DOE rating · 1 to 10

DOE Home Energy Score

The Home Energy Score rates a home’s expected energy use from 1 to 10, like a miles-per-gallon rating for houses, from a walk-through of under an hour. Portland, Oregon and Berkeley, California require one before many homes are listed for sale.

Open Continues on DOE’s Better Buildings Solution Center (homeenergyscore.gov redirects there), with a ZIP-code Find an Assessor tool and 22 listed partners.

DOE Home Energy Score ↗ · Find an assessor ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

A kitchen table with a house floor plan, a laser measure, a tape measure and a laptop showing the plan

1–105 is the average US home; 10 is the top 10%

About 40data points on the envelope, systems and size

Under 1 hourfor the walk-through

10 yearsor less: payback on the upgrades it recommends

How it works

Developed by DOE and its national laboratories, the score is an asset rating: it rates the house, not how the people in it use energy. An assessor collects about 40 data points on the envelope, heating and cooling systems and size, then the report gives cost-effective upgrades (payback within 10 years) and a “score with improvements.”

Single-family homes, townhouses and duplexes can be scored; multifamily buildings and mobile homes cannot. DOE does not set fees, so prices vary, and the score is often bundled with an energy audit or a home inspection.

Who can score your home

A Home Energy Score Certified Assessor. Assessors must already hold an accepted credential (for example BPI, RESNET HERS Rater, ASHI Certified Inspector, InterNACHI Home Energy Inspector, AEE, an ICC residential inspector, LEED, NATE, or CalCERTS and CHEERS raters), work through a DOE partner, pass 8 to 12 hours of simulation training and an exam, and score a first home with a mentor. DOE re-scores 5% of homes.

DOE: become an assessor ↗ · DOE FAQ ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Find a certified auditor →

Where it’s required or paid for

Required at listing

Portland, Oregon

Open in force (program and helpdesk active)

Who: Sellers who publicly advertise most single-family homes within Portland's jurisdictional boundary (townhome-style condos included; stacked units, mobile, manufactured and floating homes excepted); private sales never advertised are exempt.

Sellers must obtain a Home Energy Score and Report before listing and include it in all advertisements; reports stay valid up to eight years if no assessed changes were made; exemptions for financial distress or uninhabitable homes; assistance is offered for income-qualified sellers. The ordinance was adopted December 14, 2016 (City Code 17.108), and sellers at or below 80% of area median income can get free scores.

Cost: Set by each independent assessor (the City recommends calling more than one to compare cost and scheduling).

City of Portland ↗ · Policy history ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Portland guide →

Required at listing

Berkeley, California (BESO)

Who: Single-family homes and duplexes since January 1, 2026; triplexes and fourplexes from January 1, 2028 (assessment-only until then); condos and ADUs excluded.

Before listing, sellers must get a Home Energy Score from a registered BESO assessor, post it in the MLS listing and include the report in disclosures ($500 fee for non-compliance; reports valid 5 years). Before closing, sellers must either complete upgrades earning six 'Resilience Standard' credits ($150 filing fee), qualify for a heat pump exemption, or defer upgrades to the buyer by depositing $5,000 with the City ($2,500 each from seller and buyer), refunded to the buyer after upgrades are completed within two years. All-electric homes and income-qualified first-time buyers can be exempt. Larger buildings face assessments, benchmarking or both depending on size.

City of Berkeley ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

San Francisco Bay Area guide →

$250 toward a score

California statewide

Open · limits apply open (statewide program page live; no closing date stated)

Who: California homeowners can hire a certified assessor; the $250 rebate is for customers who receive gas and/or electric service from an investor-owned utility (such as PG&E, SCE, SoCalGas or SDG&E) or a community choice aggregator.

Cost: Cost varies by assessor (BayREN says it depends on factors such as location and home size); the program FAQ says customers who get gas and/or electricity from a CCA or investor-owned utility are eligible for a $250 rebate toward it (Berkeley residents excepted because of BESO).

Home Energy Score California ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Los Angeles · Riverside · San Francisco · San Diego

Not confirmed

Milwaukie, Oregon and Ann Arbor, Michigan

Unconfirmed Not confirmed on either city’s own pages in our check.

