29 -325 333 Acrebrook HERS-1
Program Terms and Conditions Acknowledgement
Massachusetts Residential New Construction Program is sponsored by the following Program Administrators: Berkshire Gas,
Blackstone Gas Company, Cape Light Compact, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, EVERSOURCE Electric & Gas, Liberty Utilities,
National Grid Gas & Electric, and Unitil Electric & Gas.
Participants applying to the Massachusetts Residential New Construction Program, through a HERS Rater, are subject to the
program terms and conditions identified below. By signing this document, the participant acknowledges and agrees to comply with
these terms and conditions. HERS raters are required to obtain a signed copy of this form prior to applying to the Program.
Participant Signature HERS Rater Company
Participant Name & Date Incentive Recipient Name
Participant Email Incentive Recipient Address
Program Terms and Conditions
2018 Eligibility Requirements
• Homes can be individually metered, electric and/or gas customers of the Sponsors and may be eligible for additional Program
incentives based on heat type requirements. Multi-family units
sharing a natural gas master meter are eligible for participation, under the High-Rise Path guidelines.
• Single family and multi-family designations are as follows:
o Single-family homes are defined as a single-family detached house OR each unit of one standalone 2-4 unit
attached building.
o Developments/projects that consist of multiple Single-
family detached homes qualify as Single-family units.
o Developments/projects consisting of multiple 2+ unit
buildings totaling 5 or more units qualify as Multi-family units.
o Buildings with 5+ units are considered multi-family.
• The following homes are eligible to participate in the Program:
o Single-family homes; OR
o Units in multi-family buildings with 3 stories or less; OR
o Units in multi-family buildings with 3 stories or less that
are located on top of commercial spaces (e.g., retail, restaurant, etc.), even if the structure is permitted as
commercial.
• AHRI equipment numbers must be reported for all heating and
cooling systems. Program participants should ask their contractors
for AHRI certification numbers on the systems they install and
provide that information to their HERS Rater. If an AHRI certificate
is not available, a copy of OEM-provided catalog data indicating
acceptable combination selection and performance data will be
accepted.
• All heating and cooling equipment must be sized according to the
latest editions of ACCA Manuals J and S, ASHRAE 2001
Handbook of Fundamentals, or an equivalent computation procedure. The maximum over sizing limit for air conditioners is
15%, 25% for heat pumps. Cooling systems with variable speed
compressors are exempt from this requirement.
• Recommend appliances (refrigerator and dishwasher) be ENERGY
STAR® qualified.
• A Thermal Expansion Valve (TXV) or Electronic Expansion Valve (EXV)
is recommended on all cooling systems.
• All homes must have at least one of the following Program outlined
mechanical ventilation devices:
o One bath fan rated for continuous use at < 1.5 sones and
controlled by a 24-hour programmable timer OR
o One whole house mechanical ventilation system
(includes an ERV or HRV) OR
o A balanced supply and exhaust system without heat
recovery OR
o A multi-port exhausts only system with a remote mounted
fan
2018 Performance Path Eligibility Requirements
• All homes must achieve savings above the Massachusetts User Defined Reference Home (UDRH) that is in effect at the time that a
project is registered as evidenced by a Rating Software file.
• A minimum of 80 percent of the lamps in permanently installed
lighting fixtures shall be high efficacy lamps as verified by a
HERS Rater during the final inspection.
• Homes with HVAC ducted systems have a leakage rate at or below
six (6) CFM to outdoors per 100 sq. ft. of conditioned floor area.
Testing is required on ALL ducted systems, including systems with
all the ductwork located within conditioned space.
• Projects must generate positive electric and natural gas energy
savings.
• All homes participating in the 2018 Performance Path will be
required to have an air infiltration rate under 0.35ACHnat.
• Mechanical ventilation is required for all homes.
o Homes must fully comply with all sections of R403.6 of the
Massachusetts Residential Code, 8th Edition, which amended
the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
The intended design average measured flow rate (as
installed) shall equal the design flow rate, as calculated using any of the approved calculation methods.
o Supply and Exhaust only ventilation systems must not utilize
an intake duct to the return side of the HVAC system unless
the system is designed to operate intermittently and
automatically based on a timer and to restrict outdoor air
intake when not in use (e.g., motorized damper).
o HERS Raters are required to report fan wattage
ratings from manufacturer listed wattage rating;
conversions of fan voltage or amperage rating are not
acceptable.
• Envelope leakage must be determined by a RESNET certified
HERS Rater using a RESNET approved testing protocol.
