Requirements & Resources for HVAC Contractors

For a home or apartment to be ENERGY STAR certified, several key commissioning tasks must be completed by a credentialed HVAC contractor, including checking the refrigerant charge, measuring the HVAC fan airflow, and a recommendation to test and balance the room-by-room airflows. To view these requirements, visit the ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction Program Requirements page and click on the Single-Family tab to download the HVAC Commissioning Checklist for single-family homes or the Multifamily tab to download the HVAC Functional Testing Checklist for multifamily buildings. Visit the ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction Policy Changes and Clarifications page to learn more about recent program changes. The resources below will help you complete these tasks.

Resources

Click on the links below to watch short technical training videos.

How to Measure Whole-House Ventilation Airflow

Watch these four short videos to see how to measure whole–house ventilation airflow– one critical commissioning task for ENERGY STAR certified homes.

• Introduction (2:52)
• Inlet Terminal (3:57)
• Outlet Terminal (2:51)
• Mid-stream in Duct (4:28)

How to Measure HVAC Fan Airflow

Watch these five short videos to see how to measure HVAC fan airflow – one critical commissioning task for ENERGY STAR certified homes.

• Introduction (2:40)
• How to Determine the Fan Speed Setting (2:35)
• How to Measure Static Pressure (2:47)
• Where to Measure Static Pressure (4:35)
• Determining Airflow of the HVAC Fan (2:32)

HVAC and ENERGY STAR Certified Homes (PPT, 16 MB, 6min.)

This short recorded presentation was created for HVAC contractors and explains how to become credentialed to work with ENERGY STAR. The presentation also explains how HVAC design, installation and performance are incorporated into the ENERGY STAR program.