Version 4.0 includes quite a few new updates including HVAC grading, appliances, and support for dehumidifiers. Our new user interface provides full support for Standard 301-2019 including Addenda A and B and MINHERS interim Addenda 53f and 55i. Let’s go over some of the updates as well as some key points to keep in mind for potential score changes. We will also offer a few integral troubleshooting tips along the way to ensure a smooth transition as we release our latest updates.

Meet ADA for Utilities. Ekotrope’s Automated Design Assistance (ADA) tool provides HERS raters with energy conservation recommendations that are tailored to i) a specific home design and ii) the local utility program’s goals. The ADA tool automatically assesses the impact (total savings, energy bill savings, added program incentive, etc.) of a set of predetermined energy conservation measures for a given home design.

We are excited to announce that we have partnered with energyOrbit to form a technical integration that's focused on ENERGY STAR homes. This integration aims to streamline the process of validating home energy scores, thus allowing utilities and third-party program administrators to factor ratings data into their energy efficiency programs more efficiently.

Our partnerships coupled with our RATER software insights have allowed us to better understand certain practices used across the HERS Rating Market. These innovative techniques have developed across multiple HERS Rating companies and are now quite common. David Pedrick, a former QAD and 3rd Party QA Provider Manager himself, offers his expert insight on how to implement these best practices in your business.

Ekotrope’s own Ziv Rozenblum, Cy Kilbourn, and Jacob “The Honey Badger” Kamen will be presenting 4 different sessions at RESNET 2021. We are thrilled to be partnering with our clients and industry leaders ICF, PEG, Energy Inspectors, SEM and SERH. These sessions range in knowledge level from beginner to advanced, so that no matter what your background is in the subject, there is something of value for you.

The RESNET Conference is the “can’t afford to miss” event for the rating, home building, and building performance industry. Raters, providers, and home building industry experts come from all over the country to meet and discuss innovations, challenges, ideas, and everything in between. While it is typically held at a venue where people are able to meet in person, attend live sessions, and participate in various social events, due to the ongoing pandemic the event will be held in a virtual format.

With use of heat pumps on the rise, it seems beneficial to demystify how the system works, and a good place to start is updating the nomenclature we use to describe the mechanics of heat pumps.

Here at Ekotrope we realize not everyone is as involved in the home efficiency rating as we are. For those who are new to the industry, we want to catch you up to speed. This post is a beginners guide to all things HERS ratings and where Ekotrope falls into the mix. Not sure what a HERS rating is to begin with? You came to the right place.

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of in-home energy assessments and has generated instant interest in virtual audits. Like most in the energy efficiency industry, we’ve wondered whether this is simply a passing trend, or if virtual energy assessments are a game changer that’s here to stay. To shed some light on the matter, we’ve gathered a number of useful resources and are sharing some of our insights on everything we think you should know about virtual energy audits.

This blog post is the first in a three part series of posts aiming to summarize our VP of Engineering, Cy Kilbourn’s, presentations at the 2020 RESNET Conference. If you would like to access the full presentation you can download it by filling out the form below. You can also subscribe to our mailing list for our newsletter and blog post updates at the bottom of the page.

On April 5th, 2020, a new RESNET Standard Addendum called Addendum 47i went into effect. If you’re like us, you may have been a bit confused at first. There is a lot of language around duct testing exemptions between Addendum 39, ANSI 301-2019, and this new Addendum 47i. Hopefully this will help clarify things. The only thing Addendum 47i changes is that duct leakage testing can be waived for homes that use building cavities as ducts, as long as the home is permitted prior to Jan 1, 2021.

Educating students on environmental science has been a growing trend, but as energy efficiency continues to experience an innovative industry overhaul, more schools are beginning to see the benefits in educating the next generation of HERS raters. Ekotrope recently partnered with Desert Edge High School in Goodyear, Arizona, Daran Wastchak of Learning Edge, LLC, and Arizona Public Service (the largest electric utility in Arizona) to offer a course on building science, energy efficiency and home energy ratings.

Despite expiring on December 31st of 2017, the Federal 45L Tax Credit has been retroactively extended through 2018 and 2019 and will continue to be effective throughout 2020. The credit incentivizes energy efficient homes by giving builders a $2,000 tax credit for building them. There have been no modifications made to the original credit prerequisites and requirements. In order to be eligible for the credit, participating homes must…

2019 was a big year for us--thank you for choosing to use our software, and for your continuous feedback and inspiration! More than 100,000 HERS ratings were completed with Ekotrope for 2019. We want to take this opportunity to share our sincere gratitude for those who supported us in hitting this milestone, and reflect on what an amazing year this has been.

Last week, our co-founder and VP of Engineering, Cy Kilbourn, attended an exclusive workshop hosted by SWEEP, which gave industry leaders a platform to discuss recent news, challenges, and opportunities. As part of a continued effort to share industry news with our audience of energy professionals, we’ve gathered a few takeaways from the workshop and have shared them below. Thank you to SWEEP for including Ekotrope in this workshop, and to Cy for representing us.

As part of our expansion into the Northwest, Ekotrope sponsored and attended the 2019 Home Efficiency Forum (HEF) in Portland, OR which gave us the opportunity to learn from home efficiency industry leaders, as well as demonstrate our software and share our story. Our team was represented by Brian Cope, Nick Sisler and Jacob Kamen who networked with other attendees, attended panel discussions and visited an energy efficient Habitat for Humanity development. We were also able to share the exciting news that raters will now be able to use Ekotrope for Energy Trust of Oregon’s (ETO) EPS program starting next year.

We’re excited to announce that Ekotrope has been named a finalist in the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC)’s search for the Emerging Company of the Year!Between moving to a new office in the heart of Boston and rolling out countless upgrades to our apps, we’ve grown a lot this year. Ekotrope is now the most-used HERS analysis software in the US, with roughly 1 in 6 new homes using our technology and deployment at over 30 utility programs nationwide.

All submissions to Duke's Residential New Construction (RNC) Energy Efficiency Program in North Carolina now go through Ekotrope RATER. Home Energy Raters participating in the program can enter all necessary information and submit for a rebate application entirely within Ekotrope.

This week, we have added support for adoption of the NCTCOG 2018 Performance Path, which is based on IECC 2018 but with relaxed requirements for ACH50 and window SHGC. Users can now print reports to show that the home passes NCTCOG 2018 for homes in Texas. You can find this report under the State Amended Codes section of the report selection dialogue within Ekotrope.