• Compliance with sections 2 and 4 of the EPA's ENERGY STAR® for Homes V3 Thermal Enclosure System Rater Checklist for
Homes V3/3.1 (Rev.08) Rater Field Checklist
Incentive Guidelines
• The submission of this Application does not guarantee receipt of
incentives. Written approval from the Program will state the number
of incentives awarded, incentives will not be paid prior to home
testing and verification.
• The incentives awarded are to assist in the defrayment of certification cost to the applicant and help cover some of the
incremental costs, if applicable. The applicant may need to
contribute to the construction costs to meet the program defined performance requirements. Program Administrators pay the HERS
Rating Company a fixed certification incentive for verifying a home
meets the program performance requirements. Any certification fee balance is the sole responsibility of the Participant and should be
paid directly to the HERS Rating Company.
• Participants who receive performance incentives through the
Program are not eligible to receive Mass Save Heating &
Cooling equipment incentives, whether directly through Mass
Save Heating & Cooling Electric program (formerly COOL
SMART), Mass Save Heating & Cooling Gas program
(GasNetworks) or the Mass Save C/I Upstream incentive
programs. Exception: AC Check is available for every AC system by
contacting the Mass Save Heating and Cooling Initiative.
• Participants who receive equipment incentives through the
Mass Save Heating & Cooling programs (GasNetworks and formerly, COOL SMART) or the Mass Save C/I Upstream
incentive programs are not eligible to participate in the
Residential New Construction Program
• Incentive payments are directly tied to a home’s modeled energy
performance. Any changes to the design or specifications of the
units may result in a reduction or loss of incentive(s).
• Participating homes must be located in a service territory of one of
the participating Program Administrators as evidenced by town, zip
code and, ultimately, a permanent electric and/or gas meter number.
• Incentives associated with this Agreement are paid for by the sponsoring electric utility or energy efficiency service provider, as
well as by the sponsoring gas utility in the case of homes with
individually metered natural gas heating
• Homes serviced by a municipal electric company are eligible for 100% sponsorship only when heated with natural gas by a
participating gas Program Administrator. Municipal electric
multifamily projects that are master-metered gas cannot
participate in the Program. These projects will be referred to
the appropriate commercial energy efficiency program.
• SPONSORS, ITS AGENTS, AND EMPLOYEES DO NOT
WARRANT THE PERFORMANCE OF INSTALLED OR
SERVICED EQUIPMENT EXPRESSLY OR IMPLICITLY. Program
sponsors make no warranties or representation of any kind
whether statutory, expressed or implied, including without
limitations, warranties or merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose regarding the HVAC equipment or services provided by a
manufacturer or vendor. Contact your contractor for details regarding equipment performance or warranties.
• Projects remain Active in the Program for 24 months, if no
inspections are reported after 24 months the project will be
updated to “Inactive” in Vision and the Rater/Participant will be
notified that they will need to reapply.
Additional Information
• Prior to any payment of incentives, ICF reserves the right to verify the
completion of homes to the level of the requested incentive. The
Participant is responsible for any applicable permits as required by
building codes/laws. A sampling of completed homes will be selected
by ICF for a quality control inspection. No warranty or compliance to
Massachusetts building code is implied by this inspection.
• The required home information and supporting documentation must
be submitted via the Online Intake Tool and in compliance with the
Terms and Conditions, in order to receive incentive payment.
Invoices submitted in a given month will be processed during the
following month.
• In order for a project to be labeled as ENERGY STAR, all minimum
national ENERGY STAR guidelines must be met. Meeting the
Massachusetts Residential New Construction Program Requirements
does not guarantee the home will meet national ENERGY STAR
guidelines.
• Participation in the Massachusetts Residential New Construction
Program is voluntary on behalf of the Program Administrators and the applicants. The Program Administrators have the right to change or
modify the existing Program at any time. The Program Administrators,
its agents, and employees are indemnified against all loss, damage, expense, and liability resulting from injury to or death of persons, and
against all injury to property arising out of or in any way connected with
the performance of this Agreement.
• The Energy Efficiency Program Provider (EEPP) is entitled to 100% of
the energy benefits associated with the Energy Cost Measurements, excluding the value of energy cost savings realized by the customer,
but including all rights to all associated ISO-NE Energy Capacity and
Reserves Products, and the customer agrees to provide the EEPP
with such further documentation as the EPP may request to confirm
the EEPP’s ownership of such benefits and product.
• Program Administrator’s and its program implementer’s liability is
limited to paying the applicable incentive and ARE NOT LIABLE FOR
ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OF
ANY KIND, OR FOR ANY DAMAGES IN TORT CONNECTED WITH
OR RESULTING FROM PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROGRAM.