Why You Should Add a HERS Rater or Energy Advisor to Your Pre-Construction Team

Audree Grubesic. Jun 17, 2025. Updated: Jan 27.

Key point

High-performance homes require early planning, expert modeling, and regular field verification. The article says that adding a HERS Rater in the U.S. or an Energy Advisor in Canada before construction starts helps improve energy efficiency, airtightness, and durability.

What a HERS Rater does

• HERS stands for Home Energy Rating System.
• A certified HERS Rater evaluates home energy efficiency through modeling, testing, and in-field inspections.
• The work begins early, with review of architectural plans before construction.
• Modeling can include heating and cooling loads, insulation values, airtightness, and material choices.
• The rater returns during construction for in-process inspections.
• This helps confirm that the built home matches the plans.

Why early involvement matters

The article says pre-construction is the best time to find performance issues before they become expensive mistakes. At that stage, teams can revise drawings, change insulation, or explore different window options before materials are purchased.

Shawn St-Amour is quoted as saying, “It's a lot easier to change pixels and bytes than to tear out drywall or rerun HVAC ductwork.”

Modeling and advisory tools

• In Canada, Energy Advisors are often trained as Passive House consultants.
• Tools mentioned include HOT2000, WUFI, and PHPP.
• These tools help evaluate material choices, insulation levels, and window types with numbers.
• An advisor can compare performance tradeoffs between window manufacturers or estimate the return on more insulation.

Broader perspective from experience

The article says energy advisors often see hundreds of projects, wall assemblies, air-sealing details, and testing scenarios each year. That experience can help avoid tunnel vision and suggest alternatives that may be cheaper or easier to install.

Do not wait for the final test

The article recommends mid-construction testing and regular inspections instead of waiting for the final blower door test. That approach can catch leaks early and allow quick fixes before problems become costly.

Expanded roles

• In places like Vancouver, energy advisors may also provide embodied carbon analysis.
• This helps clients understand the carbon footprint of building materials.
• The article says upfront carbon emissions are becoming as important as operational energy use.

Where to find one

Final thought

The article argues that high-performance homes do not happen by accident. It says a HERS Rater or Energy Advisor should be part of the team from the beginning to support energy code compliance, certification targets, sustainability goals, performance, comfort, and long-term durability.