42 U.S.C. § 8236: Voluntary rating guidelines

Summary

Within 18 months after October 24, 1992, the Secretary must work with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, people running home energy rating programs, and others to create voluntary guidelines. These guidelines are for state and local governments, utilities, builders, real estate agents, lenders, mortgage agencies, and others to help assign energy-efficiency ratings to homes. The guidelines must promote similar annual energy-rating systems, set rules for checking energy-analysis tools, train raters, collect and report data, ensure quality control and monitoring, and support the Federal energy-efficient mortgage plan (including the plan under section 946 of the Cranston-Gonzalez Act and sections 105 and 106 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992). Ratings must account for local climate and building practices, on-site solar, and peak-load-shifting benefits, must not favor any fuel type, and must be able to be given and shared with buyers when a home is sold.

Title 42, §8236

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

Not later than 18 months after October 24, 1992, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, representatives of existing home energy rating programs, and other appropriate persons, shall, by rule, issue voluntary guidelines that may be used by State and local governments, utilities, builders, real estate agents, lenders, agencies in mortgage markets, and others, to enable and encourage the assignment of energy efficiency ratings to residential buildings.

(b)Contents of guidelines

The voluntary guidelines issued under subsection (a) shall—

(1)encourage uniformity with regard to systems for rating the annual energy efficiency of residential buildings;

(2)establish protocols and procedures for—

(A)certification of the technical accuracy of building energy analysis tools used to determine energy efficiency ratings;

(B)training of personnel conducting energy efficiency ratings;

(C)data collection and reporting;

(D)quality control; and

(E)monitoring and evaluation;

(3)encourage consistency with, and support for, the uniform plan for Federal energy efficient mortgages, including that developed under section 946 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12712 note) and pursuant to section 105 and 106 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992;

(4)provide that rating systems take into account local climate conditions and construction practices, solar energy collected on-site, and the benefits of peak load shifting construction practices, and not discriminate among fuel types; and

(5)establish procedures to ensure that residential buildings can receive an energy efficiency rating at the time of sale and that such rating is communicated to potential buyers.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 946 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(3), is section 946 of Pub. L. 101–625, which is set out as a note under section 12712 of this title. section 105 and 106 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, referred to in subsec. (b)(3), are section 105 and 106 of Pub. L. 102–486. section 105 amended section 12704 of this title and provisions set out as a note under section 12712 of this title. section 106 is classified to section 1701z–16 of Title 12, Banks and Banking.

§8236 Voluntary Rating Guidelines

Summary

Title 42, §8236

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Citations & Metadata