Energystar Inspection?

[John McKenna]

I just had a contractor call me and he was looking
for an inspector who could give his new construction
an "energystar" approval.

Any know anything about this and how to become
an "energystar inspector"?

He made reference to:
http://www.energystar.gov/

[afrost]

i believe that site has the info you need to become certified.

[John McKenna]

Never mind. LOL.

I found a link for Texas that says:

Most companies participating in our program offer this
service free of charge. The audit takes approximately
30 minutes.

No thanks.

http://www.austinenergy.com/Energy%2...ticipation.htm

[jbreazeale]

John,

What can be marketed is an HERS inspection that advises on how a homeowner can update a home to meet energy star requirements. I have been considering this, though I'm told there isn't much of a market for it...yet. But with energy prices being what they are, It may be worth looking into. Training, at least what I have found, is about as expensive as IR cam training, or a little higher ($1500 and up). I would imagine that about next spring might be a good time to be ready, and market it heavily during the winter months. Your weather is about the same as ours here in N. Ms, and when people are finished paying those gas bills this year, some might be looking for a way to save in the long run. Don't know about Tehass, but around here, this would be out of the realm of home inspections. Technically, one could contract for the work....inspection free if contracted, perhaps. I think it has merit in this context.

[jbreazeale]

PS: IR would go great with this, also.

[dchew]

To be a EnergyStar HERS rater isn't as simple as it sounds. You need a blower door setup (~$2.5k), a duct blaster ($1.5k), pay for appropriate classes (~$1k) at a minimum. If you throw in a decent thermal scanner (~$6k to $10k), you've got a lot of $$$ invested. Do the math.

[jbreazeale]

Did the math, thanks. Wasn't thinking in terms of just offering inspections. I'm thinking in terms of a whole other business entity, contracting the actual upgrade work for existing homes. If the market develops, the 12k or so invested would be well worth it.

[David A. Andersen]

You end up working for contractors and from my experience they don't want to pay much.

I am sitting here with IR Camera stuff all over my desk for weeks trying to make the numbers work. I don't think all that other stuff will make matters any better!

I have had extensive conversation with the HERS group (all the way up to the EPA) last month, the process conflicts with numerous construction standards in place and because Energy-star standards supersedes the "old way" of doing things, there may be major structural failure in the future for these houses. Like EIFFS, the theory sounds good but the standard is lacking. When you seal up a house too much, your going to have issues unless you use all the (expensive) appliances available. I wouldn't want to be on that end of a class action suit!

You will also find that Energy-star standards are not the same regionally. Everyone does it different.

As you said, you need to start something different. HERS raters around here have a huge service area. They are large companies, of which you may have a hard time competing with. The rating service is often "in conjunction with" another service.

I guess someone has to do it. But, I don't think it will be Home Inspectors.

If the market develops, the 12k or so invested would be well worth it.

How much per inspection, and how many inspections per yr. did you figure on? Can Raters inspect their own construction?

[jbreazeale]

Good questions to ponder. Since I've been doing a lot of that on the subject lately, I'll go ponder them!

[David A. Andersen]

Keep us posted!

You can be our NACHI Energystar guru!

[jbreazeale]

LOL!! I am going to keep an eye on it. You've done more research than I. But one question that arose in my mind concerning the sealed attic. What happens if, say, one of thos plastic vent boots goes bad? You get a leak, which can absorb into the sheathing. Probably the first thing you would notice would be shingle cupping, since it is unlikely to leak through the spray foam insulation under the sheathing. Lots of homeowners wouldn't even notice the cupping, or recognize a problem, so the damage continues. By the time the homeowner notices that something must be wrong, the sheathing is ruined. So, you have to rip off the roof covering, the affected sheathing, and I'm not convinced a rafter or two wouldn't have been compromised. Then, re-insulate the repair. Whattayathink?

[David A. Andersen]

Did I mention in this thread that insulating the roof deck voids shingle warranty related to heat damage?

GAF personally told me that they would warrant manufacturers defect but would not warrant heat damage if the roof deck was not properly ventilated.

That was one of the conflict of standards I was referring to.