How to Build, Verify, and Report Indoor airPLUS Labeled Homes
Reporting Indoor airPLUS Labeled Homes
- Overview: Steps for Participating in the Indoor airPLUS Program
Indoor airPLUS builds on the foundation of EPA’s ENERGY STAR requirements for new homes and provides additional construction specifications to provide comprehensive indoor air quality protections in new homes.
- Partnership: Both the builder and rater need to sign an Indoor airPLUS Partnership Agreement.
- Training: Both the builder and rater need to complete all ENERGY STAR trainings.
- Build: The home/apartment is designed and built to the applicable ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction program requirements and the Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications.
- Verify: Before the home officially earns the Indoor airPLUS label, it is inspected by an independent third-party rater to ensure compliance with EPA’s specifications.
- Report: The Accredited Provider overseeing the rater reports completed projects to EPA on a quarterly basis.
As an active EPA partner, you can help raise awareness and educate the public about the value of Indoor airPLUS labeled homes. Program partners can use the Indoor airPLUS logo on their website and in public marketing resources, per the Indoor airPLUS Promotional Guidelines.
If you have questions, contact your Accredited Provider or an Indoor airPLUS account manager (Indoor_airPLUS@epa.gov).
- 1. Partnership
Both the builder and rater must sign an Indoor airPLUS Partnership Agreement.
- For current ENERGY STAR partners, visit your My ENERGY STAR Account: www.energystar.gov/mesa.
- For new ENERGY STAR and Indoor airPLUS partners, visit: www.energystar.gov/newhomesPA
There is no cost to join as an Indoor airPLUS partner. Partnership is free and completing the Partnership Agreement should only take a few minutes.
If you have questions, contact your Accredited Provider or an Indoor airPLUS account manager (Indoor_airPLUS@epa.gov).
- 2. Training
Both the builder and rater need to complete all ENERGY STAR trainings.
- Builders must watch the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes Builder Orientation video as part of the online Partnership Agreement process: www.energystar.gov/newhomesPA
- Raters must complete all mandatory ENERGY STAR trainings through an ENERGY STAR Training Provider. The certificate of completion should be sent to the ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction team (energystarhomes@energystar.gov). Visit the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes Partner Locator to find Training Providers in your area to meet this requirement.
If you have questions, contact your Accredited Provider or an Indoor airPLUS account manager (Indoor_airPLUS@epa.gov).
- 3. Build
The home is designed and built to the applicable ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction program requirements and the Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications.
All homes that are eligible under the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes Program can also earn the Indoor airPLUS label. As of December 2019, EPA has also extended Indoor airPLUS eligibility to projects that earn the ENERGY STAR label under the Multifamily New Construction Program for buildings 5 stories or below.
Raters and builders should coordinate on the front end to review the home design and low-emission materials specifications for your project to ensure that all Indoor airPLUS program requirements will be met.
If you have questions, contact your Accredited Provider or an Indoor airPLUS account manager (Indoor_airPLUS@epa.gov).
- 4. Verify
Before the home officially earns the Indoor airPLUS label, it is inspected by an independent third-party rater to ensure compliance with EPA’s specifications.
Use the Indoor airPLUS Verification Checklist of the Construction Specifications or download the separate Verification Checklist to verify that homes comply with all requirements.
As builders construct homes meeting Indoor airPLUS requirements, they also schedule on-site visits with the rater, who will typically perform verification in the same inspections required for ENERGY STAR (generally pre-drywall and final). Some of the items on the Indoor airPLUS checklist may have to be verified by the builder – for example, foundation and material selection specifications. With some multifamily projects, the builder may provide a single signed copy of the checklist for groups of units. For more details, see the program’s Policy Record on the Program Documents page.
Any item on the checklist that has both a builder and a rater verification box can be verified by either one. It's up to you and your client to determine who will check these items. Both you and the builder sign the completed checklist.
File completed Indoor airPLUS checklists with the rating files for each labeled home, following the filing requirements of your Rating Provider. Keep Indoor airPLUS checklists with the completed ENERGY STAR verification documentation. For more information, see the ENERGY STAR Residential New Construction Program Requirements.
When the checklist is completed and signed, place the Indoor airPLUS label above the ENERGY STAR label, usually on the home utility panel. Accredited Providers obtain Indoor airPLUS labels from EPA through the Indoor airPLUS reporting process (see Step 5 below).
If you have questions, contact your Accredited Provider or an Indoor airPLUS account manager (Indoor_airPLUS@epa.gov)
- 5. Report
It is the responsibility of the rater and builder associated with the home to ensure that they have met all eligibility criteria to have Indoor airPLUS labeled homes reported on their behalf. This includes having signed Indoor airPLUS Partnership Agreements in place and having met all mandatory ENERGY STAR trainings.
It is the responsibility of the Accredited Rating Provider overseeing the project to report your completed project to EPA on a quarterly basis. During each reporting period (January, April, July and October), Accredited Providers report ENERGY STAR and Indoor airPLUS homes through the ENERGY STAR Homes Online Submission Tool (HOST).
Within the report, Providers will specify:
- State
- City
- Builder name
- Rater name (if different from Provider)
- Developer or Plant name (if applicable)
- Verification date
- Home Type
- Number of homes that earned the ENERGY STAR label
- Number of homes that earned the Indoor airPLUS label
Blank label stickers can be ordered through HOST for both Indoor airPLUS and ENERGY STAR once the home reports are submitted. An Indoor airPLUS label printing tool is available for Providers to customize and print sticker labels, certificates and homebuyer letters.
If you have questions about whether your labeled homes have been accounted for on the ENERGY STAR Partner Locator, contact your Accredited Provider or an Indoor airPLUS account manager (Indoor_airPLUS@epa.gov)