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Certifying The Texas Workforce As Retrofit Specialist. |
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Providing a path for
displaced construction workers to be trained in proper methods that accomplishes sound building practices while adhering too the standards of: RESNET, EPA, ENERGYSTAR, DOE, HUD, WAP, TDHCA |
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But the legislation covers much more than weather sealants. What sorts of
things would be eligible
for government rebates if "Cash for Caulkers" becomes law?
Undercover investigation alleges Energy Star label granted to fake products.
Eligible retrofits include
pretty much anything that blocks entry of cold (or hot) air into a house. That
includes sealants, foams, gaskets, weather stripping, mastics, and lots of
other similar items on sale now in an aisle of your favorite Do It Yourself
home repair store.
Attic and wall insulation are eligible -- though they have to meet certain
standards outlined in the bill. For instance, crawl space insulation has to
cover at least 500 square feet if Uncle Sam is going to help cover its
cost.
Window replacements are eligible, but at least eight windows, or 75 percent of a
home's exterior windows and skylights, have to be included in the replacement
effort, according to the bill's fine print.
Home-Improvement windows and window film are eligible, too. But again, they have
to cover most of the glass area of the home in question. (Standards would
be lower for historic homes, for all you folks who live in drafty Victorians.)
Door replacements are included as well -- and you only have to swap out one.
New furnaces and heat pumps are eligible. But they have to meet efficiency
criteria which are pretty complicated. Consult your contractor. (Remember,
the bill is not law yet – it has a long ways to go.)
Air conditioners? Water heaters? Other similar energy-saving appliances. Yes,
yes, and yes.
Under the House bill, consumers would have two ways of tapping into "Cash
for Caulkers" money.
Under the "Silver Star" program, they would get rebates totaling up to
$3,000 for energy efficiency house retrofits. Cash would be limited to 50
percent of total project cost, however. Individual appliances would be
eligible for rebates of $250.
Under the "Gold Star" program, homeowners would be eligible for a
$3,000 rebate if they conduct a whole-house energy analysis and install
stuff that increases their overall energy efficiency by 20 percent. Plus,
they'd be eligible for an additional $1,000 rebate for each further five-percent
efficiency improvement, up to a grand total maximum top line of $8,000 in
government cash.
TRAINING CLICK
HERE
Obama Speaks to Press on Job Numbers Report, "Cash for Caulkers"
program
The President also took time to focus on the HOMESTAR program that recently
passed the House. Also known as the “Cash for Caulkers” program, it is
intended to help increase jobs here at home by offering rebates to consumers for
energy efficient upgrades. Program rebates include the “Silver Star Rebate,”
which is from $1000-$1500, and the “Gold Star Rebate,” which is a $3000.
Consumers would be eligible for rebates based on such simple energy upgrades as
insulation, duct sealing, and water heaters, as well as for more complicated
“energy retrofits.”
The White House anticipates that in addition to the rebates, customers will save
up to $500 per year in costs for energy for their homes, and the need for
installers and extra production of energy efficient products will result in a
substantial increase in new jobs.
President Obama is urging members of the Senate to cooperate in passing this
legislation, as it could go a long way to creating jobs and bolstering the
nation’s economy.
Text of the “Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 – H.R. 5019” passed by
the House can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c111query.html
“Most of the insulation used in American homes is manufactured right here in
the United States,” said Kate Offringa, President and CEO of the Council of
NAIMA. “For energy efficiency and job creation, you need look no further than
to the insulation industry. The insulation retrofit programs created by Home
Star will create jobs, save energy and save Americans on their utility bills.
Our industry is ready to help Congress deliver on its promises of job creation
and a more sustainable energy future for all Americans.”
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives took the first step toward making
H.R. 5019 – the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act – law. The Home Star program
is designed to spur home energy retrofits by providing direct incentives to
homeowners to install energy-saving products, including insulation, and conduct
whole-home retrofits. Studies show approximately 65 percent of the new jobs
created from provisions in the House legislation will go to the 10 states that
have suffered the most job losses.
“The Council of NAIMA represents manufacturers of all types of insulation
products. The jobs created by Home Star will expand the tax base and be a
tremendous shot in the arm for the construction industry, where unemployment has
reached 24 percent,” Offringa continued.
