For homes acquired after December 31, 2022, qualification for the Section 45L credit is based on certification under the EPA ENERGY STAR program or the DOE ZERH program. EPA and DOE recognize specific certification oversight organizations to oversee the certification process for each program. When the certification process includes the use of energy modeling software to generate an Energy Rating Index (ERI) target for a project to determine compliance with EPA ENERGY STAR or DOE ZERH program requirements, certification oversight organizations must agree to only allow the use of software which meets minimum program requirements.
While EPA and DOE recognize multiple types of certification oversight organizations for program compliance paths (Multifamily Review Organizations (MROs), and Manufactured Homes Quality Assurance Providers (QAPs), and Home Certification Organizations (HCOs)), the only organizations eligible to oversee home certifications and ensure compliance with program requirements through ERI software are EPA-recognized Home Certification Organizations (HCOs) and DOE-recognized HCOs for ZERH (HCOs for ZERH), for the EPA ENERGY STAR and DOE ZERH programs, respectively.
For more information, including the details of which software programs are approved for use under each program, raters may contact HCOs and HCOs for ZERH. Details about these organizations may be found on the following websites: