Form DOE F 413.26 DOE F 413.26 Partnership Agreement

OMB Control #: 1910-5184
DOE HQ F 413.26
Exp. Date: 7/31/2023

HOME ENERGY SCORE
Partnership Agreement v2.0 for Participating Organizations
Home Energy Score Partners include various types of organizations (e.g., utilities, state
agencies, local governments, non-profits, contractor associations) that administer the delivery
of the Score on a local, state, or national basis. This Partnership Agreement outlines the
responsibilities of DOE and the participating Partner. Additional requirements are provided in
an addendum entitled “Terms of Participation.”
Prior to providing the Home Energy Score, both DOE and its Partner must sign this agreement.
DOE may modify this agreement or terms of participation to address lessons learned and future
programmatic goals. DOE will notify all Partners at least 30 days prior to making any changes to
either the Partnership Agreement or terms of participation. A Partner or DOE can terminate the
Partnership at any time by notifying the other party.

DOE Responsibilities
DOE will oversee and maintain the Home Energy Score program, and carry out functions
including but not limited to monitoring of Partners, data analysis, development of training and
outreach materials, and updates to the Home Energy Scoring Tool (Scoring Tool). DOE agrees to
provide the following support to its Partners:
1. Provide Assessors working under a Partner organization with access to the Scoring Tool.
2. Provide access to standard outreach and educational materials for homeowners and
Assessors, including online information and training.
3. Provide them access to the Scoring Tool once certification and testing requirements are
met.
4. Serve as a technical aid in resolving issues (e.g., software questions) that may arise
during implementation.
5. Host webinars and other forums to assist Partners with implementation and to
encourage information exchange.
6. Carry out evaluation efforts to measure effectiveness of the Home Energy Score and
promote ongoing improvement of the program. Communicate findings to Partners to
assist in more effective program delivery.
7. Implement upgrades to the Scoring Tool and other program features as needed and
with appropriate notice and communication with Partners.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

Partner Organization Responsibilities
Partner organizations and individuals will deliver the Home Energy Score to homeowners
through a variety of channels. Partners may provide the Score as part of a home performance
program or as an independent service.
Partners agree to meet the following program requirements:
1. Set a target goal for number of houses to be scored in the first year and beyond.
Partners must commit to a minimum of 500 homes per year.
2. Develop an implementation plan outlining how the program will be delivered and
integrated into other Partner efforts. Partners should incorporate some type of
evaluation in their implementation plan.
3. Designate a primary point of contact for participating Assessors and facilitate the
delivery of required contact information to DOE.
4. Verify that Assessor candidates meet credential requirements and provide DOE with the
names of the candidates.
5. Inform DOE whenever an Assessor ceases participation under the Partner’s program.
6. Adhere to rules regarding use of programmatic materials and the Scoring Tool, as set
forth in the program’s “Terms of Participation”; monitor participation and performance
of Assessors in the program; provide mentoring as required.
7. Carry out quality assurance in accordance with the conditions set forth in the program’s
“Terms of Participation.”
8. Provide feedback on the implementation of Home Energy Score and check in on a
regular basis with your DOE Home Energy Score account manager to discuss plans,
issues and findings.
Partner Representative: __________________________________________________________
Organization Name: _____________________________________________________________
Title: _________________________________________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________Phone: ______________________
Signature: ____________________________________________ Date: ____________________
The signing representative must have authority to commit the organization to the terms of this
agreement. If your organization is implementing the Home Energy Score on behalf of or
sponsored by a state, utility, or local program, a representative from your sponsoring agency
must sign below. The sponsoring agency is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the Partner
organization (listed above) conduct quality assurance in a timely manner in accordance with the
conditions set forth in the program’s “Terms of Participation.”

