For Florida Homeowners:  Verify that your home has been performance tested for Energy Star Certification.  Your home may not have been tested and could have been labeled without inspection.   For more complete Energy Star definitions see Energy Star Labeling protocols. To confirm that your home has been tested and certified by a professional, perform a search at the Florida Solar Energy Center's web site: 

Certified Rating*: Home is rated by either the performance based Class 1 or a Class 2 rating and registered through the Homes Energy Rating System (HERS) Provider. Every house is tested and/or inspected based on the type of rating. Reports of Energy Star certified house is sent to EPA quarterly. This is the highest level of inspection and quality control procedures and can be tailored to minimize the costs for compliance. This is the only labeling method that receives a HERS score and the rating is archived by the HERS Provider upon registration. A Certificate of Validation is issued and a rating report and financial disclosure form is signed by the energy rater.  

*Due to Ethical and Liability issues, Calcs-Plus only submits certified ratings for Energy Star labeling

Builder Option Packages (BOPS): These are prescriptive packages specifying what materials and equipment must be used in order to obtain Energy Star compliance. This method does not take into consideration the costs of those measures. A duct test must be performed but is usually combined with the sampling procedure (see below). This is not a rating and EPA does not provide any quality control procedures. Only approved Builder Option Providers and is not recognized by the State's Rating authority as an approved protocol.  A listing of the companies that perform BOPS and not ratings can be found at: 

http://www.resnet.us/programs/bop_providers/directory.aspx

Sampling Program: A program that allows for 1 house out of a batch of 7 be randomly selected and rated (Class 1 Rating) out of 7 houses. If that house passes with a score of 86 or above, the other 6 houses are automatically assumed to be Energy Star compliant, even though they have not been inspected or tested. If that house does not pass, all houses in that batch must be rated, according to EPA, even if occupied by the homeowner. Sampled houses are not recognized by the HERS provider and do not receive a HERS score. Results are sent directly to EPA. No quality control oversight by the State. This program is embraced for their easy convenience, low cost and minimal effort of testing and inspecting as few as 15% of homes that receive the Energy Star label.