HERS Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the HERS exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 HERS Exam Format at a Glance
📚 HERS Topics to Study (65)
✍️ Sample HERS Questions & Answers
1. What safety device is required by most codes in sleeping areas and on each level of a home to protect against CO poisoning?
CO alarms are required on each level of a home and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of dangerous CO concentrations from combustion appliances.
2. In the context of HERS ratings, what is 'source energy' and how does it differ from 'site energy'?
Site energy is measured at the meter, while source energy traces consumption back through generation and transmission, using fuel-specific site-to-source multipliers.
3. A heat pump water heater (HPWH) will operate most efficiently when installed in which location?
HPWHs need access to a large volume of ambient air to extract heat efficiently; unconditioned spaces like garages provide a heat source without penalizing conditioned space HVAC loads.
4. What does the term 'thermal bypass' refer to in a HERS field inspection context?
A thermal bypass is any air movement pathway that allows air to flow around insulation, significantly reducing its effective thermal resistance.
5. According to RESNET standards, what are the minimum Quality Assurance (QA) requirements that a HERS Rater's Provider must perform annually on the rater's work?
RESNET standards require that a Rater's Quality Assurance Provider must conduct a file review on at least 10% of the rater's energy modeling files and an on-site field review for at least 1% of the rater's total rated homes each year to ensure compliance and accuracy.
6. Which RESNET Standard addresses the energy rating of manufactured and factory-built housing?
ANSI/RESNET/ACCA Standard 310 establishes the methodology for rating manufactured and factory-built housing, which has unique construction characteristics compared to site-built homes.
🎯 Free HERS Practice Tests
📖 HERS Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for HERS
An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:
- A timed, full-length HERS mock exam — 55 questions in 120 minutes with a 73% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
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- A printable HERS cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- HERS flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free HERS practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.