Inspecting HVAC Energy Efficiency for Inspectors Course
Welcome to InterNACHI's free, online Inspecting HVAC Energy Efficiency Course.
The typical home buyer purchases a home without first fully understanding what it costs to operate it. Most homeowners do not understand where energy (and, therefore, money) is being wasted in their home. For the average American homeowner, heating and cooling accounts for over 55% of annual energy usage.
There are many approaches to reducing the heating and cooling costs of the utility bill, including:
- properly maintaining the existing HVAC system;
- improving the energy efficiency of a system in need of repair; and
- picking the right heating and cooling equipment when replacement is needed.
Goal:
The goal of this course is to teach the student what it takes to operate a house, including the energy costs of the HVAC system.
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this training course, the individual be able to:
- identify and describe energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) equipment;
- understand and provide informative options to help homeowners cut their energy use, reduce their carbon footprint, and increase their homes’ comfort, health, and safety; and
- help homeowners make informed decisions about purchasing new HVAC equipment or improving existing equipment for more efficient operation.
Course includes:
- 52,064 words;
- 5 minutes of video;
- student book;
- inspection and writing assignment;
- research and writing assignment;
- 29 quiz questions within 4 quizzes;
- 60-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool);
- instant grading; and
- downloadable, printable Certificate of Completion.
|
Inspecting HVAC Energy Efficiency for Inspectors Course Course # 3804 | ||
|
Activity |
Assignments |
Estimated hours for the average student |
|
Academic Engagement |
Reading online course material at 140 words per minute |
6.9 |
|
Watching and listening to instructional video |
0.1 | |
|
Taking quizzes |
0.9 | |
|
Taking the exam |
1.9 | |
|
Conducting a directed and independent inspection study performed according to the Standards of Practice, including the development of an inspection report |
4.0 | |
|
Submitting an inspection and writing assignment |
0.5 | |
|
Submitting a research and writing assignment |
0.5 | |
|
Total |
14.8 | |
|
Preparation |
Studying and reviewing instructional material in preparation for taking quizzes and exam |
7.0 |
|
Reading the downloaded student course book including taking the quizzes with the book |
6.0 | |
|
Reading, research, and studying related to completing the research and writing assignment |
4.0 | |
|
Studying and preparing for inspection processes according to a Standards
of Practice, including capturing and storing digital images with a
camera or device, making observations, evaluating conditions, deducing,
formulating opinions, communicating observations in written form,
attaining competency in performing inspections and using an inspection
checklist or software and other inspection tools in producing a report. |
10.0 | |
|
Total |
27.0 | |
|
Sub Total |
41.8 | |
|
Overall Total |
42.0 hours / 1.0 SCH | |
And, in keeping with InterNACHI's commitment to Continuing Education, this online training course is open and free to all InterNACHI members, and can be taken again and again, without limit.
Reminder to members: InterNACHI's Code of Ethics 1.10 requires that you comply with all government rules and licensing requirements of the jurisdiction where you conduct business. InterNACHI's courses and Standards generally exceed the Standards of Practice that you are required to abide by locally.
This course has been approved by:
- the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors;
- the Master Inspector Certification Board;
- the International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants;
- the Certified Commercial Property Inspectors Association; and
- many government agencies and licensing boards.
- Introduction
- Learning Objectives
- Acknowledgments
- Throwing Money Away
Whole-House Approach
- Energy Upgrades
- Home Performance Energy Assessment
- How to Find a Certified Energy Contractor
- Space Heating and Cooling
- Federal, State & Utility Incentive Programs
- Typical U.S. Homeowner's Energy Bill
- Building Permits and Codes
Heating Systems
- Introduction
- How Much Does it Cost?
- Decision Chart for Replacing Heating System
- Common Heating System Options
Furnaces
- Furnace Efficiency
- Furnace and Boiler Equipment Efficiency
- Low-Efficiency Furnaces (Less than 78%)
- Mid-Efficiency Furnaces (80% to 82%)
- High-Efficiency Furnaces (90 to 98%)
- Bigger isn't Always Better
- Repair or Replace?