“Although this bill only authorizes the program—and doesn’t appropriate
any actual dollars—House passage is an important step in the legislative
process,” Offringa said. “Today’s actions on Capitol Hill will keep
momentum moving toward final enactment. The Council and its members stand ready
to help the Senate finish this critical legislative work so our workers can get
back on the job and get this economy humming again.”
About the Council of NAIMA The Council of the North American Insulation
Manufacturers Association advocates for policies and programs that mandate,
encourage, and incentivize increased energy efficiency through insulation in new
and existing residential and commercial buildings and industrial applications.
Membership in the Council of NAIMA is open to thermal and acoustical insulation
manufacturers – regardless of insulation product type – and their suppliers
located in North America.
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House Passes $6.6 Billion 'Cash for Caulkers' Bill
The House passed another in its long series of runaway spending bills, this time
it’s the $6.6 billion “cash for caulkers” weatherization bill.
In a vote of 246-161 the House voted to spend more of the American taxpayers’
hard-earned dollars on gimmicky, big government “stimulus” spending. The
bill would pay homeowners thousands of dollars in rebates to remodel their homes
with new windows, doors and insulation.
The House first passed a Republican “motion to recommit” by a vote of 346 to
68 making Democrats pay for the bill with an offset if the resulting new
government programs are found to add to the deficit
Both President Barack Obama and the top House Republican found reason for praise
in a series of House votes Thursday for a weatherization program.
Obama hailed the House's passage of the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, a bill
which provides subsidies to make homes more energy efficient, while House
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) praised a vote to force Democrats to pay
for the $6.6 billion program.
Honeywell's Enovate(TM)PRO Weatherization Contractor Program.
Under the partnership, GreenFiber will become a distributor of Honeywell's new
line of weatherization products, which are available only to contractors who are
certified under Honeywell's weatherization contractor program. GreenFiber will
also help select contractor partners to become part of the program, which is
designed to help contractors expand their business offerings in the area of air
sealing and weatherization for homes and commercial buildings.
"We are very pleased to partner with GreenFiber, a leader in natural fiber
insulation materials, to expand the weatherization contractor program,"
said Bryan Magnus, business manager for weatherization products and services at
Honeywell. "GreenFiber's broad industry and national sales force make them
an excellent partner for distributing the exclusive line of Honeywell products
and services."
GreenFiber, which recently introduced a new, premium all borate blow-in natural
fiber insulation that is ideal for retrofit projects, this year launched a
training program to help contractors grow their businesses through
weatherization improvement projects.
"Providing exceptional weatherization products and training opportunities
for contractors is a key goal of GreenFiber," said Harold Pinkston,
marketing director for US GreenFiber, LLC. "We are excited to partner with
a national leader like Honeywell to continue to bring new resources that will
help contractors build their businesses and service homeowners."
The Honeywell weatherization contractor program is designed to provide
insulation, HVAC and other contractors with professional development training
specifically designed to allow them to perform air sealing and weatherization
work on homes or commercial buildings. The training includes analyzing the
building envelope; methods and products for air sealing and weatherization; and
health and safety best practices.
In addition to being trained by Honeywell, contractors are required to become
certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) in order to become
Authorized Honeywell EnovatePRO Contractors. These contractors then have access
to Honeywell EnovatePRO products and materials, including foam sealants and
commercial grade weather stripping, used to perform weatherization contracting
work.
Air sealing and weatherizing homes is one of the most effective ways homeowners
can save energy and make homes more comfortable. According to the Air Barrier
Association of America, a typical 2,500-square-foot home has more than a half
mile of cracks and crevices. The U.S. government estimates that air leakage
accounts for 25 to 40 percent of energy used for heating and cooling the average
home.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated $5 billion to
enhance the government's Weatherization Assistance Program, which allows
families to reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy
efficient. Additionally, President Barack Obama last December proposed a new
program that would reimburse homeowners for energy-efficient appliances and
insulation. Under the program, widely called Cash for Caulkers, a homeowner
could receive up to $12,000 in rebates for investment in home weatherization.
