New Homes Baseline and Market Characterization Study

This report summarizes a 2017 study that sought to better understand the characteristics of—and market for—new
single-family homes in Wisconsin. The study involved site visits in the first half of 2017 to a
geographically-representative sample of 50 homes built in 2015 and 2016. The purpose of the site visits
was to collect detailed data about the energy-related construction characteristics of the homes and
appliances in the home.

To establish baseline construction practices for the state, the site visits excluded homes certified under the
Focus on Energy New Homes program. The results showed that non-program homes in the state were generally well-insulated and tightly constructed with efficient appliances. Nonetheless, Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scores for the non-program homes in the sample average generally had worse energy performance, indicating that the program made some level of difference with respect to baseline practices.

Note: This report was prepared by Slipstream under a previous name (Seventhwave).