Touchstone Energy Checklists

New Home Rebates

Improved Home Standards

New Home Standards

Touchstone Energy Home Checklist

The Touchstone Energy Home standards are intended to meet or exceed any applicable existing local, state codes and Federal regulations. In any case, where a Federal, State, or local code or regulation exceeds the requirements herein, that code or regulation shall apply.

Thermal – 20 points

REQUIRED

• Continuous Insulation >= R-13 for all exterior walls.
• Insulate roof line w/Spray Foam

Infiltration Controls – 15 points

REQUIRED

• Seal all penetrations in the exterior envelope.
• Sill plates must be sealed with an appropriate sealant.
• Doors, windows, and attic hatches installed in an air tight fashion.
• Exterior finish walls must fit tight against the sill plate.
• Properly installed faced insulation batts or unfaced batts with a complete polyethylene vapor barrier, or a polyurethane spray foam insulation is required.
• Zero Clearance can lights. ICAT – direct insulated lights.
• Crawl space shall be covered with polyethylene ground cover (6 – 10 mil) to prevent moisture migration into the house.
• A blower door test is required for infiltration conducted by a certified Duct & Envelope Tightness verifier (DET). The result must be less than or equal to 6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals (ACH50).

OPTIONAL ITEMS

• Result less than or equal to 3 air changes per hour
• Result less than or equal to 2 air changes per hour

Doors – 5 points

REQUIRED

• All opaque exterior doors shall be weather – stripped on all sides and of solid construction. Metal doors with a urethane core, thermal break, and gasketed weather stripping are recommended.
• All glass doors shall be double-glazed with a thermal break. (One entry door may be exempt).

Windows – 5 points

REQUIRED

• Double-glazed, low E-glass with a SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient) <= .30

Ventilation – 5 points

REQUIRED

• Minimum attic ventilation should be one square foot of net free area for each 150 square feet of attic area. The recommended method is a combination of continuous ridge and soffit vents. If using a spray polyurethane foam and insulating at the roof plane, no venting is required. Check with your local code office for conformity.
• Bathroom exhaust, kitchen exhaust, and clothes dryers shall be vented to the outside, not to the attic or crawl space.
• Crawl space ventilation shall be provided as required by local code.

Heat Pump – 20 points

REQUIRED

• 16.0 SEER (ARI rated) is the minimum efficiency allowed under this program. All heat pumps should be sized with a Manual J based load calculation.
• Programmable thermostats with adaptive recovery

OPTIONAL ITEMS

• >= 18.0 SEER
• Ground source heat pump >= 17.0 EER
• One system serving multiple zones w/ dampers
• Duct Systems – 15 points

REQUIRED

• Duct system shall be built to industry accepted procedures (Manual D).
• Ducts must be sealed according to all state and local codes.
• Ducts must pass PCT <= 5 cfm/100 sq ft, or rough-in test RIT <= 5 cfm/100

OPTIONAL ITEMS

• Ducts in unconditioned attic with attic side radiant barrier
• Ducts in conditioned space
• <= 4 or RIT <= 4 cfm/100
• 6 PCT <= 3 or RIT <= 3 cfm/100

Water Heating – 10 points

REQUIRED

• An Electric water heater with a lifetime warranty and at least 40 gallons.

OPTIONAL ITEMS

• Electric Heat Pump water heater
• Solar Water Heater

LED’s – 5 points

REQUIRED

• All installed lighting must be LED or better.

Electric Vehicle (EV) outlet – 5 points

• Must install one dedicated outlet for new level II EV charger.

OPTIONAL ITEMS

• additional dedicated outlet