Welcome to the DOE Efficient New Homes Education Hub
Working on a project and need to understand the technical details? The DOE Efficient New Homes Education Hub provides partners with training videos created by DOE, links to helpful content from other organizations, and information about training requirements for Raters working with the program.
If you have questions about the content presented here, don't hesitate to contact program staff at EfficientNewHomes@doe.gov.
Jump to: External Educational Resources | Rater Training Requirements
| What's New? |
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| To learn about the most recent updates to the Version 2 program included in the revised program documents which were released in September 2025, see the Version 2 Revision Updates Webinar. (November 2025, 18 minutes) |
Orientation | This orientation training introduces the DOE Efficient New Homes program to new program partners. The training covers the program’s structure, the certification process, key efficiency requirements, and available partner resources. (October 2025, 26 minutes)
Single Family Version 2 | This training provides an overview of the program’s structure, mandatory certification requirements, efficiency performance threshold, and available partner resources. (December 2025, 35 minutes. Read the text version.)
Multifamily Version 2 (Part 1) | This training provides an overview of the program’s structure and mandatory requirements, including all changes through Revision 2. The performance threshold and certification process are covered in Part 2. (January 2026, 45 minutes. Read the text version.)
Multifamily Version 2 (Part 2 - ERI Path) | This training builds on Part 1, above. It covers the performance threshold and certification process for projects certifying under the Energy Rating Index (ERI) path of ZERH Multifamily Version 2. (December 2024, 22 minutes.)
California Single Family Version 2 | This training provides an overview of the program's structure, mandatory requirements, efficiency performance threshold, and available partner resources. (August 2024, 37 minutes. Read the text version.)
External Educational Resources
EEBA | High Performance Multifamily: An Introduction to the ENERGY STAR & DOE Efficient New Homes Multifamily New Construction Programs | An introduction to the 45L tax credit and the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction and DOE Efficient New Homes Multifamily Version 2 program requirements, with an emphasis on how the programs overlap and where DOE increases efficiency compared to ENERGY STAR. (October 2024, 48 minutes) Read the text version.
EPA | ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction Workbook Tutorial | A walk-through of EPA's Multifamily New Construction Excel Workbook - a documentation tool for the ENERGY STAR program, with addenda to include compatibility with DOE Efficient New Homes Multifamily Version 2 and Version 1 Revision 9.0. (July 2024, 60 minutes)
USGBC | Making it Pencil: Inflation Reduction Act Tax Credits and Green Multifamily Housing Construction | A guide to using IRA dollars to help finance green multifamily projects. (April 2024, 64 minutes)
USGBC | Multifamily Green Building Incentives: ENERGY STAR, DOE Efficient New Homes, LEED, and Section 45L | A walk-through of the EPA ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction and the U.S. DOE Efficient New Homes Multifamily programs, along with guidance on how to sequence activities to achieve dual certification that meets the updated 45L tax credit for energy efficient new homes. (December 2023, 73 minutes)
Rater Training Requirements
For each DOE Efficient New Homes program version, Raters are required to take a set of training modules and associated assessments prior to completing their first inspection on a project. These modules and assessments are administered, tracked, and recorded by DOE-Recognized Certification Organizations. As new training modules are developed and required for different DOE Efficient New Homes specifications, Raters must complete them according to the chart below.
| DOE Efficient New Homes Program Version | Required Training Modules/Assessments | Date Launched by DOE | Transition Period1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Program Versions | DOE Efficient New Homes Orientation (2025)2 | 11/17/2025 | Ended 2/17/2026 |
| Single Family Version 2 (National) | Single Family Version 2 Training (2026)3 | 3/10/2026 | N/A |
| Multifamily Version 2 (National) | Multifamily Version 2 Training, Module 1 (2026)4 | 3/10/2026 | N/A |
| Multifamily Version 2 Training, Module 2 | 12/31/2024 | Ended 4/1/2025 | |
| Single Family Version 2 (California) | Single Family Version 2 (California) Training | 8/15/2024 | Ended 11/15/2024 |
| Single Family Version 2 2024 Revision Updates | 11/15/2024 | Ended 2/15/2025 | |
| Single Family Version 2 2025 Revision Updates | 11/17/2025 | Ended 2/17/2026 | |
| Multifamily Version 2 (California) | Multifamily Version 2 2025 Revision Updates | 11/17/2025 | Ended 2/17/2026 |
1. Raters certifying DOE Efficient New Homes projects must successfully complete this module/assessment on or before the end of the transition period. If a Rater has not completed the training by the end of this period, they are NOT eligible to inspect or certify DOE Efficient New Homes projects pending successful completion of this module and assessment.
2. Raters who have already taken a previous version of the program orientation and passed the associated assessment are not required to review this program orientation.
3. Raters who have already taken a previous version of the Single Family Version 2 (SFV2) Training, and completed all update training videos and assessments (SFV2 2024 Revision Updates and SFV2 2025 Revision Updates) are not required to review this training. Raters new to the program may take the SFV2 Training (2026) in lieu of completing these previous SFV2 trainings, as it covers all technical content updates through SFV2 Rev. 3.
4. Raters who have already taken a previous version of the Multifamily Version 2 (MFV2), Module 1 Training and completed all update training videos and assessments (MFV2 2024 Revision Updates and MFV2 2025 Revision Updates) are not required to review this training. Raters new to the program may take the MFV2 Training (2026) in lieu of completing these previous MFV2 trainings, as it covers all technical content updates through MFV2 Rev. 2.