To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must be independently verified by a Home Energy Rater (also called a HERS rater). The rater is an independent third party to the builder who reviews the home plans, models the estimated energy use of the home, and verifies many aspects of the home in different phases of construction. In some situations, large production builders may have their homes verified according to a sampling protocol. You can search the ENERGY STAR New Homes Partner Locator for ENERGY STAR Home Energy Raters by state.