Home Energy Audit Training available

By now, you understand that home energy audits are so crucial to this country energy-saving and becoming more energy-efficient. You get that every home must get on board and move ahead. But for professionals looking to take on a new challenge, home energy audit training and energy courses are also something to get on board with.

The Home Energy Team Institute offers contractors, home professionals and anyone else looking to get certified, the opportunity to become a home energy auditor. With our simple energy auditor courses and RESNET certification, you can help take this country’s homes well into the next decade. It may sound cheesy or an overshoot, but it’s really not.

It’s an amazing thing to be able to enter someone’s home and be able to offer them an assessment and credible recommendations in order for them to save on energy costs and use less energy. When you think about all of the positive events that come from merely conducting one energy audit, you can’t help but smile.

But make no mistake, undergoing home energy audit training is a serious business. We know you don’t have time or money to waste. That’s why we’ve put together concise and straightforward energy courses to help you start a new career path. By having credentials such as RESNET, BPI and HESP behind you, not to mention the Home Energy Team Institute, your clients will feel like they’re in good hands – and rightfully so.

So check out all that we have to offer and get ready to do homeowners, this country, the planet and yourself  – a world of good!

Energy audit courses available at HETI

The trend of going green has been quite positive on the home energy audit industry. Home energy audit training is essential to take advantage of this growing sector. It’s not just a trend. Going green is a complete shift in thinking and lifestyle. The Home Energy Team Insitute (HETI) is well positioned to help aspiring energy auditors looking to get energy auditor certification.

HETI offers professionals a chance to embark on a new career with energy audit courses and other home energy auditor training resources. All of the energy audit training you receive from HETI meets the required RESNET standards, ensuring that your certification has you ready to conduct home energy audits.

The Home Energy Institute’s energy report system further arms energy auditors with the reporting tools necessary to assess the energy efficiency of homes. Referred to as the ecompass Professional Home Energy Report System, it helps auditors generate surveys and reports accurately and easily online.  HETI members receive a discounted access to this important reporting tool.

We also encourage you to check out the video on our site from our President, Dallas Jones. Its’ a motivational look at the field of home energy auditing and gives you the impetus to get started with our energy audit courses. The faster you equip yourself to conduct home energy audits, the quicker you take advantage of this growing employment trend.

You’ll find all of the energy audit training information on our site, including course fees and descriptions. You’re literally a few hours away from being certified to audit homes for energy efficiency.

Home Energy Audits are on the rise

By now, you know all about the move in our society to live and work greener. But what many professionals (both employed and unemployed) aren’t aware of is just how lucrative a job in the green sector can become. That’s why the demand for home energy audit training is on the rise. Becoming a home energy auditor is definitely a profession in vogue.

At the Home Energy Team Institute, not only do we offer energy auditor courses, but we offer the support and background needed to achieve your goals. We also offer a on-site, in-person training as well, giving you the best of both worlds. You can become a home energy auditor with flexible, interesting and practical energy audit training, so take advantage and get the jump on employment trend.

We also know how important it is to receive industry certifications and credentials. That’s why we offer RESNET, HESP and BPI training. These are the recognized standards any aspiring energy auditors should have under their belt if they want to succeed in this field.

Each energy audit training course or step you take with the Home Enery Team Institute gets you closer to assessing homes for energy efficiency and helping homeowners energy save.

It’s satisfying and gratifying work that will save people money and lessen our effects on the environment. This rewarding career path all starts from this website, as energy audit training is done online and with the purchase of books available through the Home Energy Team Institute.

One of the most important things an energy auditor can have is his specialized tools. Like a plumber without his plunger, a home energy auditor without his tools can’t be of much help to his clients. One of the key tools that energy auditors use on a frequent basis is the duct tester.

Why do I need to test the ducts of a house?

A major problem that many homes face is inefficient heating and cooling ducts. Whether the ducts themselves have holes in them, there are gaps in the duct welding, or they are not installed properly into the walls and HVAC units of the home, there are many reasons why a duct system will perform below their full capacity.

