GreenStar Homes Certification logo
Pillar
Tier
Project
Energy & Climate Resilience Required from Silver GHI Zero Energy Certified GHI Zero Carbon Certified GHI Zero Energy Ready Certified Foam-free

Home Energy Performance

DOE Home Energy Score (existing) or modeled annual energy use (new construction). Alternative tools include HERS, PHPP, WUFI Passive, BeOpt, and 90.1.

Spec by tier

This requirement steps in stringency by tier. Each tier inherits and tightens the value.

Tier Spec
Certified Not required at this tier
Silver DOE Home Energy Score of 6
Gold DOE Home Energy Score of 8
Platinum DOE Home Energy Score of 10 (existing) — or 17.5 MBtu/year (new construction)

Scope

Whole-house energy performance, rated using DOE Home Energy Score or an equivalent recognized rating tool.

Requirements

Performance targets

  1. 01.

    Engage a qualified DOE Home Energy Score assessor (or equivalent: HERS rater, PHIUS verifier) to score the home.

  2. 02.

    Score must meet or exceed the tier threshold in the "Spec by tier" table above. For new construction, the equivalent thresholds in modeled annual energy use (MBtu/year) apply.

  3. 03.

    Acceptable alternative scoring tools: HERS Index, PHIUS+, Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), BeOpt, ASHRAE 90.1 modeled output.

Documentation

Evidence the inspector / Institute will need.

  1. 01.

    DOE Home Energy Score report from a certified assessor — includes the score (1-10), label-style summary, and improvement recommendations.

  2. 02.

    OR equivalent: HERS Index report, PHIUS verification, PHPP output, or BeOpt modeling output.

Guidance

How the Home Energy Score scale works

DOE Home Energy Score is a 1-10 scale based on modeled annual energy use per square foot, normalized for local climate. A score of 5 represents the U.S. average existing home; a score of 10 represents the best 10% of homes nationally. The score is asset-based (not consumption-based), so it reflects the building itself rather than how the occupants use it.

Why one tier might map to several scores

A Gold-tier home (score 8) modeled at the local 99% design temperature lands in roughly the same actual annual consumption as a 17.5 MBtu/year new build — the standard accepts either pathway. Use whichever tool your rater is certified for; results are interchangeable for compliance.

Resources