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SolarCity Military Deal – More Than Solar Energy

Have you seen the latest news about SolarCity’s deal with the U.S. military to install solar on 160,000 military housing units?

SolarCity logo CNN reported that the deal is 100% privately financed (with federal backing) and that SolarCity will put up to 160,000 rooftop solar installations on top of privately-run military housing complexes at 124 military bases across 34 states.

That is an astounding number of installations! Consider that there were only 16,000 solar installations in the past year, so this deal alone is a ten-fold increase (although there was no mention of how long it would take to complete that many installations).

While the CNN report was light on details, here’s what this deal means for you, me, and America:

1 – Solar Jobs! 160,000 solar installations should mean 6,000 solar jobs, plus the manufacturing jobs and the ongoing maintenance jobs.

2 – Enhanced National Security: Did you know that each major military installation strives to be completely self-sufficient? This usually means having local power generation that can isolate a military base from the civilian grid in the event of a crisis (or other domestic emergency). By installing solar panels on the service member homes, this self-sufficiency requirement becomes a lot easier to manage! Additionally, if there is a domestic emergency, anything that can be done to reassure soldiers that their families are taken care of is a good thing and means that they will be more focused on the mission at hand.

3 – American Clean Energy Leadership: The volume of installations means that the American market for installed solar panels will likely remain #1 for years to come. This is very important because researchers, designers, manufacturers , distributors, innovators, etc. all want to be close to the action. If the action is happening in the U.S., then we have a better chance of keeping that stuff (vs having it all move to China). Hopefully, the deal has a “Buy American” clause in it. However, I would not hold my breath on that one.

4 – Reduced Solar Costs and Increase Installations (beyond the military): Solar panel installation costs have been dropping every year. As solar installers and companies get more experience, they become more efficient. This massive amount of installations will provide the industry with a very experienced solar installer base that should then be able to turn their experience (and lower costs) loose on the private market.

5 – Good for the environment: Obviously, this is good for the environment if we will be able to generate a few hundred megawatts of electricity from renewable energy instead of coal, gas, or nuclear power.

I am excited about this deal! This is smart government! Not small and not big government but smart government at work. As it stands right now, the federal government will not lay out any money for all of the above benefits (granted they are accepting risk by guaranteeing the loans). Good job to the military employees that put this deal together!

If you would like to learn more about solar check out our Solar PV Associate page or call us at (800) 460-2575.

Solar PV Expert Hired in Colorado to Teach Everblue Solar Courses

Sullivan brings five years of solar photovoltaic experience to Everblue and will be working in the company’s Denver, CO branch. Our new solar PV expert has professional experience in many areas of solar energy including design, instruction, installation, consulting, and management.

“Everblue has a unique position in the industry trying to educate and train the greater population in emerging skills (LEED, Solar, BPI, etc.),” Sullivan said. “I am also impressed by Jon and Chris’s veteran background, which has served as a catalyst to launch a business to help reduce our need for foreign oil. They do not have the typical ‘green collar’ worker upbringing, but they are part of the same movement.”

An entrepreneur himself, Sullivan started 303 Solar, a company specializing in solar photovoltaic consulting for the Denver area. Within his work at 303 Solar, Sullivan has experience teaching three- and five-day courses about solar panel installation and commercial solar photovoltaic use. He supervises curriculum development to ensure training programs provide comprehensive and current instruction. He also designs solar arrays and implements solar projects in the area.

Sullivan is excited to join Everblue’s team as a solar instructor: “I have a passion for teaching and spreading solar knowledge; Everblue has a passion for the same thing. It’s a good match,” he said.

To date, Sullivan has sold, installed, and managed over 2 megawatts (MW) of residential and small commercial solar installation. He also uses sustainable energy in his personal life, including a 4.5 kilowatt (kW) solar array and Solatube lights at his home. Sullivan frequently attends community events and trade shows to promote sustainable energy use and to stay informed about recent developments in the sustainability field.

“I have a unique ground-level perspective on what makes a solar company successful,” he said. “I have personally installed, designed, and sold hundreds of residential and commercial solar systems.”