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Sponsoring Agency: _____________________________________________________________
Sponsoring Agency Representative (Name): __________________________________________
Title: _________________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________Phone: _____________________
Signature: _______________________________________________Date: _________________
U.S. Department of Energy Representative: __________________________________________
Title: _________________________________________________________________________
Signature: _______________________________________________Date: _________________

HOME ENERGY SCORE
Addendum: Terms of Participation

Please read this addendum in its entirety.
The Home Energy Score Partner Agreement sets forth the principal responsibilities of DOE and
its Partners. This addendum to the Partner Agreement provides more detailed requirements
related to the following aspects of program delivery:
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Confidential Information
Assessor Qualifications and
Restrictions
Quality Assurance
Eligible Homes

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Linking to Other Software Tools
Home Energy Score Updates
Use of DOE Materials and the
DOE Seal

1. Confidential Information
As part of the Home Energy Score Program and to facilitate the scoring of homes, the Partners
will provide certain data and information regarding individual residences (“Confidential
Information”) to DOE. DOE shall protect all data collected and generated to score homes and
shall retain and store all confidential information furnished by the Partners in a secure and
confidential manner, subject to applicable law. DOE agrees to share confidential information
and scoring calculations for individual homes with its Home Energy Score Partners and their
affiliates if applicable (e.g. a state agency that has an agreement with a Partner to share data
for homes scored in their state), and each Partner and affiliate will receive only data for homes
scored by Assessors working through that Partner. Assessors will only have access to data which
they have provided to DOE and to Home Energy Score Reports generated for those homes
which the Assessor scored. DOE may develop and release papers and presentations that include
information regarding homes scored. However, DOE may only present aggregated data and
DOE agrees it will not publicly share any information regarding individual homes, subject to
applicable law. If DOE becomes legally compelled to disclose any of the confidential information
to a federal or state governmental agency, DOE shall inform Partner of such disclosure
promptly after such agency’s request so that Partner may contact DOE and/or seek another

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
appropriate remedy. DOE will not disclose any information DOE believes to be confidential
information produced pursuant to this Partnership Agreement to any third party, except as may
be mutually agreed upon in writing by Partner and, if so agreed, by the execution of a mutually
acceptable nondisclosure agreement, or in the case in which DOE is required by law to disclose
the information. Unless restricted through other contracts (e.g. with Assessors or customers),
Partners are free to use and share information on the homes scored under their Partnership.
The rights and obligations arising under this Partnership Agreement with respect to Confidential
Information disclosed hereunder, particularly the confidentiality obligations, shall survive any
termination of this Agreement.

2. Assessor Qualifications and Restrictions
All Assessors must meet ALL of the following requirements in order to use the Home Energy
Scoring Tool and provide Home Energy Scores.
1. Hold a relevant credential. Individuals interested in becoming Assessors must hold a
relevant credential from one of the residential trade organizations listed on the Home
Energy Score website. The Home Energy Score program recognizes those credentials as
well as more comprehensive certifications offered by these organizations. To see a full
list of qualifying credentials offered by these organizations, contact them directly.
2. Pass the online Home Energy Score tests.
Once an Assessor meets these requirements, DOE will provide a user ID and password in order
to access the Scoring Tool. The Assessor can ONLY provide Home Energy Scores as part of
services rendered through one of DOE’s official Home Energy Score Partners. Assessors cannot
score homes that are outside of their Partner’s service area.
Exceptions: Assessors working under one of DOE’s Home Energy Score Partners may score
homes outside the Partner’s service area IF either of the following conditions is met:
1. The Partner agrees to extend the same quality assurance services required by the
Partner agreement to these additional homes; and the Partner informs the DOE Home
Energy Score Program Manager prior to such an arrangement.
OR
2. Prior to scoring homes outside the Partner’s service area, the DOE Home Energy Score
Program Manager approves the Assessor’s plan to secure adequate quality assurance
services from a different Home Energy Score Partner.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
3. Quality Assurance (QA)
To ensure consistent scoring practices across Assessors, the Partner agrees to re-score, on a
quarterly basis, a minimum of five percent (5%) of all homes scored by a Quality Assurance
Auditor. There are two approved pathways for completing this requirement: (1) in-field Quality
Assurance, or (2) desktop Quality Assurance.
Selection of Homes for QA
Quality assurance scores (QA checks) should be random, distributed across all Assessors within
the program, and focused primarily on work performed by the newer and less experienced
Assessors. QA checks on work performed by experienced Assessors who have consistently
scored homes accurately should be a lower priority, but still performed periodically.
QA checks should reflect the make-up of the homes scored. For example, if 75% of a program’s
scores are completed on homes before improvements are made, then 75% of the QA checks
should be performed on homes before improvements are made and only 25% on homes after
improvements are made. If the QA check is conducted in-field, each home must be in the same
condition for its initial score and the QA check; otherwise, results will likely not correspond.
QA Service Providers
QA checks should be performed by a Quality Assurance Auditor who works for an independent
third-party service provider or for the Partner directly as approved by DOE. In cases where the
Home Energy Score Partner is a private for-profit company with no binding implementation
contract with a utility, state, or local government, QA checks must be performed by a thirdparty QA provider. The Quality Assurance Auditor must meet the following requirements1:
Must be an active Home Energy Score Assessor
2. Must qualify through one of the following paths:
a. Hold either a current BPI Building Analyst or RESNET HERS credential for at least
two years (credentials must be current or expired for no more than 1 year); AND,
have conducted a minimum of 4 Home Energy Scores
i. DOE’s Home Energy Score Team must review and sign off on at least 4 of
these scores through in-field QA or Desktop Quality Assurance (DTQA)
ii. Issues relating to above assessments must be resolved by Home Energy
Score Team, which may include additional QA’d assessments
b. Hold a BPI BSP credential AND have conducted a minimum of 20 Home Energy
Scores
i. DOE’s Home Energy Score Team must review and sign off on 10 of these
scores through in-field QA or DTQA
1.

