RESNET HERS Rater Certification

HERS Rater Salary: How Much Do RESNET HERS Raters Make?

HERS Rater Salary: How Much Do RESNET HERS Raters Make?

Here at Everblue, we provide vocational job training and professional development courses for professionals in the sustainability and energy efficiency industries. One of the popular career paths is to become a certified RESNET HERS Rater. Naturally, newcomers to the industry want to know about a RESNET HERS Rater salary before they invest in their education, so let’s take a look at that.

We reviewed the three most popular job search websites:

  • Indeed.com
  • Payscale.com
  • ZipRecruiter.com

And we should note that a RESNET HERS Rater salary will certainly vary depending on the company, state, and a candidate’s background.

Indeed.com seemed to have the most transparency, with the most up-to-date information from credible sources.

How Much Do HERS Raters Make?

According to Indeed.com, the average salary for a HERS Rater ranges from approximately $17.85 per hour to $26.77 per hour. Assuming you work a typical 40-hour work week for 52 weeks, this equates to $37,128 to $55,681.60 per year.

Indeed says that the estimate is based on past and present job advertisements on Indeed as well as feedback from HERS Raters and Indeed users over the past 36 months.

I couldn’t help but notice that the featured positions on Indeed’s website were all for HERS Rater jobs in California, which actually skews our data a bit. The California HERS Rater designation is a different beast than the RESNET HERS Rater Certification known in every other state. So let’s spot-check a few other states to see if this salary estimate holds up.

  • Maryland: $24,960-$37,440
  • New Mexico: $55,000-$60,000
  • North Carolina: $40,000
  • Pennsylvania: $40,000
  • Texas: $41,600

Yup, it sure does.

HERS Rater Salary by State

ZipRecruiter.com also posted its estimates for HERS Rater salary by state, broken down by hourly wage and annual salary.

ZipRecruiter, however, offered the least transparency on how they came to these estimates, so take it with a grain of salt.

StateHourly WageAnnual Salary
Alabama$19.05$39,624
Alaska$16.68$34,685
Arizona$17.70$36,816
Arkansas$16.79$34,918
California$18.73$38,954
Colorado$17.90$37,226
Connecticut$19.18$39,885
Delaware$17.92$37,376
Florida$16.09$33,475
Georgia$17.07$35,516
Hawaii$19.88$41,347
Idaho$19.05$39,624
Illinois$16.70$34,728
Indiana$17.59$36,580
Iowa$17.25$35,870
Kansas$17.62$36,657
Kentucky$18.27$38,000
Louisiana$17.42$36,243
Maine$17.50$36,391
Maryland$19.18$39,898
Massachusetts$20.70$43,051
Michigan$16.80$34,943
Minnesota$17.97$37,371
Mississippi$16.51$34,334
Missouri$16.47$34,253
Montana$19.05$39,624
Nebraska$18.89$39.296
Nevada$19.05$39,624
New Hampshire$20.14$41,899
New Jersey$18.19$37,829
New Mexico$16.84$35,032
New York$20.90$43,462
North Carolina$15.32$31,875
North Dakota$19.05$39,624
Ohio$17.78$36,981
Oklahoma$17.56$36,522
Oregon$17.92$37,281
Pennsylvania$18.08$37,600
Rhode Island$19.02$39,561
South Carolina$17.98$37,405
South Dakota$18.23$37,911
Tennessee$17.91$37,249
Texas$16.88$35,108
Utah$17.62$36,641
Vermont$18.92$39,346
Virginia$18.64$38,781
Washington$20.55$42,750
West Virginia$18.16$37,783
Wisconsin$17.74$36,893
Wyoming$19.05$39,624

The website listed $39,624/year as the national average, with the majority of HERS Raters ranging between $32,000 and $45,000.

How HERS Raters Compare to Other Occupations

Payscale.com couldn’t specifically link to a HERS Rater job description, but based on the salaries of similar occupations (such as Energy Auditor at $37k, Energy Analyst at $43k, Sustainability Consultant at $58k, Sustainability Director at $82k), it seems they were able to determine an average salary for a HERS Rater to be around $54,000 per year.

Now I would argue that the HERS Rater job description is more closely aligned with the Energy Auditor than it is the Sustainability Director.

When I think of Sustainability Director, I typically think of a white-collar office job implementing corporate social responsibility policies at a Fortune 500 company like Walmart. For an Energy Auditor, I typically think of a blue-collar job where a person’s primary work environment is “in the field” (in this case, a home).

A RESNET HERS Rater’s job does fall somewhere in between the two but is more similar to an Energy Auditor’s job. In fact, HERS Raters conduct energy audits but they also perform more sophisticated analyses using energy modeling software. And unlike the Energy Auditor, who primarily works for homeowners, a HERS Rater can be employed by homeowners, builders, municipalities, and residential code enforcement agencies.

Now that you have an understanding of the average HERS Rater salary, continue pursuing your goal by registering for the RESNET HERS Rater training program. Still have questions? Give us a call at (800) 460-2575.

Learn more about Everblue's RESNET HERS Rater Training

About Lesley Baulding

Lesley has been passionately advocating for and working with green building and renewable energy since 2009. She has experience with LEED certification, home energy auditing, blower door testing, solar energy, and more. She holds many certifications, including LEED Green Associate and NABCEP Certification. Her work has won numerous awards over the past decade.