A self-described “solar warrior,” Sullivan’s management, planning, contracting, design, and installation experience will be a great asset to Everblue’s instructional workforce. Sullivan earned his BS in business management from the University of Colorado. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, playing soccer, and gardening.

If you are interested in taking a solar course taught by our local solar PV expert, visit our Solar Associate course page or call us today at 800-460-2575.

BPI Energy Audit Experience in Just 6 Days! Really?

At the Affordable Comfort Inc (ACI) conference, I saw a booth advertising “6 months of BPI energy audit experience in 6 days.” Really. That’s impressive! I don’t buy it, though. (I should have taken a picture).

Here at Everblue, we frequently get asked, “Can I really become an energy auditor in 6 days?” That sounds a little too good to be true, right?

Technically, the answer is that you can get all the training to become a RESNET HERS Rater or BPI certified energy auditor in 5 or 6 days, but that will not make you an expert. From a practical standpoint, if you are new to the industry, the certifications can be a great starting point, but you’ll have to get out into the field and gain real-world experience. The training and certification process is just one step in your journey, but in and of themselves, they are not sufficient.

Everblue’s Energy Auditor courses will challenge you, motivate you, and prepare you to become an energy auditor, but there’s more to the process than just a course. I don’t want to discourage anyone, as you have to start somewhere, and a training course is a great way to “get started.”

A training course offers you the unique opportunity to be in a real house and use energy auditing equipment to go through the steps of a home energy assessment under the supervision of an experienced professional. So while you won’t become a total expert in those 6 days, you’ll get a really good foundation under your belt.

Couple that experience with your actual certification, you’re off to the races!

Of course, if you already have years of BPI energy audit experience, you too can learn a lot and demonstrate your knowledge with a BPI Certification.

Give us a call at 800-460-2575 if you have questions about your energy audit career.

Learn more about Everblue's BPI Building Analyst Training

Certified Energy Auditor Salary: How Much Will I Make?

Let’s face it. Professionals across the country who work in home performance trades are increasingly turning to energy auditing as a new revenue stream and way to upsell clients for their specialty trade work. They’re finding that the certified energy auditor salary is worth the educational investment.

If this sounds like an appealing strategy for you, visit our introductory BPI Certification page and learn how you can make this goal a reality!

HOME ENERGY AUDITORS MAKE GREEN AND SAVE GREEN

Wanna make some money?

Not sure how since the economy’s in the pits.

Want an interesting job that takes you outside the cubical and can’t be outsourced?

Become a home energy auditor and do good by your wallet, while doing well by the planet.

Greening This Old House
Today we’ve got the cutting-edge cool of smart appliances controlled from your iPhone, solar PV displays that spin meters backwards and cellulose insulation that actually cools a home on a hot July day.

Even with all of this eco-bling, good old energy efficiency still proves to be one of the most dramatic sources for energy, carbon and cost reduction. The aging housing stock in America – most homes are pushing 30, 40 even 50 years – is highly energy inefficient. This means that lots of energy and money leaks out through the drafty eves, poorly insulated roofs and leaking ducts of homes nationwide.

The good news is that for the price of a home energy audit, some caulk, quality insulation and CFL or LED bulbs you can cut electric and heating demands of a drafty old century home in northern Vermont by as much as 50%.

Getting In On The Green
With promises of hundreds of dollars in utility savings, a more comfortable indoor environment and doing some good for the planet, homeowners are clamoring for energy audits. To boot, thirty-two states offer some sort of compensation (tax incentives, rebates, grants, loans or low-income subsidization) for home energy audits and efficiency retrofits.

For this reason, the field of energy auditing is growing rapidly. Entering the home energy auditing field is an excellent career choice because it:

Requires little previous knowledge of experience
Pays an annual salary close to $70,000
Is in high demand

New energy auditing businesses are popping up nationwide. Existing tradesmen are adding energy auditor credentials to their toolkits. And homeowners everywhere are seeking qualified professionals to help them save green by going green.