And when the hot or cold air that is passing through the ducts does not arrive at its intended destination, the homeowner ends up paying for it in their energy bill.

What does a duct tester do?

A duct tester is basically a fan and air pressure reader which is connected and tightly sealed around a vent in the client’s home. All of the other vents connected to the duct are then sealed shut so no air can escape through them. Once this is all setup, the fan is turned on to a specific pressure.

If there were no leaks in the duct system, then the air pressure pushed through the fan should remain in the ducts. However, if there are leaks in the ducts, the air will escape through them and the pressure inside the ducts will drop. The air pressure reader then tells the home energy auditor how much air is escaping through leaks in the ducts, and the efficiency of the ducts can then be calculated.

Contractors who are then hired to repair the ducts may also use a duct tester to find out how effective his repairs have been, or if there are leaks present that he was unable to find.

Overall, duct testers are an invaluable tool for many in the home energy auditing industry, and every auditor should have one as a part of his arsenal. Visit the Home Energy Team Store for even more useful home energy saving products.

If you’ve been reading the other posts on this blog, you’ll know that to become a home energy auditor, you must get certified first. In past posts, I’ve written about the RESNET Level 1 course and RESNET Level 2 course that are available through the Home Energy Team Institute.

But taking the courses are only the first step in earning your home energy auditor certification. To complete the process, you have to take the official RESNET Exam.

RESNET Level 1 Exam

The RESNET Level 1 exam is a two hour written test that is administered by official RESNET staff at various locations throughout the country. If you decide to take both the RESNET courses and the exam through the Home Energy Team Institute, a 2 hour review session is included right before you take the actual exam. This review session is highly recommended and will help insure you are able to pass the test.

For more information about taking the certification test, see the RESNET Level 1 exam page on the Home Energy Team Institute site.

RESNET Level 2 Exam

If you have already successfully completed the level 1 exam and have taken the level 2 courses, you are ready to take the RESNET Level 2 exam. While the Level 2 course requires 6 hours of field training prior to taking the test, the exam itself is also a two hour written exam. And just like for Level 1, if you decide to take the Level 2 training course and exam through the Home Energy Team Institute, you will receive an included review session right before the exam takes place.

For more information about the Level 2 test, see the RESNET Level 2 exam page on the Home Energy Team Institute website.

The federal government is reviewing a plan that would provide cash incentives to homeowners who complete home weatherization projects. According the initial document, the government is prepared to set aside $23 billion dollars for the program, which would encourage homeowners to undertake such projects as air sealing, insulation, and installing energy-saving appliances.

The proposed name for the program is Home Star, to jive with the established ENERGY STAR program, which promotes energy efficiency. However, the media has humorously dubbed the program “Cash for Caulkers”, which is similar to the government’s now-expired “Cash for Clunkers” program, which incented people to trade in their old cars (i.e. clunkers) in favor of purchasing a new car.

Multiple Benefits

The “Caulkers” program is an extension of the government’s earlier Recovery Through Retrofit report, which laid the groundwork for a self-sustaining home energy retrofit industry. The intention of that report, as well as the “Cash for Caulkers” program, is to stimulate job creation, to decrease our impact on the environment, and to provide monthly savings to homeowners through reduced energy costs.

Good News for Homeowners, Auditors, Contractors and Manufacturers

The program is good news for homeowners, who can earn up to $4000 in rebates while increasing their home’s energy efficiency (which will save them even more money on their energy bills each month). And the $23 billion injection into the weatherization industry is good news for energy efficiency retrofit contractors, manufacturers and home energy auditors.

Create More Than 500,000 Jobs

Efficiency First, a trade organization for the energy efficiency industry estimates that the program would create more than 500,000 new jobs. As it stands now, over half of the $23 billion of the program’s budget would provide rebates for retrofit projects according to the percentage of improvement in the home’s energy efficiency. An additional $2 billion would be spent directly on home energy audits, to ensure the proposed work met the intended results. However, the amount spent on home energy audits may be significantly larger, as some audits may be funded by energy efficient mortgage lenders, and other audits would be funded by homeowners, in order to assess the best areas for improvements.

