REM RESNET HERS LEED BPI

Too Many New Acronyms?

 

ABOUT RESNET

In April 1995, the National Association of State Energy Officials and Energy Rated Homes of America founded the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to develop a national market for home energy rating systems and energy efficient mortgages.

 

ABOUT LEED and BPI

The U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and BPI (Building Performance Institute) are two independent standards and rating systems which have different purposes and values when considering building energy efficiency during a construction process. LEED standards are mainly concerned with long-term sustainability of environment and industry issues, and BPI deals with how efficiently a building actually handles it’s energy usage.

LEED certified buildings can actually consume much more energy to operate than buildings which conform to BPI specifications and preferences, but they meet a building industry sustainability factor that BPI doesn’t address. At this point it seems that BPI concerns itself more with weatherization of existing buildings than in new construction or major rehab work, but this is still an evolving standard and rating system.

 

REM and HERS

REM (Residential Energy Modeling) designers and HERS (Home Energy Rating System) raters are now becoming required to certify energy efficiency designs and installations across the country in accordance with newer International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) code requirements.

As of October 1, 2005, building ducts must be tested for leaks when a central air conditioner or furnace installed or replaced. Ducts that leak 15 % or more must be repaired to reduce the leaks. After the contractor tests, seals the ducts, and fills out the proper forms, an approved third-party HERS Rater must check and make sure the duct sealing and duct testing was done properly (certain conditions apply). This service must be paid for by the building owner.

 

More Efficient Smart Buildings Use Less Energy by Design

Building the most energy efficient environments possible is now paramount. New industries have sprung up to deal with the issues. Building Performance Institute standards now rival those that LEED building rating systems advocate for gauging sustainability and energy efficiency in existing buildings and new construction.

In 2012, new IECC codes with a focus on the commercial building industry will be enacted, and the multifamily industry will have to deal with these new energy code requirements in a completely new construction world. For an overview of our services and products, see our Solutions section.

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Abide Building Component Systems (ABCS) is a company of Atlantic Cascade Corporation (ACC), a proud New England business for over a quarter of a century. No one can build you a better building core for the money – usually for less than the cost of “conventional” construction.