Portland's HES page says 'The City of Milwaukie also has Home Energy Score requirements'; Milwaukie's own rules were not reviewed.

Ann Arbor adopted a Home Energy Rating Disclosure ordinance for home sellers, reported in effect from March 12, 2024 with a $500 fine and free city assessments (CBS Detroit, 2024). We didn’t confirm its current status.

City of Portland (Milwaukie note) ↗ · CBS Detroit, 2024 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Offered voluntarily, and in mortgages

Utilities and agencies such as Energize Connecticut, Focus on Energy (Wisconsin), PSEG Long Island, Columbia Water & Light (Missouri), EWEB (Oregon) and Fort Collins’ Epic Homes offer the score voluntarily. DOE’s 22 listed partners include ASHI, BPI, InterNACHI, Earth Advantage, Pearl Certification, the Oregon Department of Energy, the City of Portland, New Jersey Natural Gas, the South Carolina Energy Office and StopWaste.

Freddie Mac’s GreenCHOICE mortgage requires a HERS report, a DOE Home Energy Score report or a comparable audit when energy or water improvements exceed $6,500. DOE says Fannie Mae and FHA products also reference the score.

DOE partner list ↗ · Freddie Mac GreenCHOICE ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Other energy rules at sale (not the DOE score)

Selling elsewhere? These local rules ask for an audit, a different score or energy information instead.

Austin, Texas: ECAD audit

Sellers of homes 10 or more years old inside Austin city limits and served by Austin Energy must give the buyer an ECAD home energy audit from a registered Energy Professional, or show qualifying Austin Energy program participation in the past 10 years. An audit is valid 10 years.

Austin Energy ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Minneapolis: TISH energy disclosure

A TISH evaluation is required before you sell ('You must have a full Truth in Housing report before you can show a property'). It includes an energy disclosure report that gives the home a 0-100 energy score based on attic insulation, wall insulation, single-pane windows without storms, and the heating system. 'This report does not require repairs.' Sellers can appeal a wall-insulation check.

City of Minneapolis ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

New York State: Truth in Heating

On a prospective buyer's written request, made before a purchase contract is signed, the seller must provide heating and cooling bills (or a summary) for the past two years or the life of the structure, whichever is shorter, within 15 days. The seller must also give a statement of insulation installed. A landlord whose tenant would pay heating or cooling must provide the bills immediately on request.

NY Energy Law §17-103 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Florida: energy rating disclosure

Before or when the buyer signs the contract, they must be given information telling them they can get an energy-efficiency rating on the building. The information covers how to analyze the rating, comparisons to statewide averages, ways to improve the rating, and a notice that a rating may qualify the buyer for an energy-efficient mortgage. This is a disclosure of information only. No rating or audit is required.

Florida Statutes s. 553.996 ↗ · verified October 12, 2026

Miami · Tampa · Orlando

Common questions

What is a good Home Energy Score?

A 5 means the home is expected to use about as much energy as the average US home; a 10 puts it in the top 10%. The score rates the house itself (its envelope, systems and size), not how the people living there use energy.

How much does a Home Energy Score cost?

DOE does not set fees, so prices vary, and the score is often bundled with an energy audit or home inspection. In California, customers of an investor-owned utility or community choice aggregator can get a $250 rebate toward one (Berkeley residents excepted). Portland offers free scores to sellers at or below 80% of area median income.

Where is a Home Energy Score required?

Portland, Oregon requires sellers of most homes publicly advertised for sale to get a score before listing, and Berkeley, California requires one before listing single-family homes and duplexes (since January 1, 2026). Portland’s page says Milwaukie, Oregon also has requirements, which we did not confirm on Milwaukie’s own pages.

Who can give a Home Energy Score?

A DOE Home Energy Score Certified Assessor. Assessors must already hold an accepted credential, such as BPI, RESNET HERS Rater, ASHI Certified Inspector or InterNACHI Home Energy Inspector, work through a DOE partner, pass 8 to 12 hours of simulation training and an exam, and score a first home with a mentor. DOE re-scores 5% of homes for quality assurance.

Not sure where to start?

Tell us your ZIP code, the kind of home you have and what you’re planning. A person reads every message and replies with the certified auditors and utility programs that serve your area.

Sources

Checked October 12, 2026.