: : RESNET Certified Home Energy Rater Training

La CleanTech partners with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and Performance Home Consulting to offer the only RESNET accredited Rater Training Program in Louisiana.

Students will have two opportunities to take the RESNET rater test during the six days of training. The cost of the test is $50 and is payed online with a credit card.

Students who pass the test will be required to attend three days of field rater training and will perform three complete HERS Ratings needed to complete the Certification process.

Instructor:
Accredited Trainer, Wade Byrd – Performance Building Consulting

Location:
Camp Grant Walker, Pollock, Louisiana (13 miles north of Alexandria)

Dates:
January 30 - Feb. 7th

Classroom Dates:
Saturday, January 30 to Wednesday, February 3, 2010 (8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.)
Total of 39 Contract Training Hours

RESNET Exam and HERO Information:
Thursday, February 4, 2010
(9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.)

Cost of Training: $1,400
(Price includes dormitory style lodging, meals and one daily snack.)
Note: Participants are not required (but highly encouraged) to stay at Camp Grant Walker.  The camp is an absolutely beautiful setting with numerous afternoon activities.  Additionally, staying at the camp will provide a rare learning opportunity with time for afternoon study groups and networking with fellow energy raters.  The camp has high-speed wireless internet and great cell phone coverage.

Three Supervised Rating Dates:
Friday, Feb. 5 to Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010
Note: The opportunity to complete the required three RESNET supervised ratings will be provided for participants with a passing grade on the national rater examination. There will be an additional charge of $100 per day for the three supervised ratings.  (9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.)

Required Text:
Residential Energy by John Krigger
Note: Text is available from www.Amazon.com.  It is highly recommended that the text be read before coming to class.

Registration Instructions:
Please fill out the registration form and submit, and you will be forwarded to the payment page. Payment must be made to reserve your seat.
Please Register <<< CLICK HERE >>>

Meals:
Meals are included, please download the Menu (PDF) for details.

Special Diet
We are not able to make an special accomodations. The meals listed above should work for most everyone. If they are not suitable for your dietary needs you will need to supply your own food.

Class size is limited.  Seating is first come, first served.

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Please Register For RESNET Rater Classes Now <<< CLICK HERE >>>

What is RESNET ?
How to become a RESNET Certified Rater ?
What is the RESNET National Rater Test?
Read the RESNET National Rater Test Study Guide Outline

For more information contact:

Stephen Shelton
Executive Director
Louisiana CleanTech Network
E-mail: sshelton@lacleantech.net
Phone: 504-343-4638

What is RESNET Home Energy Rating ?

RESNET Ratings provides a relative energy use index called the HERS^® Index - a HERS Index of 100 represents the energy use of the "American Standard Building" and an Index of 0 (zero) indicates that the Proposed Building uses no net purchased energy (a Zero Energy Building). A set of rater recommendations for cost-effective improvements that can be achieved by the Rated Building is also produced.

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RESNET's standards are officially recognized by the U.S. mortgage industry for capitalizing a building's energy performance in the mortgage loan, certification of "White Tags" for private financial investors, and by the federal government for verification of building energy performance for such programs as federal tax incentives, the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR program and the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program.

RESNET standards encompass three areas:

• Software accreditation achieved by passing a battery of software verification tests developed by U.S. National Laboratories and RESNET
• Definition of knowledge base and skill sets that a rater must demonstrate through passing an online RESNET National Rater Test
• A quality assurance evaluation that features each Rating Provider employing a certified Quality Assurance Designee. The Quality Assurance Designee must annually independently verify internal consistency of a minimum 10% of all building input files and independently field verify the accuracy of a minimum of 1% of each certified Rater's homes

For more information on RESNET click on What is RESNET.

For information on membership to RESNET click here.

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How to Become a Certified Rater ?

Answers to your questions about being a Rater >>>> CLICK HERE <<<<

A certified home energy rater must successfully complete training by a RESNET Accredited Rater Training Provider and must be certified by a RESNET Accredited Rating Provider.

A rater must successfully complete training by a RESNET accredited rater training organization. The training is conducted in accordance with a syllabus developed by RESNET.

Each candidate rater must perform two ratings including software operations, in the presence of trainers.

Certified Raters must also pass examinations that demonstrate a practical, working ability to effectively use the knowledge and skills set contained in Section 5.3 of Chapter Two of the national home energy rating standard to produce accurate and fair Home Energy Ratings. This examination may either follow training or it may be taken as a challenge examination.

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RESNET National Rater Test

The RESNET National Rater Test is an on-line 50 question true or false / multiple choice test. The test in open book and raters have two hours to complete the test. The test is on building science concepts and rating procedures. Raters receive the results from the test immediately after completing the test. A passing score is 80%. The test must be administered by a RESNET accredited rater training provider. There is a $50.00 fee to RESNET for taking the test.

A Rater Trainer or Rating Quality Assurance Designee who has passed the RESNET Rater Trainer/Quality Assurance Test with a score of 90 or better is considered having met the testing requirement for rater re-certification.

The RESNET National Rater Test's questions are divided into the key categories of building science and home energy ratings. The following are the categories of the test questions and the percentage of questions in each category that are contained in the test:

• Building Science/Heat Transfer (12%)
• Building Diagnostics (10%)
• Air Distribution Leakage (8%)
• Calculating Gross and Net Areas (6%)
• Definitions/Energy Terminology (6%)
• Energy Units (6%)
• Health & Safety Concerns (6%)
• Envelope Leakage (6%
• Determining Envelope Insulation (4%
• Determining Equipment Efficiencies (4%)
• Potential Comfort Problems (2%)
• Household Appliances (2%)
• Measuring Building Dimensions (2%)
• Understanding Building Drawings (2%)
• Completing Scaled Sketches (2%)
• Ethics and Disclosure (2%)
• Understanding Real Estate Financing (2%)
• ID & Document Features of the Rated Home (2%)
• Specifications (2%)
• Quality Assurance (2%)
• Cooling and Heating Design Tradeoffs (2%)
• Reference Home as Defined (2%)
• Projected and Confirmed Ratings (1%)
• Determining Window and Door Efficiency (1%)
• Building and Durability Issues (1%)
• Energy Code Compliance (1%)
• Program Qualifications (1%)
• Determining Building Orientation (1%)
• HERS Score Computation (1%)
• Major U.S. Climate Zones (1%)

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RESNET Rater Test Study Guide Outline

All of the questions in the national rater test were supported by publications and web sites. It would be good to familiarize or secure these resources prior to taking the test. The following are the source documents for the national rater test:

• Builder's Guide, Energy and Environmental Building Association (EEBA)
• Handbook of Fundamentals, ASHRAE
• Manual J, Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA)
• Residential Energy, John Krigger
• Minneapolis Duct Blaster and Blower Door Manuals, The Energy Conservatory
• RESNET, especially the links to:
  • Energy code compliance
  • Energy efficient financing/Fannie Mae product offerings
  • 2006 National Mortgage Industry Technical Standards, especially Chapter 3 and Appendix A
  • Formal Technical Interpretations

To assist certified raters to prepare for the national rater test RESNET has developed a study guide line. To down load the study guide click on RESNET Rater Test Study Guide Outline.

In addition to the study guide outline, it is suggest that raters review the following documents prior to taking the test:

• The rater's rating provider's program's policy and procedures manual
• The rater's accredited rater training provider's rater training manual
• Chapters Two and Three of the Mortgage Industry National Home Energy Rating Standards

Studying these resources should provider a rater with the information needed to pass the test.

Please remember, this is a national test and may cover topics that are not addressed in detail in a particular state's program.

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