1

Requirements apply to new Partners signing onto this agreement only; existing Partners are grandfathered in to
the requirements outlined on their existing Partner Agreement document.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Issues relating to above assessments must be resolved by Home Energy
Score Team, which may include additional QA’d assessments
3. Must receive phone and/or webinar training from the DOE Home Energy Score Team or
an approved provider. Training for prospective QA Auditors will include –
a. An overview and discussion of relevant information and tools
i. Purpose and goals of Quality Assurance
ii. QA protocol, whether in-field or through desktop quality assurance
iii. Quality Assurance Guidance documentation
iv. Home Energy Score Assessor Calculator
b. Joint completion of one or more example DTQA reviews
c. An opportunity to ask questions
ii.

There should be no conflict of interest between the third-party quality assurance provider and
the Home Energy Score Partner. This includes, but is not limited to, installation services in
houses assessed as part of the Home Energy Score Program. Prior to initiating its quality
assurance efforts, the Partner must provide documentation regarding the QA Auditor’s
qualifications to their DOE account manager.
Any Service Provider seeking to offer Desktop Quality Assurance instead of in-field Quality
Assurance must also meet the following minimum requirements:
In business for 5 years or more providing quality assurance administrative services.
2. Proven ability to meet IT needs:
a. Must have an information system to track, monitor, and store the data files from
Remote Mentor and DTQA sessions.
b. The Home Energy Score Team must have access to data from sessions if
requested, including but not limited to photos/videos from QA and remote
mentoring.
c. Must be able to ensure data protection and IT security, including but not limited
to data encryption, password aging, transaction logging, security breach policies,
disaster planning, and backup protocols.
d. Must be able to maintain all Home Energy Score API integration needs and
future changes as necessary.
e. Must be able to provide reports to the Home Energy Score Team of Scores and
DTQA data entry, and at least monthly reports on QA trending and score
analysis.
3. Proven ability to fulfill the DTQA and/or Remote Mentoring process requirements.
4. Proven training, mentoring, and credentialing ability, such that Remote Mentors and
DTQA Auditors can consistently comply with protocols in this document.
1.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
5.

Must participate in regular Home Energy Score meetings, webinars, and conferences as
directed by DOE.