Training Program Objectives
Successful students will:
Be able to describe the purpose and process of home energy auditing
Be able to communicate the purpose and process to the public and agency clients
Be qualified and competent to perform field inspections and building diagnostics
necessary to make meaningful recommendations for installation measures that will
enhance comfort, health, safety, building durability and energy savings
Be capable of describing the scope of work/retrofit measures needed to
weatherize the building
Be qualified to perform post remediation inspection audits to verify
weatherization efforts
Prepare to take written and field testing for Building Performance Institute
certification Chronology
Training Overview
Our training program will help you prepare for BPI's Building Analyst written
and field tests, and will open your eyes to a new way of thinking about
residential buildings.
You will come to understand how the house works as a system, why homes fail, and
how to use the latest building science technology to help resolve residential
heating, cooling, base load and air leakage problems. By using a "whole
house" performance-based approach, you will address a comprehensive range
of interrelated building issues and be able to provide your clients with a more
comfortable, safe, durable and energy-efficient home.
Chronology
Day 1 8:30am to 5:00pm
Introductions
Fundamentals of Building Performance - Building Performance Basics
Performing the Occupant Interview
Site Design Inspection - Moisture Control and Site Design
Combustion Safety Testing: Carbon Monoxide, Targeting Health and
Safety,Interpreting the Blower Door
Day 2 8:30am to 5:00pm
Infiltration
Air Flow
Identify and Control Air Leakage
Air-Balancing Building Zones
Building Performance Reviewing BPI standards
Day 3 8:30am to 5:00pm
Ventilation: Controlled Airflow for the Home, Moisture Control and Ventilation
Insulation Performance: Framing Inspection, Infrared Imaging
Field Activities: The diagnostic energy audit with BPI testing
Day 4 8:30am to 5:00pm
In Field Training at Test House
Real World - Insulation Performance & Thermal boundary, Windows and doors,
Pressure and Thermal Boundary and CAZ testing
Day 5 8:30am to 12:00 Noon
Course Review, Preparation & Discussion
BPI written test (on-line) with live proctor - 2 hour allotment
BPI field tests (*Out of Town Candidates will have priority but this must be
scheduled in advance)
Schedule will consist of the following--------------
* 3 days of classroom instruction-------- * 1.5 day of field training in a Real
House, not a Lab!
* 8 hour sessions (including breaks)----- *Text books are included ----* Testing
certification fees apply
Training Topics
* Health and Safety
* Fundamentals of building science
* Identify building performance problems including ice dams, mold and mildew,
and indoor air quality issues
* Energy consumption analysis
* Analyze buildings using blower doors with an Emphasis on Infrared Thermal
Imaging technology and other diagnostic equipment
* Assess building tightness, mechanical and distribution systems and combustion
safety for a "whole house" performance-based approach
* Building airflow standards
* Heat loss calculations for existing and improved conditions
* Practical application of blower door combustion safety testing and other
Thermal diagnostics for assessing air leakage and efficiency in buildings.
Introduction to Pressure Diagnostics Description: This is a 2-day
Non-Certification training course. It is designed to provide the participant
with an understanding of pressure diagnostics analysis and includes both
classroom and field experience. Participants will learn the proper set up,
operation and use of the Blower Door. How to use the Manometer to perform
pressure diagnostics, locate problems and find solutions to ineffective energy
problems with the residential environment.
Infrared Thermography for Energy Performance Course
You will learn from Certified Thermographers in the field. Our classes are kept
small so everyone can participate and filled on a first-come, first-served
basis. This exclusive new 2-day course offers hands-on class experience and
covers Thermal Imaging camera setup and operation, image downloading and basic
report generation, fundamentals of Infrared theory, heat transfer, as well as
use with other testing equipment. You will learn the insider techniques, tips
and tricks for getting most from your Infrared Thermal Imager, as well as
protocols on weatherization Thermal Scan surveys and application examples. You
don't have to have an Infrared camera to sign up for this course.
Course Outline
Introduction to Infrared thermography
Learn how to operate your Infrared camera for Energy Performance analysis
Understanding of your environmental and target conditions necessary to
successfully find problems through an introduction to Heat transfer and Infrared
Science
Learn about existing standards; their strengths and weaknesses
See application examples through demonstrations and in-depth discussions
Apply your knowledge through Application lab exercises
Learn how to conduct a Thermal Scan of a single family residence
Learn how to create an effective Energy Performance report
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