A recent survey conducted by the Building Performance Institute, found that there are 14,000 home energy-auditing professionals in the United States. However, most of these are above the age of 47. This means that as more and more home energy auditors retire, while demand for home energy audits continues to grow, more qualified professionals will be needed.

The survey further noted that approximately 90% of the professionals surveyed make between $15 and $35 per hour. That’s between $30,000 and $70,000 annually! The average home energy audit takes approximately two hours. That’s a nice chunk of change for a profession that requires minimal training and low up-front costs.

Given the high demand, aging workforce, and high certified energy auditor salary, it is an excellent career choice. To learn more about Energy Auditor training, please register for a class near you or call us at (800) 460-2575.

LEED for Homes Green Raters and NAHB Green Verifiers

There are a number of certifications exist to pursue and verify green building and design. Two of the more popular green home building programs are the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED for Homes Program and the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) National Green Building Certification. Both programs require third-party verification from a LEED Green Rater or NAHB Green Verifier.

LEED for Homes Green raters LEED Green Raters are the only raters qualified to work with the LEED for Homes Program, an initiative launched in 2007 by the USGBC to promote the design and construction of high-performance green homes. Qualifications for Green Raters include at least three years of experience in residential construction, the completion of the LEED for Homes Program Review Series and Green Rater training, and the passing of the LEED for Homes Green Rater Exam. Green Rater responsibilities include serving as a liaison between the USGBC and a project’s design team, overseeing all project verification services, and ensuring that Project Submittal Packages are complete.

NAHB Green Verifiers are responsible for ensuring that residential buildings and land developments comply with the National Green Building Standard, a definition of sustainable building practices created in 2007 by the NAHB. The standard defines green building for single and multifamily homes, residential remodels, and site developments. Green Verifiers are responsible for performing site inspections and document reviews and must have previous residential construction experience, green building knowledge, and specific training in the National Green Building Standard. Green Verifiers must also pass an accreditation test and are certified by the NAHB Research Center, the sole certifier for the national NAHB Green Program.

national green building certification program NAHB research center logo Both the LEED and NAHB green home building programs encourage contractors to use sustainable building techniques in the design and construction of homes. They also rely on formal rating systems and similar criteria for evaluating projects. Under NAHB’s National Green Building Standard, projects may collect as many points as necessary without restriction in order to achieve a level of certification. In contrast, the LEED for Homes Program mandates specific requirements that must be met in order to achieve LEED for Homes certification. In addition, LEED is largely recognized as the national benchmark for green commercial building, while NAHB is better known as a trade association that helps to promote policies that make housing a national priority.

While both LEED for Homes and the National Green Building Standard guide green building with similar processes, understanding different building standards will help homebuilders and their clients to capitalize on new opportunities emerging from the ever-expanding green market.

What is NATE Certification? The Official HVAC Certification

What is NATE Certification, you ask? NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence, and certification is for technicians working in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industry within the U.S. and Canada.

Are you ready to take your HVAC knowledge to the next level?

Get NATE Certification Training today!

NATE Certification is achieved through a series of tests to certify professionals in one or more specialty areas. The tests, which total 21, are divided into installation, service, and senior technician paths with specialties ranging from Air Conditioning and Air Distribution to Oil Furnaces and Commercial Refrigeration. The knowledge-based exams are developed by industry experts and are the only tests supported by the HVAC/R industry.

NATE-certified professionals have a real-world knowledge of HVAC/R operations and are recognized by the industry—and more importantly consumers—as experts in the field. By gaining certification, technicians are better prepared for the workforce, remain in the industry longer, and are more productive than non-certified counterparts. NATE Certification also ensures that consumers will receive proper installation and service of all HVAC/R equipment the first time—saving time, energy and money, and resulting in better bottom line results.

According to NATE, nearly 90% of consumers prefer a certified technician to service their HVAC/R needs, a statistic which continues to encourage local HVAC contractors to seek and retain NATE-certified technicians to gain a competitive edge in the industry.

Learn more by visiting Everblue’s NATE Certification Training page.

LEED Employment Outlook: Will LEED Get Me a Job?

