Qualifying Energy Code Fee for Non-HERS Rated Homes

Qualifying Energy Code Reports

*updated 3/27/2024

To level the playing field among all industry participants and ensure all stakeholders are benefiting from RATER equally, we are starting a Qualifying Energy Code Report fee on May 1, 2024. This will apply only to homes that are not or will not be registered with RESNET. 

This article covers the rationale for this change. If you have any questions or concerns about this announcement or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to info@ekotrope.com or support@ekotrope.com. We have more Frequently Asked Questions here.

Qualifying Energy Energy Code Report Fee

Starting May 1, 2024, all state and local amended energy code, IECC 2018, and IECC 2021 reports will incur a fee if the home has not or will not be registered with RESNET.

Energy models that are registered with RESNET or will be registered with RESNET at a future date will continue to receive these premium reports as part of your Rating Credit. 

All reports can be found here.

Rationale 

Over the years, we've learned that there is a market imbalance where some Rating Companies utilize Ekotrope RATER for energy code ratings that will not become registered HERS Ratings. This is an unfair market for those who do HERS Ratings and support the development and maintenance of the many energy codes that are needed across the country.  This change will level the playing field for all Rating Companies and enable Ekotrope to continue providing great customer service and continue to expand the number of supported energy codes. 

We believe that charging for energy code reports is critical to keeping our overall pricing competitive while allowing us to continue delivering the level of service and quality all our customers deserve. This decision has not been made lightly and is the result of careful consideration and feedback that we have gathered.  

Customers who supplement their HERS-rated homes with an energy code report either before or after submitting to the RESNET registry will face no additional per-home fees as we will continue to bundle full access to all energy code models with your HERS submission credit. 

When will energy models incur this energy code report fee?

Projects will incur the Qualifying Energy Code Report fee only when the first qualifying report is downloaded or emailed for that energy model and the project will not be registered with RESNET. The fee will only be charged once per energy model. 

Before a user downloads or emails a qualifying report, RATER will prompt the user to indicate whether (i) the energy model will be registered with RESNET in the future, or (ii) if it is solely intended for premium energy code compliance and will not be registered with RESNET.

If the user selects that the energy model will be registered with RESNET in the future, then a HERS Rating credit will be used at the time of the first report download or email. If the user selects that the energy model will not be registered with RESNET and a qualifying report is being downloaded or emailed, then the energy code report fee will be applied to the energy model. This fee will be invoiced in the next monthly invoice.