Minnesota’s continued high ranking among energy-efficient homes is a testament to the Green Path program’s success and the homebuilders in our state who build incredibly energy-efficient homes.”
Minnesota’s Green Path currently has 43 builders committed as Designated Green Path Builders. Designated Green Path builders agree to test at minimum 75% of their newly built homes annually and attend green home building professional development events.
According to RESNET, there were 313,153 homes HERS rated in the country in 2021. This pushed the total number of HERS-rated homes in the U.S. to over 3.3 million to date. The national average HERS Index Score in 2021 was 58.
For a breakdown of the number of homes HERS rated in 2021 and the average HERS Index Score by state go to 2021 HERS Activity by State.
For more information on Minnesota’s Green Path program visit MNGreenPath.org
Created by Housing First Minnesota in 2011, Minnesota’s Green Path program is the leading energy efficiency and green building program for the residential construction industry in Minnesota.
Housing First Minnesota is the leading voice of homebuilders and remodelers and all who are dedicated to building safe, durable homes at a price Minnesotans can afford. Formerly known as the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, Housing First Minnesota represents nearly 1,000 builders, remodelers, developers and industry suppliers throughout the state.