As the green building industry grows, you can expect the LEED employment outlook to also explode. Not only can you get a job, but you’ll pick up valuable skills for the future…

Pop quiz. Who wants a job? Now who wants a job that pays well?

That’s what I thought.

The green industry is a great place to shift your career. Green building, in particular, accounts for a vast slice of the green jobs pie. These jobs require new training and new skill sets. Certification programs like LEED will soon become a necessary prerequisite in design and construction fields, and currently give job seekers an undeniable edge.

So What Is LEED Anyway?

LEED is the authority in green design. It tells us which buildings are “green” and who is certified to design “green” buildings.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is an internationally recognized green building certification system started by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council), an independent, third-party non-profit. It uses a point system to grade all aspects of a building’s (or neighborhood’s) environmental impact, from water use, to building materials, to stewardship of resources. Projects are ranked as Silver, Gold or Platinum. Its flexible approach considers the entire lifecycle of the building, applies to all types of buildings and allows for an evolution of the point system.

Growing Green

Fortunately for those of us in the ever-expanding “green” fields, green-collar jobs sit at the nexus of the future. They save energy, save money, and create jobs.

These jobs require skilled labor and innovative design. They are jobs that absolutely cannot be outsourced because they require local people on the ground. That’s a lot of green.

Will LEED Get Me A Job?

Since LEED is a comprehensive rating system that covers areas from citing, to exterior construction, to interior building materials, to operations and maintenance, it touches every individual involved in the lifespan of a building. Architects, engineers, landscape designers, interior designers, facility managers, sustainability coordinators, urban planners, contractors, tradesmen, sales personnel and teachers or professors all benefit from the LEED accreditation program. Click here to see the best jobs for using LEED.

Furthermore, since the green trend touches every aspect of our economy, virtually anyone benefits from attaining, at the very least, a LEED Green Associate certification. This is the most basic level of certification and is also a prerequisite for attaining higher levels of LEED certification. By itself, the Green Associate certification provides a broad understanding of green principles. This is useful in any imaginable field of the future, from education, to business, to sales. The solution to climate change demands that we consider a horizontal approach. A LEED Green Associate certification sets you up to be an authority on green principles, no matter what field you are in.

A quick job search for “LEED” on SimplyHired returns hundreds of job listings, all of which list LEED accreditation as a “major plus” or “required.” As more and more construction shifts towards green design and official LEED Certification, LEED Accredited Professionals will not only be beneficial, they will be mandatory. Anecdotal evidence suggests that anybody currently employment in the design and construction industries will attain more responsibility, more clients and more success after becoming a LEED Accredited Professional.

Of course there is no silver bullet that will snag you that dream job. But in today’s increasingly competitive job market, it’s important to set yourself apart from the pack. The LEED employment outlook is positive, so do what you can to research and join the industry. A LEED Certification is your first step to furthering your green design and construction education, adding an important credential to your resume and finally getting you where you want to be professionally.

Register now for LEED Green Associate Exam Prep

Energy Efficient Homes Tax Credit Will Continue in 2011

After hard work by RESNET and its strategic allies, last night Congress extended the $2,000 federal tax credit for builders who build energy efficient homes. The extension is from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011. The energy efficient homes tax credit extension was part of a sweeping tax package negotiated by the White House and Republican Congressional leaders.

The legislation also includes a provision that extends the tax credit for consumers who purchase qualified energy saving products, but lowers the credit to its pre-economic recovery act levels. The new bill extends the credit to the end of 2011, but reduces the incentive to the original 10% up to $500. Included are provisions limiting window incentives to $200, oil and gas furnace and boiler incentives to $150-200, and water heater and wood heating system incentives to $300. As part of the legislation, Congress tightened the specifications for oil furnaces and boilers and gas boilers to 95% efficiency, up from the 90% efficiency in current credit.

The tax credit for highly energy efficient appliances was extended for one year, and the efficiency criteria and incentives have been updated to provide incentives only for products that are significantly more efficient than today’s average new product. The credit goes to manufacturers.

President Obama is expected to sign the legislation into law this week.

