Last Wednesday as you may recall I showed you this picture from a house that had already passed the pre-drywall inspection which any rater or inspector out there could tell you should have failed. This leads to a few questions, just how did it pass, why did it happen, what was the fix & more even more importantly […]
A big win for Builders & Remodelers: ENERGY STAR’s latest update
If there is anything that will throw a contractor in a tizzy, it is delays or additional costs. Nowhere is this time factor more of an issue than with production builders. Not only can that delay throw a monkey wrench into that one house’s schedule, but others as well. Well ENERGY STAR ® (ES3) did […]
ENERGY STAR under fire?
“Jessica is sad because she wants to save energy and save money. You can make her smile again…” Huh, what? Well there appears to be “a Washington proposal to change the ENERGY STAR program (that) would deny average consumers the “easy choice” on which they rely. Help us Save ENERGY STAR.” Well if one looks […]
ENERGY STAR Updates (v. 3.5)
As many know the ENERGY STAR program has recently underwent a major upgrade from just ENERGY STAR (ES) to ES3. During that time over 4300 builders, 900 raters / verifiers & 330 HVAC contractors completed the necessary steps to learn & comply with the new guidelines. During this period many of us participating forwarded questions, […]
Day 2: ENERGY STAR V.3 Training
Well today was the last day for the mandatory class, where we finally went through the final three checklists. We started the day off with a RemRate file & simply told to get it into compliance with the new version of ENERGY STAR. As a quick tip for any fellow raters, do not forget about […]
Day 1: ENERGY STAR V.3 Training
This week brings me back to the great city of Atlanta, this time for 2 quick classes. The first class is a mandatory 2-day class for all ENERGY STAR® raters who wish to continue with the program after January 1st of 2012. Based on my schedule for this year, it was simply best to get […]
Building Green Homes: Looking back & Lessons Learned
I guess I can credit some of my desire to learn about and utilize energy efficient designs, green buildings, & solar power with the area I grew up in. I can recall some of our schools field trips where we would go see new houses being built with photovoltaic panels, and eating food cooked on […]
Becoming a RESNET Certified Rater & the next steps
As we mentioned back in Energy Auditing Services Update – RESNET Certification article, we have completed all the steps required to become a Certified Energy Rater with RESNET. Unlike the BPI certification we received earlier in the same week, there is a lot more involved in this process than simply taking a written test & […]
ENERGY STAR: Can it and should it be saved?
As many of our regular readers know, we have long supported and still recommend purchasing ENERGY STAR® rated products. Unfortunately, though there have been some issues that have popped up lately that have caused many groups and individuals to question if the program is more fiction than fact. On the flip side, we have some people […]
In case you missed it; October is National Energy Awareness Month & a quick primer on the Energy Tax Credit
Ok, I admit it, I had no clue and this is its 22nd year of it being observed. Obviously though I am not the only one, as one site that lists all the different “National Fill in the Blank Month’s” has over 30 listings just for October and not one of them is about energy. […]