U.S. Dept of Energy Quotes InterNACHI's Ben Gromicko about Home Energy Scores

Specific Inspection Topics Thermal Imaging, Infrared Cameras & Energy Audits
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The U.S. Department of Energy quotes InterNACHI’s Ben Gromicko for the national Home Energy Score program.

InterNACHI members in the U.S. can become Home Energy Score Assessors (free & online for members) by visiting nachi.org/homeenergyscore.

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Congratulations Ben! I’ll be taking the classes HESA this week. Can’t freaking wait.

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Ben,

One of the requirements is being mentored by a qualified assessor.

I passed all the testing for the assessor training, but there weren’t any mentors available.
I know NACHI and the DOE was working on this. Has there been any updates?

Thanks

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I have to stat over. I have been too busy with inspections and IR training to complete the requirements in the allotted time.

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Nice Ben!

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Hey there,

We are actually in the process of putting together hands-on training sessions led by the DOE in order to train more mentors. Are you interested in becoming a mentor? All you need to do is attend a 2-3 hour training session!

The Quality Assurance requirement will also be modified so that only 2% of scores need to be audited.

I will be sending out a mass email to everyone enrolled in the program once we have definite dates and locations for the mentor training program. Please feel free to email me with any other questions you might have: michelle@internachi.org

Thanks!

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Any updates to the mentoring program?

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I lost my certificate because of no mentor in area. I was told someone would be working on it, that was January. No one has contacting me since then. I would have to take the whole program over to get back into the program. Lot of time for no results, but the intentions were good.

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The map of this program is very sparse. It would seem like it is a good time to get on board.

http://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/home-energy-score/map

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I was notified by the DOE that

"Your status as a Home Energy Score Assessor has been changed to “Inactive” because you have not officially scored any homes in the past 180 days. If you wish to re-activate your status please contact your Home Energy Score Partner administrator (Cc’d) and notify them that you would like to participate in the Sim Refresher Training Exercise. Once you’ve successfully completed this short online simulation training your status as an Assessor will be re-activated.

Please note, we must receive a specific request from your Partner in order to provide you with access to the Sim Refresher Training Exercise. Once received, we will provide you with detailed instructions on accessing and completing the training."

Has there been any updates on the Mentoring Program that I may have missed?

Thanks

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I don’t want to waste my time with the class if it leads to a dead end.

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Finding a mentor is the hardest part. It is probably even harder if your state hasn’t adopted the program. Since I made it all of the way through the process maybe I can work on getting my mentor creds to help other people out. Now it seems like my main objective is educating everyone I can about the score and its benefits.

Parker, Colorado Home Inspector and Department of Energy Home Energy Score Assessor

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Matthew, if you do get the mentoring creds, I will come up to Parker to get this done. I would LOVE to get on board, but like others, the whole mentoring thing is a HUGE obstacle. I believe I met you at the commercial inspection class.

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Hi Marcy,
Yes we did meet at the commercial inspection class. I will try to keep everyone informed as I learn more about becoming a mentor. Right now it seems like my main mission is to educate everyone about what it is and the benefits, etc.

Parker, Colorado Home Inspector

Parker, Colorado Department of Energy Home Energy Score Assessor

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Are there mentors anywhere? How can you have a program like this and not have the foresight to have mentors so people can stay active in the program. I would be happy to be a mentor, but I need to find one first.

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Hey everyone,

I’ve read all of your comments and hear your frustrations! Right now, we are working with BPI to use their mentoring resources around the country until we can establish our own nationwide mentoring process.

I’m in the process of working with the Department of Energy to set up a Home Energy Score weekend at the InterNACHI School! We’d like to set up a “boot camp” that will take members through the simulation training and exam. We will also do the mentoring sessions at a house here in Boulder. The last day, we will train up some of our members to become a mentor. When you leave, you’ll be ready to start scoring! We’d like to invite everyone, nationwide, to take advantage of this opportunity.

I will be sure to email you all when I have a date for this fun event! If you need mentoring in the meantime, send me an email and I’ll work with BPI to get you set up: michelle@internachi.org

Thank you all for your patience!

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That’s great Ben.

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Thanks for the update Michelle. I would love to train to be a mentor in the southeast. I have sent you a couple emails and would like to find a mentor sooner. Thanks

Brad

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And still no email. Is NACHI serious about this program? I called the program office and talked to Ken Slattery and he introduced me to a mentor. If anyone is near DC or wants to travel there let me know and I will pass on his information.