QA Process
There are two acceptable pathways for a QA Auditor to check a Home Energy Score: either
through an in-field assessment, or through Desktop Quality Assurance (DTQA). The Service
Provider must be pre-approved by the Home Energy Score Team to conduct QA through either
of these pathways.
If conducted in-field, the QA assessment may occur concurrently with the Assessor initially
scoring the home but it must be done independently. The QA Auditor must not discuss his or
her findings or calculations with the Assessor who scored the home until after each has
completed data entry and produced a score. However, after independent scoring is completed,
discussion between the QA Auditor and Assessor is recommended to identify differences in
interpretation or measurement and agree on a preferred approach going forward.
For Desktop Quality Assurance (DTQA), rather than performing a second, independent, in-field
assessment, the DTQA Auditor reviews 20-35 photos of the home’s key features submitted by
the Assessor. See the document, “Updated Quality Assurance and Mentoring Protocols for
Home Energy Score” for more detailed information about the DTQA Protocols. Using these
photos and other supporting information, the Auditor enters QA assessment for the home and
verifies the data entered by the Assessor compared to the photo evidence. Any points of
contention can be discussed over the phone or through email between the Assessor and QA
Auditor.
Reviewing QA Results
The Score results of the Assessor and the QA check must be comparable. If results for the same
home differ by more than one point (on the 10-point scale), the house must receive a
“Corrected” Score. If an Assessor consistently produces scores that are not comparable to the
QA check scores, re-training is required and must be completed before the Assessor can score
more homes. If there is a consistent discrepancy between a QA Auditor’s results and various
Assessors’ results, the QA Auditor will require re-training. The Partner is responsible for
monitoring and identifying these issues.
In addition to the QA checks, all Partners should perform quality assurance checks on data
(desk reviews). While reviewing their Home Energy Score data, Partners should look for
discrepancies between Assessors to ensure consistent scoring across the program. For example:
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Is an Assessor consistently scoring houses high or low?
Are there multiple Home Energy Score sessions for the same house? (Only one
official Score Report for a specific assessment date should be associated with each
house.)
Is an Assessor repeatedly using the same values irrespective of house age or other
house characteristics?

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

Mentoring Requirements
The Partner also agrees to provide field mentoring for each new Assessor during their first
home scoring session. Mentoring can be performed by anyone who meets the following
minimum requirements2:
1. Must be an active Home Energy Score Assessor
2. Must qualify through one of the following paths:
a. Hold either a current BPI Building Analyst or RESNET HERS credential for at least
two years (credentials must be current or expired for no more than 1 year); AND,
have conducted a minimum of 4 Home Energy Scores
i. DOE’s Home Energy Score Team must review and sign off on at least 4 of
these scores through in-field QA or Desktop Quality Assurance (DTQA)
ii. Issues relating to above assessments must be resolved by Home Energy
Score Team, which may include additional QA’d assessments

2

Requirements apply to new Partners signing onto this agreement only; existing Partners are grandfathered in to
the requirements outlined on their existing Partner Agreement document.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Hold a BPI BSP credential AND have conducted a minimum of 20 Home Energy
Scores
i. DOE’s Home Energy Score Team must review and sign off on 10 of these
scores through in-field QA or DTQA
ii. Issues relating to above assessments must be resolved by Home Energy
Score Team, which may include additional QA’d assessments
3. Must receive phone and/or webinar training from the DOE Home Energy Score Team or
an approved provider. Training for prospective mentors will include –
a. An overview and discussion of relevant information and tools
i. Purpose and goals of mentoring
ii. “Mentoring Guide”
iii. “Assessor Tips” fact sheet
iv. Home Energy Score Assessor Calculator
b. A mock remote mentoring session
c. An opportunity to ask questions
During mentored sessions, the new Assessor and mentor are encouraged to communicate
throughout the walk-through as well as during the scoring so that the mentor can share their
experience and correct the Assessor should there be any misunderstandings of inputs,
measurements, assumptions, etc. If in-field mentoring is performed on a one-on-one basis on a
house that has not been previously scored, this assessment counts toward the Partner’s five
percent QA requirement.
b.

The Home Energy Score Team developed a procedure for Remote Mentoring in which a
candidate Assessor can be mentored through a video-conferencing application or a software
allowing for photos and videos of the home to be uploaded and shared with the Remote
Mentor. Using these technologies, a Mentor can deliver an educational experience similar to
live, in-person mentorship for an Assessor in another part of the country. See the document,
“Updated Quality Assurance and Mentoring Protocols for Home Energy Score” for more
detailed information about Mentoring Protocols.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

4. Eligible Homes
The Scoring Tool is currently only available to score single family homes, including semiattached homes (i.e., duplexes, townhouses). Note: Multi-family units cannot be scored using
this tool. Partners interested in scoring multifamily buildings should contact DOE’s commercial
building energy asset score program ([email protected]). If questions arise concerning
the application and/or use of the Scoring Tool, please contact [email protected]
or your DOE account manager for clarification and assistance.