- A Furnace Tune-Up Checklist
- ANSI/ACCA HVAC Standards
- Ducts
- Existing Ducts
- New Ducts
- A Word about Chimneys
- Quiz 1
Electric Heaters
- Electric Central Furnaces
- Room Heaters slide
- Zoning
Heat Pumps
- Heat Pump Heating Efficiency
- Central-Air-Source Heat Pumps
- Central-Air-Source Heat Pump Checklist
- Ductless Heat Pumps
- Ground-Source Heat Pumps
Boilers and Hydronic Heating
- Introduction
- Steam & Hot Water Radiators
- Radiant Floor Heating
- A Boiler Tune-Up
- Repair or Replace?
Wood and Pellet Heating
- 2.9 Million
- Traditional Open
- Pellets
- Check Codes
- Consider Upgrading
Solar Heating
- Introduction
- Passive Solar Heating
- Active Solar Heating
- Quiz 2
Cooling Systems
- Introduction
- Cooling Efficiency
- Decision Flow Chart for New AC System
- Common Cooling Systems Options
Central Air Conditioning
- Introduction
- Sizing Up Old Air Conditioners
- Bigger is Not Always Better
- Repair or Replace?
- ANSI/ACCA HVAC Standards
Room Air Conditioning
- Room Air Conditioning Information
- Efficiency Ratings
Heat Pumps
- Introduction
- Central- and Ground-Source Heat Pumps
- Ductless Heat Pumps
- Absorption Heat Pumps
Evaporative Coolers
- Introduction
- Indirect Evaporative Cooler
- Water-Cooled
- Photovoltaic PV
Radiant Cooling
- Information
Dehumidifiers
- Dehumidifiers
Natural Cooling Strategies
- Introduction
- Fans & Ventilation for Cooling
- Central Fan-Integrated Night Cooling
- Natural Draft
- Window Fans
- Attic Vents
- Whole House Fans
- Passive Cooling
- Windows
- Window Rating
- Shading
- Replace Roof with a Cool One
- Radiant Barriers
Ventilation
- Introduction
- How Much Ventilation?
- Exhaust-Only Ventilation
- Supply-Only Ventilation
- Balanced Systems
- Semi-Balanced System
- Ventilation System Types, Cost & Performance
- Quiz 3
The Home Performance Energy Assessment
- Introduction
- Certified Energy Contractors
- The Energy Assessment Process
- Step 1: Assessment
- Step 2: Making Energy-Efficiency Upgrades
- Step 3: Testing
- Quiz 4
References
Conclusion
Final Exam
Upon completion of this course and passing the 60-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool), the student can download and print his/her own Certificate of Completion, which is auto-generated in the inspector's name.
The student-member's information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.
Non-members may view only the first page of the course.
Members will need their username and password. If you have forgotten your password, CLICK HERE (instant response) or email fastreply@internachi.org and request it (don't forget your name).
InterNACHI... #1 in inspection education.
Some features which make InterNACHI's courses superior to existing continuing education options:
- The course is free for all InterNACHI members.
- The course is written in pure XHTML code for quick loading. The course loads fine on old computers and loads fast, even with dial-up.
- The course is designed using a hierarchal menu coupled with a sequential page navigation. This provides the student with the option to easily repeat areas of weakness.
- The course permits the student to start, stop and restart any part of the course as often as desired.
- There are a variety of images within the course, including diagrams, illustrations and photos.
- The illustrations can be enlarged for clearer viewing by clicking on them.
- The text is integrated into InterNACHI's Inspector Glossary. Rolling over blue-colored terms provides their definition.
- The final exam uses multiple-choice questions that reference the images.
- The course's quizzes and final exam have numerous advantages over traditional exam systems:
- The course, quizzes and final exam incorporate built-in intelligence which identifies and strengthens each student's unique subject weaknesses.
- Not only is each question weighted with regard to score, but each answer is weighted, as well as the correctness of each answer being weighted.
- Answers to easy questions are weighted such that the student is penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly, but rewarded modestly for answering correctly.
- Answers to difficult questions are weighted such that the student is rewarded, in terms of score, for answering correctly, but not penalized for answering incorrectly.
- Answers to questions regarding basic safety, or questions every inspector should know the answer to, are weighted such that the student is severely penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly.
- Upon passing the final exam, the student can print out a Certificate of Completion, which is auto-generated in the student-inspector's name.
The student-member's information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.