Prime Employment Opportunity

The financial boost to the energy efficiency industry creates a prime opportunity for people wanting to enter the industry. Home inspectors and remodelers should consider adding home energy audits to their roster of services in order to cash in on this growing industry. Those currently unemployed due to the economic crisis might consider starting a new career as a home energy auditor. With no pre-requisite training or knowledge required, relatively little expense and a short training cycle, you could start a rewarding new career in a growing industry that helps people as well as the environment.

Complete Training and Certification Program

Home Energy Team Institute offers a complete training program for home energy auditors. Browse the website for more information about home energy auditing and the courses offered. You can sign up online, or call 1-800-518-1877 for more information.

In October, 2009, the Federal Government released a report entitled, Recovery Through Retrofit, where it set the ground work to kick-start a self-sustaining energy efficiency retrofit industry across the United States. The report was a collaboration between various government departments, including the Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Labor, the Office of the Vice President and the Executive Office of the President.

The Recovery Through Retrofit report seeks to benefit the country in several ways; by creating jobs in the energy efficiency retrofit industry, by helping homeowners to save money on their energy bills, and by reducing our nation’s impact on the environment.

The plan intends to tap into the $80 billion in the Recovery Act allocated to projects related to the environment and reductions in energy consumption.

The recommendations in the Recovery Through Retrofit plan intend to remove barriers that have prevented the energy retrofit industry from developing. The plan will:

1. Improve the information available to homeowners so they can make more informed decisions about energy retrofit. This will include developing a national standard for measuring home energy efficiency, and developing a benchmark such as ENERGY STAR certification for existing homes that meet certain standards of energy efficiency.
2. Improve homeowners’ access to financing for energy efficient retrofits by improving access to low interest loans and energy efficient mortgages.
3. Establish national training and certification standards for energy efficiency and retrofit workers, to improve consumer confidence in the industry and provide standardization.
4. Help energy audit and retrofit businesses by providing access to technical training as well as business training, in order to help businesses thrive even after stimulus money has been exhausted.

For more information about the Recovery Through Retrofit plan, read the document here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Recovery_Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf

The government’s firm commitment to establishing a self-sustained energy efficiency industry is good news for anyone in the energy assessment and retrofit industry, and anyone entering it now. The plan will create hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans, helping the economic recovery for our country.

In the current economic downturn, many Americans are looking to start a new career or a new business.

Even if you don’t have any experience with energy assessments or retrofits, you can get into the industry as a home energy auditor quickly by completing your classroom training and passing the required certification exams. You can get certified in a matter of a couple of months, and be on your way to a new career.

The Home Energy Team Institute offers complete training and certification by both RESNET and BPI, the two organizations that set the standards for energy efficiency in the US. You will receive classroom instruction to learn the theory behind energy efficiency and how to conduct a home energy audit, as well as practical training for using diagnostic equipment such as the blower door, duct blaster and infrared camera.

Visit www.HomeEnergyTeamInstitute.com for more information, or call 1-800-518-1877.

If you’re planning to become a home energy auditor, you need to be certified by RESNET. RESNET is the Residential Energy Services Network. It is a non-profit organization recognized by the Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the mortgage industry, among others,   that sets the US standards for measuring buildings’ energy performance. As such, it sets the standards by which energy auditors must be trained in order to assess a building according to its standards. When you have been certified by RESNET, you are deemed qualified to meet RESNET’s standards for energy assessment.

Gives You Credibility

A RESNET certification gives you credibility as a home energy auditor. You are recognized as having a certain level of competence. Many government incentives offered to homeowners require that their auditor be RESNET-certified, which means your options are severely limited without the certification. In short, to work as a home energy auditor, you need to be certified.

HESP Designation

RESNET offers certification for Home Energy Survey Professionals (HESP) and for Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Raters. The HESP designation certifies that the individual has passed the exam for home energy certification professionals, and can competently conduct a home energy survey. A second level of HESP, the Diagnostic HESP, requires the survey professional to have the skills and knowledge to use diagnostic equipment to perform building envelope leakage testing and duct leakage testing.

