Well after a few of my fellow friends on Twitter, and a few others that follow the HRC encouraged me to blog about my training for RESNET HERS & BPI, I decided to go for it. Part of the interest, revolves around what the differences really are between the two programs, and in this case two different training providers with some pretty good reputations. So here we are on Day 1, yes I know its Sunday, and not just any Sunday, but Mothers Day, but there I was in my truck headed to Atlanta. I arrived at Southface around 3:15 for a class that starts at 4:00 and was greeted by Russ McIver of Southface.
Honestly, I think this is a pretty good idea, because this gives those of us traveling a chance to find the place without dealing with the morning rush hour traffic. It also allows the instructors and everyone a chance to get all those pesky intros, questions, and boring stuff out of the way. One of the nice things I learned today is that the State of Alabama will be reimbursing me for this class, once I have earned my Rater Certification. Apparently, they are looking for more Certified Raters and have partnered up with Southface for training. In order to become a certified rater by RESNET, that requires 5 actual ratings being completed, with 3 of them being observed by an approved rater, along with a few
There are 17 students, being taught by Mike Barrik and Allison Bailes III. These two gentlemen have been training together for quite a while & it shows in a good way. As expected, there was nothing earth shattering today as we went through all the introductions, we loaded software and went over the basics. We ran through a myriad of geometric questions that I normally let software handle nowadays, followed up with a quick dinner, an intro to the blower door setup, typical framing terms and structures.
As an FYI, if you think you are going to take this course from Southface, and have plenty of time in the evenings to go out and party, or visit the sites – think again. After finally finding my hotel & getting settled in, out came the books and software. Based on the agenda handed out, we are looking at 2 to 3 hours of homework every night. In fact, as soon as I finish this up, I still have some reading to complete before I call it a night. So with that, everyone have a great night & enjoy the picture from my hotel room.