Resnet National Standard For Home Energy Assessments

Thought this early, inside info may be of use to some especially in regulated states

http://www.resnet.us/standards/mortgage/audits/Standard_on_Comprehensive_Energy_Assessment.pdf

http://www.natresnet.org/

January 1, 2008

RESNET Green Rater Training and Certification to be Offered at the 2008 RESNET Building Performance Conference

On Saturday, February 16, 2008, RESNET will be hosting training for raters to be certified by RESNET as Green Raters. Each of the presenters at this training represent a specific green program and all have come together to cooperate and show support for a unified certification. Successful completion of this training will lead to certification by RESNET as a Green RATER. In order to certify a home under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program a green rater must inspect and certify the home.

This pre-conference training session will be six hours long and the cost will be $95.00. The cost will include lunch and a Certificate upon completion of the course. For more information click on http://www.resnet.us/rater/greenrater/default.htm

RESNET Releases Draft National Standard for Energy Audits of Existing Homes for Public Comment

After over two years of a consensus building process, RESNET has released its draft national standard for energy audits for public review and comment.

Home energy audits have been around for decades. Traditionally a home energy audit has been a survey of the energy uses of a home, recommendations of no/low cost improvements that can be made to the home, and if the home can benefit from more extensive upgrades recommendation a home energy rating or energy analysis by a qualified person. Currently, audits are conducted by home inspectors, utility personnel, and product distributors with no uniform procedures or national qualifications. Most often there is no cost to consumers for the service being that it is a part of an effort to sell a product or service, is part of a home inspection, or is part of a utility’s demand management effort. While there are many uses for the energy audit, there has never been a national standard that defines an energy audit and describes the skills an energy auditor must have.

With the spiraling costs of home heating and cooling, there has been a renewed interest in energy audits and in developing a national standard. To meet this need RESNET undertook a consensus based process to develop a nation standard.

The consensus process involved a 126 member task force representing a wide diversity of experiences and opinions on the issue. For more information on the task force go to http://www.resnet.us/hotnews/taskforce/default.htm . The effort also featured a vetting process with such entities as the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Building Performance Institute and building performance program sponsors.

Public comments on the draft will be accepted until January 17, 2008. At the completion of the comment period the RESNET Board will review the comments and revise the proposed standard where appropriate. The standard will then be submitted to the RESNET Amendment Revision Committee that is composed of three representatives of the rating industry and three representatives of state energy offices. The RESNET Board will then consider the recommendations of the revision committee and then vote on whether to adopt the standard.

RESNET has posted an on-line form to submit your comments and to view other comments submitted at real time.

To download the draft standard and submit comments go to http://www.resnet.us/standards/mortgage/audits/default.htm .

Public comments on both proposed amendments will be accepted until January 17, 2008. To submit comments go to RESNET’s online comment form at http://www.resnet.us/standards/mortgage/amendments/2008/default.htm .

At the completion of the public review and comment period, the RESNET Technical Committee will review the comments and revise the amendments where appropriate. The amendments will then be submitted to the Amendment Revision Committee which is composed of three representatives of the rating industry and three representatives of state energy offices. The RESNET Board of Directors will then consider the recommendations of the revision committee and vote whether to adopt the proposed amendments.
RESNET Posts Preliminary Listing of Sessions to be Offered at the 2008 RESNET Building Performance Conference

You can join RESNET on-line at http://www.resnet.us/membership/become.htm

Steve Baden
Executive Director
RESNET
P.O. Box 4561
Oceanside, CA 92052
Phone: 760-806-3448
Fax: 760-806-9449
sbaden@resnet.us
www.resnet.us