5. Linking to Other Software Tools
Software developers can license an application programming interface (API) in order to
seamlessly link their tools to the Home Energy Scoring Tool. This capability reduces data entry
burdens for Assessors already using other software tools. Software programs that make use of
the API will need to satisfy DOE testing requirements to ensure that scoring through the API
results in the same calculations as scoring directly through the Home Energy Scoring Tool
online.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
6. Home Energy Score Updates
In addition to providing homeowners with a Score at the time of the original energy
assessment, Assessors and Partners can issue updated Home Energy Scores after the time of
assessment.
A home can be rescored if an Assessor performs an energy assessment after the improvements
are made to the home.

7. Use of DOE Materials and DOE Seal
The Home Energy Scoring Tool generates a report with three pieces of information:
1. The Home Energy Score graphic, including the home’s current Score, its anticipated
Score after recommended improvements are made, and estimated savings from
improvements. Partners that choose to use the semi-customizable label option may
have other information included on the Score page, e.g. estimated costs instead of
savings. Partners may include their organization’s logo on the Home Energy Score
report.
2. Home facts, or the home’s asset summary that lists each data point input into the
Scoring Tool to generate a Home Energy Score, as well as the home’s estimated energy
use per year broken down by total MBtu, Score basis MBtu, and fuel type, e.g. electricity
in kWh and natural gas in therms.
3. Cost-effective energy improvement recommendations that are broken down as “Repair
Now” and “Replace Later.” If the Partner chooses to use its own energy upgrade
recommendations rather than those generated by the Scoring Tool, a generic Home
Energy Score Recommendations page should be included in the final report. The blank
recommendation page indicates the Assessor will provide recommendations separately
from the report.
In addition to the Home Energy Score report, DOE provides several other documents Partners
or Assessors are STRONGLY encouraged to provide at the time of the assessment or when the
Score is delivered to the homeowner.
1. What Does My Score Mean? An explanation of how to interpret a home’s Score,
background on the scoring program, etc.
2. Be a Smart and Engaged Homeowner: Guidance on what to look for when undertaking
home energy improvements, pitfalls to avoid, etc.
In its implementation plan, the Partner must describe what information homeowners will
receive, and when and how they will receive it. If the Partner elects not to use some of the
DOE-provided materials, other information should be provided with the Score.

HOME ENERGY SCORE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
If the Partner would like to incorporate portions of materials provided by the Scoring Tool
and/or DOE into its own materials, the Partner must adhere to the following rules. Partners
must share an advanced copy of materials that incorporate DOE generated information with
their account manager.
1. If a Partner wants to incorporate the DOE seal into any of its materials, it must first
receive permission from DOE, UNLESS the seal is to be used in the exact context as it is
used on the Home Energy Score graphic (the first page of the Home Energy Score
report).
2. If a Partner refers to the Home Energy Score in its materials, the following standard
language must appear on that document (on or near the page in which the Home
Energy Score is mentioned):
“The U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score lets homeowners quickly
and affordably know how their homes compare to others in terms of energy
performance and what steps they can take to improve their home’s efficiency.”
3. If a Partner wants to incorporate the Home Energy Score (i.e., how a home scored on
the 10-point scale) in its own homeowner packet, the Partner is encouraged to provide
a context for the Score (e.g., show the entire 10-point scale or state that the home
scored a “6 out of 10”).
In all cases, Partners are strongly encouraged to work in advance with their DOE Home Energy
Score account manager to ensure that a consistent message and clear, accurate information is
provided to homeowners. Partners are also encouraged to explain that they are working in
partnership with DOE. DOE will work with its Partners to draft acceptable language as needed.
Partners are also welcome to use information directly off of the DOE Home Energy Score
website to help explain the Score or the program to homeowners.

Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Disclosure Statement
This data is being collected to facilitate participation in U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score program. The
data you supply will be used for generating and managing Home Energy Scores and the Score’s associated data.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average two and a half (2.5) hours per response,
including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed,
and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Enterprise Policy Development & Implementation Office, IM-22, Information Collection Management Program
(1910-5184), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20585; and to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), OIRA, Paperwork Reduction Project (1910-5184), Washington, DC 20503.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a
penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act
unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number.
Submission of this data is required for approval to become a Home Energy Score Partner.