Let’s have a moment of truth here: every winter I contemplate adding an electric fireplace to my home office. This is on top of the heating pad I drape around my shoulders like a blanket. And summer? Well let’s just say I could fund multiple exotic vacations with what I spend keeping the house cool, now 24 hours a day thanks to working from home. My house is a sieve. I know this. And, as in so many scenarios this is more a ‘do as I say’ situation. So, if I were not me and I came to me—a self-proclaimed energy efficiency enthusiast—what would I recommend? Well, I’d say hire an energy auditor or HERS Rater and figure out what’s going on with your home (let’s all say it together…” you can’t manage what you don’t measure!”).

The HERS Rating system was designed to look at all aspects of a home and assess how it uses energy, where is energy being lost, and then provide an analysis of how to improve both the building envelope and the systems operations. While the HERS system was designed for new homes, you can receive a score for lived in homes to help understand your areas for improvement.

To start, let me be clear, this is not an inexpensive endeavor. The cost ranges between $1,500 and $3,000 depending on your location. When I had mine conducted on a prior home in 2011 the City of Fresno and PG&E were running the FREE(!) Home Energy Tune Up (HETU) program and I received a HERS analysis at no cost. Oh, how I miss those days of robust EE programs…

The certified rater will need about half a day to properly assess the state of your home. They’ll look at:

Wall and ceiling insulation
Water heating systems
Thermostats
Foundations
Attics and crawl spaces

They’ll conduct thermographic imaging to determine where your home is leaking air, as well as check for:

Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) distribution duct leaks
Any combustion risks
Air infiltration rate

Once the inspection is complete, you’ll receive your report which will include your HERS score as well as recommendations for how you can improve your home energy efficiency. How you choose to address these issues is up to you. If you’re using the HERS assessment in buying or selling a home, or just trying to figure out what to do in the home you’re living in you’re ultimately looking at how to save yourself money. In any scenario the option likely isn’t installing an electric fireplace in your home office. Sigh…

Click here to access our May playlist: H.E.R.S.

Courtney’s Picks
Here’s the concerning thing about the patriarchy—it’s everywhere. Even in the places you least expect, like the parts of my consciousness that weigh propriety. I found myself listening to “Big Energy” and I actually registered the thought, “this may be too much...” This? Just two months back I gave zero consideration to “Ghetto Symphony”. Why? I’d guess because it’s largely men on the track and we’re comfortable hearing explicit words out of men’s mouths. But really, Latto’s “Big Energy” deserves its spot on this playlist, on the airways, and stuck in our collective minds because it’s a banger.

Surface Pressure, Jessica Darrow
Heads Will Roll*, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Big Energy, Latto
Feels Like, Ella Mai
*Don’t @me, I know the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are not an all-female band, but let’s get real, Karen O is all that matters there so we’re putting it on here.

Sam’s Picks:
As Beyonce demands, “Who run the world? Girls!”. Though I didn’t choose that particular song my playlist pulls some of the greatest hits by female artists from a range of decades. Outside of all being female artists you may notice they have one more thing in common… catchy beats! I will apologize ahead of time if they become the soundtrack of your day in your head.

Waterfalls, TLC
Bluebird, Miranda Lambert
Say it Right, Nelly Furtado
Try Again, Aaliyah

Kelsey’s Picks:
Highlighting some of my favorite female artists is *almost* as good as Home Energy Rating System (HERS). It’s no secret that our industry employed mainly by men, but as a team of all women here at the SJVCEO, we hope to see drastic changes in the makeup of our EE workforce. Maybe this playlist is a great starting point for that change?!

Oh My God, Adele
Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift
Woman Like Me, Little Mix (featuring Nicki Minaj)
Bang, Bang, Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj

Rochelle’s Picks:
Is there anything more exciting than Home Energy Rating Systems (HERS)? Well, maybe celebrating female artists is a close second! Enjoy some of my favorite female artists both new and veteran. There is a slight preference in my selection for songs with multiple female artists teaming up because girl power, duh! Enjoy <3

Partition, Beyoncé
What You Did, Mahalia (feat. Ella Mai)
Do It [Remix], Chloe x Halle & Doja Cat (feat. City Girls & Latto)
B.S. Jhené Aiko (feat. H.E.R.)