4.1: Home Performance Assessment

The HPA includes specific activities (i.e., inspections and tests) to evaluate a home’s existing condition and prepare a proposed energy efficiency improvement package for the homeowner. Program Sponsors shall have policies and procedures describing the minimum requirements of the HPA and the minimum qualification criteria for the person performing the assessment. The diagnostic tests that are specific to individual measure installations are not required to be completed in a single visit to the home during the HPA, but must be completed prior to or concurrent with the commencement of improvement installations under the HPwES program. Additional detail describing the minimum requirements for diagnostic tests is included in Section 5: The Project Installation of the Sponsor Guide.

The HPA shall include, at a minimum, the following elements with the understanding that any of these elements may be omitted on a case-by-case basis if it is physically impossible to complete the task (e.g., if the house is unoccupied it may be impossible to complete an occupant interview): 

• Customer Interview: At some point before, during, or after the physical inspection of the property, the participating contractor shall interview one of the primary occupants of the home to identify any specific issues the customer is seeking to address through the HPwES program and typical occupant behavioral patterns as they relate to the performance of the home. 
• Review of Energy Bills: The participating contractor shall also request historical energy bill data from the customer as part of the HPA. While useable, detailed historical bill data may not be available in all cases, it is important for the contractor to ask for whatever information is available as a reality check against projected savings estimates. A review of energy consumption data is critical to determining how the homeowner uses energy; not having this information limits the effectiveness of the HPA. When historical fuel-use data is available, the participating contractor shall review that data to identify patterns that will inform the prioritization of recommended measures and confirm that projected energy savings estimates are realistic. At a minimum, the participating contractor shall review customer-reported annual or monthly energy costs and use it as a benchmark against estimated cost-savings predictions.
• Combustion Appliance Safety Evaluation: When combustion appliances and/or space heating equipment are present in the home, a combustion appliance safety evaluation shall be completed following industry-accepted protocols. At a minimum, this evaluation shall include a check for fuel leaks, carbon monoxide, and confirmation that flue gases are exiting the building as required by the equipment manufacturer’s specifications. If original manufacturer performance data is unavailable, industry-accepted standards such as DOE’s Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals: Standard Work Specifications for Single-Family Home Energy Upgrades (Section 2.02) shall be used. 
• Visual Home Inspection: A visual inspection shall be completed of the home’s exterior, interior, thermal envelope and enclosure, and all mechanical systems (including equipment, distribution systems, and controls).
• Diagnostic Tests: Instrumented diagnostic testing shall be completed as part of the HPA process as required to effectively assess the home’s energy performance, produce energy savings estimates, and develop an accurate list of recommended improvement measures. The specific required diagnostic tests may vary based on a variety of factors including: local program requirements, the customer’s needs and desires, climate, housing stock, mechanical system types, and existing conditions within the home but shall remain consistent with the Guiding Principles. Additional guidance on the required diagnostic tests that must be performed during the course of HPwES project is included in Section 5: The Project Installation. 
• Data Collection: Observed and measured data shall be recorded during the HPA including: documentation of the home’s physical geometry, features, and measurements; identification and performance data for space heating, cooling, ventilation, and domestic hot water equipment and systems; existing type, quantity, and condition of thermal elements of the building enclosure; evaluation of envelope air leakage paths, and information about existing lighting and major household appliances which may be used to inform customers of opportunities for improvements.

For certain kinds of housing stock, mechanical system types, climate zones, or other conditions, it may be necessary to require additional diagnostic testing as part of the core assessment. It is the Sponsor’s responsibility to ensure that the minimum requirements for their program satisfy the intent of all of the aforementioned Guiding Principles.