RESNET Green Rater training scheduled for June 1-2 in Austin, TX

IBS Advisors, LLC is proud to announce that we will be holding a RESNET Green Rater training in Austin, TX, on June 1 and 2.

This two day course was developed by RESNET and is only delivered through RESNET-accredited Green Rater Training Providers. Designed for HERS Raters, it provides an additional certification for them but is also a useful introduction to green building for builders, architects, home inspectors, and government officials.

This course is recognized as meeting one of the prerequisites for the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes™ Green Rater course and is taught by a LEED for Homes Green Rater Faculty member.

The course is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1st and Thursday, June 2nd, 8 am to 5 pm.  Lunch is not provided.

Cost: $200.00

Location:
Austin, TX
The specific location is TBD, but will be in a hotel meeting room at a location with convenient access to restaurants.

Click here to sign-up today!

ENERGY STAR v3 training announced for June 6-8 in Dallas/Fort Worth area!

Hello!

ENERGY STAR(R) has made more changes to the version 3 program, including requiring all Rating Field Inspectors who will perform inspections on ENERGY STAR homes to attend training approved by the EPA and RESNET.

Version 2.5 & 3.0 Training is HERE!
IBS Advisors is conducting a 3 day training to cover the details of the new ENERGY STAR program in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, area on June 6-8. This course is approved by the EPA and RESNET for 18 hours of professional development for Raters and is required for Raters and Field Inspectors who intend to work with the ENERGY STAR program.

There are lots of rumors and misconceptions floating around- don’t fall prey to the confusion! This course will clarify exactly what is required of builders, HVAC contractors and Rating organizations, as well as estimated costs for builders and alternatives for marketing energy efficient homes.

There are only a few remaining seats, so sign-up today!

Sincerely,

Brett Dillon

IBS Advisors, LLC

Gear-up for Energy Star 3.0!

Brett teaching a HERS Rater course

It’s time to gear-up…huge changes in the Energy Star program are coming our way!

All HERS Raters and Inspectors that want to continue doing work in the Energy Star program in 2012 must take the Energy Star 3.0 course. (As a side note, the course is also approved to meet the requirement for 18 hours of continuing education.)

But here’s the real hot issue right now: We’re staring version 2.5 right in the face, meaning a lot of changes are coming our way, and they’re coming soon. That’s why the EPA recommends that raters take the training before version 2.5 kicks in. I strongly recommend that as well. The major changes I’m talking about for version 2.5 include the Size Adjustment Factor, the variable HERS index, and having all the checklists filled out. To get the full implementation schedule, click here.

Although I may be a bit biased, I recommend signing up for one of Brett’s upcoming classes. After all, he is the only trainer that has legitimately taught the course. And what it truly boils down to is, I believe we are the best, because we constantly dwell on ways we can help raters succeed and utilize their full potential in the marketplace. But if you don’t want to take my word for it, read this flyer to see what some of our clients have had to say about our trainings.

You can get detailed information, as well as sign-up for one of the classes, on our website. The price is $395, which includes the test.

Here are the courses that we have scheduled so far:

• March 16-18, San Antonio, TX
• April 6-8, Corpus Christi, TX
• April 27-29, TN
• June 6-8, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
• June 29-July 1, San Antonio, TX

Anyhow, regardless of what trainer you use, I highly encourage you to take the course. I took it, and let me tell you, a lot of change is coming.

The Building Envelope

The building envelope is an air barrier and thermal boundary that are continuous and touching and separate conditioned space from unconditioned space or the outside.  The envelope of a simple house may be the floor, the walls (including exterior doors and windows) and the flat ceiling.  There are many ways for a builder to define the building envelope (it can contain a conditioned basement, a sealed, insulated and conditioned crawlspace, a conditioned attic with insulation along the roofline) and even more ways for them to fail to define it properly.

I have seen homes where the builder conditioned part of the attic without insulating the roofline or gable wall and there was a case where a code official (in ignorance) required a builder to condition the garage with a duct from the house in order to keep the water pipes from freezing.  The garage IS NEVER INSIDE THE BUILDING ENVELOPE!  If there is a desire to provide conditioning to the garage, it must be conditioned by a separate system than the house.

The builder gets to define the building envelope by deciding where to place the insulation and air barriers.

The building envelope’s function is to protect the occupants of the home from the elements (air, heat, cold, water).

One myth about the building envelope is that all we need to do to improve it is to add more insulation.  A certain utility program recommended increasing the amount of attic insulation to R-49 to decrease the amount of heat loss and gain through the ceiling; at the same time, they recommended that extensive airsealing shouldn’t be done because “houses need to breathe” and airsealing would increase the amount of pollutants in the home.

This is another myth: airsealing the home prevents pollution from entering the home from the basement, crawlspace, carport, attached garage, attic and outside.  By the way, houses don’t need to breathe, but people do- so add intentional ventilation for the people!

What is a high performance home?

What is a high performance home?  It is a home built in a way that integrates building science into the construction process, leading to improved energy efficiency and increased durability.  In turn, the homeowner has lower utility bills and maintenance costs, improved comfort levels and higher resale value.

Building a high performance home requires that a systems approach is used.  The home is made up of many smaller, interdependent systems.  Changes to one system may have an affect on another system, leading to cost changes (for better or worse) or improved energy efficiency (or lowered).  It is important to get an accredited professional involved in the process in order to ensure that you end up with the home you intended to build.

Why should a builder build a high performance home?  Perhaps they want to separate themselves from the competition, improve customer satisfaction, increase profitability or save the planet.

However, I think that the best reason is because it is the right way to build a home that will stand the test of time.  Leaving that legacy for those who follow us on this planet is incredibly important.  As homebuilders, we are creating works of public and private art, sculptures for people to live in and marvel at.  It goes beyond providing simple shelter to creating something of value that has an impact for generations.

Brett Dillon