About the Whole House Calculator: This Web-based tool was developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. The purpose is to help the housing community evaluate or compare the impact of a process, characteristic or system choice in the context of the house as a whole, the local climate/seismic/radon conditions and recommended practices, a step toward achieving High Performance Housing, i.e., housing that is energy efficient, durable, sustainable and healthy. The Whole House Calculator is designed for the builder considering constructing single-family homes. It depends heavily on data provided by industry experts and federal agencies. The information contained in the Whole House Calculator substantially revises the 2005 HUD Policy Development and Research (PD&R) publication: Developing a Calculator for Evaluating Physical Design Characteristics and Whole House Performance: A Preliminary Method. The Calculator draws on information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. No flood risk considerations are included in the calculations. The results should be used as a guideline to select the processes, characteristics and systems to make a high performing house. If you are a consumer considering building a new house, you are strongly encouraged to seek the advice of an construction or design professional who can provide you with specific information, designs and analysis needed to assess the costs and benefits of various processes, characteristics and systems. This site is best viewed on Windows with Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher or Mozilla/Firefox 1.5 or higher. This site is best viewed on Macintosh using Safari 1.3 or higher or Firefox 1.0 or higher. Please send any questions or comments on the Whole House Calculator to: wholehousesurvey@pathnet.com Return to Whole House Calculator.