ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes
National Performance Path Requirements
ENERGY STAR Performance Requirements:
To qualify as ENERGY STAR, a home must meet the minimum requirements specified below, be verified and field-tested
in accordance with the RESNET Standards by a RESNET-accredited Provider, and meet all applicable codes.
Maximum HERS Index Required to Earn the ENERGY STAR1
_r,
Climate Zones 6-8:
HERS Index 80
Climate Zones 1-5:
HERS Index 85
]
Note: Due to the unique nature of some state codes and/or climates, EPA has agreed to allow regionally-developed definitions of
ENERGY STAR in California, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest to continue to define program requirements. The States of Montana
and Idaho may use either the requirements of the national program or the regionally-developed program in the Pacific Northwest,
ENERGY STAR Mandatory Requirements:
Envelope 234
Completed Thermal Bypass Inspection Checklist
Ductwork 5,6
Leakage < 6 cfm to outdoors /100 sq. ft.
ENERGY STAR
Products 3 4
Include at least one ENERGY STAR qualified product category:
¦ Heating or cooling equipment7; OR
¦ Windows 8; OR
q 1 n -1 -1
¦ Five or more ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures ' .appliances , ceiling fans equipped
with lighting fixtures, and/or ventilation fans 12
ENERGY STAR
Scoring
Exceptions
¦ On-site power generation may not be used to decrease the HERS Index to qualify for
ENERGY STAR.
¦ A maximum of 20% of all screw-in light bulb sockets in the home may use compact
fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to decrease the HERS Index for ENERGY STAR compliance.
CFLs used for this purpose must be ENERGY STAR qualified.
Page 1 of 2

-------
ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes
National Performance Path Notes
1.	The appropriate climate zone for each building site shall be determined by the 2004 International Residential Code
(IRC), Table N1101.2. The HERS Index must be calculated in accordance with the RESNET Mortgage Industry
National Home Energy Rating Standards.
2.	The Thermal Bypass Inspection Checklist must be completed for homes to earn the ENERGY STAR label. The
Checklist requires visual inspection of framing areas where air barriers are commonly missed and inspection of
insulation to ensure proper alignment with air barriers, thus serving as an extra check that the air and thermal barriers
are continuous and complete.
3.	Envelope leakage must be determined by a RESNET-certified rater using a RESNET-approved testing protocol.
4.	To ensure consistent exchange of indoor air, whole-house mechanical ventilation is recommended, but not required.
5.	Ducts must be sealed and tested to be < 6 cfm to outdoors /100 sq. ft. of conditioned floor area, as determined and
documented by a RESNET-certified rater using a RESNET-approved testing protocol. If total duct leakage is < 6 cfm
to outdoors /100 sq.ft. of conditioned floor area, then leakage to outdoors does not need to be tested. Duct leakage
testing can be waived if all ducts and air handling equipment are located in conditioned space (i.e., within the home's
air and thermal barriers) AND the envelope leakage has been tested to be < 3 ACH50 OR < 0.25 CFM 50 per sq. ft. of
the building envelope. Note that mechanical ventilation will be required in this situation.
6.	EPA recommends, but does not require, locating ducts within conditioned space (i.e., inside the air and thermal
barriers), and using a minimum of R-4 insulation for ducts inside conditioned space to prevent condensation.
7.	All cooling equipment, regardless of whether it is used to satisfy the ENERGY STAR products requirement, must be
sized according to the latest editions of ACCA Manuals J and S, ASHRAE 2001 Handbook of Fundamentals, or an
equivalent computation procedure. Maximum oversizing limit for air conditioners and heat pumps is 15% (with the
exception of heat pumps in Climate Zones 5 - 8, where the maximum oversizing limit is 25%). This can be
accomplished either by the rater performing the calculations or reviewing documentation provided by the professional
contractor or engineer who calculated the sizing (e.g., HVAC contractor). The following operating conditions shall be
used in the sizing calculations and verified where reviewed by the rater:
Outdoor temperatures shall be the 99.0% design temperatures as published in the ASHRAE Handbook of
Fundamentals for the home's location or most representative city for which design temperature data are available.
Note that a higher outdoor air design temperature may be used if it represents prevailing local practice by the HVAC
industry and reflects extreme climate conditions that can be documented with recorded weather data; Indoor
temperatures shall be 75° F for cooling; Infiltration rate shall be selected as "tight", or the equivalent term.
In specifying equipment, the next available size may be used. In addition, indoor and outdoor coils shall be matched
in accordance with ARI standards.
8.	Where windows are used to meet the ENERGY STAR qualified product requirement, they shall be ENERGY STAR
qualified or meet all specifications for ENERGY STAR qualified windows. Additional information can be found at
www.enerqvstar.gov/windows.
9.	For the purposes of meeting the ENERGY STAR requirement, qualified lighting fixtures in the following locations
cannot be counted: storage rooms (e.g., closets, pantries, sheds), or garages.
10.	Efficient lighting fixtures represent a significant opportunity for persistent energy savings and a meaningful way to
differentiate ENERGY STAR qualified homes from those meeting minimum code requirements. In 2008, EPA intends
to propose and solicit industry comments on adding the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package (ALP) as an
additional requirement for ENERGY STAR qualified homes in 2009. To learn more about the ALP, refer to
www.enerqvstar.gov/homes.
11.	Eligible appliances include ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators, dish washers, and washing machines.
12.	ENERGY STAR qualified ventilation fans include range hood, bathroom, and inline fans.
13.	Further efficiency and savings can be achieved by installing ENERGY STAR qualified products, in addition to those
required (e.g., additional lighting, appliances, etc.). For more information, visit www.energystar.gov.
14.	In homes with heat pumps that have programmable thermostats, the thermostat must have "Adaptive Recovery"
technology to prevent the excessive use of electric back-up heating.
Page 2 of 2

-------