HERS Rating

To be certified as a HERS Rater, the individual must pass required examinations to be qualified to assess a building according to RESNET’s Home Energy Rating System, and provide a score on the index. The HERS rating index designates a standard energy efficiency score of 100 to an average home. The HERS rater conducts a home energy audit and assigns the home a score on the index – a lower score means the home is more energy efficient.

Many government-sponsored programs use the HERS rating system to assess the improvements in energy efficiency as a result of work done in a home. To prove that an improvement has been made, a HERS rating is taken prior to the work, and then again after the work has been completed. Rebates are issued to the homeowner based on a certain level of improvement having been attained. The homeowner must employ the services of a certified RESNET HERS Rater, so you see how it is in your best interest as a home energy auditor to be certified.

Get Certified Through Home Energy Team Institute

To obtain your RESNET certification, as a HESP or HERS Rater, you must obtain certification through an organization that is accredited by RESNET to provide certification. These are Home Energy Survey Providers and RESNET HERS Rating Providers, respectively. The Home Energy Team Institute is accredited by RESNET both as a Home Energy Survey Provider and a RESNET HERS Rating Provider, and offers a full range of RESNET certification courses. Training is comprehensive and provides everything you need to become certified. Browse the Home Energy Team Institute website for more information, or to register for your certification courses.

Have you been thinking about a career change? Maybe you want to start your own business? Do you have a home inspection business, or a remodeling or other home improvement business that you would like to expand? Consider a career as a home energy auditor.

Now is the time!

Now is a great time to get into the residential energy industry. The federal and state governments are spending billions of dollars in stimulus money to help homeowners save on their energy expenses. Their plan, Recovery Through Retrofit, aims to create hundreds of thousands of jobs by kick-starting the residential energy-saving industry. They are offering very generous incentives and tax rebates to homeowners who undertake energy efficient home improvements. This creates jobs for home energy auditors, remodelers and other contractors involved in insulation, ventilation, heating and air conditioning. Manufacturers of energy efficient technologies will also benefit.

Growing Public Demand

At the same time, homeowners will use less energy, which reduces our country’s reliance on foreign energy, and has a positive impact on the environment. The trend toward reducing energy consumption – and saving money on energy bills – is quickly gaining popularity, and people’s concern about the environment is also growing, with the increased frequency of natural disasters and constant talk about global warming in the news. The result is a win-win-win situation for the government, for homeowners and for the environment.

Now is the time when all these factors are coming together to create an incredible opportunity for those who are in the residential energy industry, and those who are entering it now.

Steady Stream of Work

One of the best and easiest ways to take advantage of this opportunity is to become a home energy auditor. Demand for home energy audits is skyrocketing, propelled by the government incentives. To qualify for many of the rebates, a home energy audit is required in order to prove that there has been an improvement in a home’s energy efficiency. This means a steady stream of work for home energy auditors.

No Pre-Requisites

There are no pre-requisites to become a home energy auditor, and you can complete your training and all examinations, and become a certified home energy auditor in a matter of weeks. The cost of training is relatively inexpensive, and much of it can be done from home –although there is classroom and on-site training required.

Complete Training Package, Complete Certification

The Home Energy Team Institute (www.HomeEnergyTeamInstitute.com) offers a complete training and certification package, which includes all materials, books and examinations. At the conclusion of the course and successful completion of the exams, you will be certified by both RESNET and BPI, the two major certifying bodies in the US. These organizations create the standards for energy auditor training, and for conducting energy audits. Being certified by both RESNET and BPI is a great advantage, and provides the most comprehensive training to start your new career. Your certification is valid throughout the USA, so you have the freedom to move anywhere.

Check Out Home Energy Team Institute

Feel free to browse through the Home Energy Team Institute website, and review the courses offered. You will see if this is the right opportunity for you. It just may lead to a rewarding new career in an industry that’s exploding in popularity, that helps people, and that’s good for the environment.