A priority of RESNET is 2011 is to work to have Congress enact legislation for performance based tax credits. This would include creating a performance based credit for comprehensive energy performance upgrades and a higher tax incentive for builders who build homes that are rated a 50 on the HERS Index or lower. There will be a session focused on this at the 2011 RESNET Building Performance Conference.

If you are interested in learning more about RESNET or becoming a RESNET HERS Rater, call us at (800) 460-2575 or register for HERS Rater training!

Combustion Safety Can Prevent Home Occupant Death

We hate to read about tragic incidents like this that could have been prevented by a home energy auditor performing combustion safety testing.

According to the article in the Aspen Daily News, relatives of the victims killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in the Aspen-area home filed a civil lawsuit targeting 12 defendants, including three local men, the owner of the home, the manufacturer of the boiler that allegedly leaked the carbon monoxide, the county, and the county’s community development department.

The lawsuit contains allegations against the 12 parties, including claims of negligence, manslaughter, product liability and civil rights violations.

The lawsuit in the Lofgren case claims five preventable causes that led to the poisoning, including disconnected exhaust piping and fresh-air intake vents, defective design of the boiler unit itself, improper installation of the ventilation system, and the absence of carbon monoxide detectors in the house.

The Building Performance Institute (BPI), an ANSI-accredited national standards-setting organization for home performance, emphasizes “safety and risk reduction as fundamentals that must be practiced on every job,” said David Hepinstall, chairman of the BPI Board of Directors. “We view these key steps not as ‘best practices’ but rather as ‘must practices’ that are imperative for protecting occupant health, reducing liability risk for Accredited Contractors and program managers, and guarding the reputation and growth of the home performance and weatherization industry as a whole. We remind each and every one of our stakeholders to never relax their efforts when it comes to safety.”

“Our hearts go out to the Lofgrens’ family and friends, because carbon monoxide poisoning deaths can be and should be prevented. Examples like these are the precise reason why we have standards and why BPI Accredited Contractors and their Certified Professionals must conform to those standards. Anything less can result in tragedy for families and adverse consequences for contractors, manufacturers, program managers and anyone and everyone connected with the project, however distantly,” said Larry Zarker, CEO of BPI.

“This is also why we add a double layer of protection with our Quality Assurance Program on the work of BPI Accredited Contractors. By verifying that the work conforms to our standards, including all safety tests, we greatly reduce the risk of horrific things happening. Quality assurance helps protect occupants from real danger and helps protect contractors from liability. It also provides a marketable point of differentiation by allowing BPI Accredited Contractors and the incentive program managers who specify them to offer their customers increased peace of mind,” he added.

BPI national standards include combustion safety and carbon monoxide protection provisions that must be followed whenever heating systems or the building envelope are altered, including:

A preliminary and post-installation safety inspection of all combustion appliances
Carbon monoxide (CO) measurement at each appliance
Draft measurement and spillage evaluation for atmospherically vented appliances
Worst-case negative pressure measurement for each combustion appliance zone (CAZ)

To BPI’s knowledge, none of the individuals or companies involved in the current civil or previous criminal cases were in any way connected with the BPI organization at the time of the Lofgren family’s deaths.

To learn more about combustion safety, become a certified BPI Building Analyst and learn how to diagnose health and safety issues in a home.

BPI Accreditation Program Goes a Step Beyond BPI Certification

The Building Performance Institute offers two programs, and it can be confusing to know which to pursue. Let’s talk about BPI Certification and the BPI Accreditation program.

There are a number of BPI Certifications that an individual can earn. The basic and most popular certification is called BPI Building Analyst. Typically, a BPI Building Analyst is also called an Energy Auditor. The next most popular BPI certification is the BPI Envelope/Shell Professional. After BPI Building Analyst and BPI Envelope, the other credentials BPI credentials are called Heat Pump, Heating, Air Condition, Multifamily, and Manufactured Housing. All of the advanced specialties are growing rapidly. However, many of the advanced specialties required in-depth trade knowledge to pass the exams. For example, the BPI Multifamily specialty requires in-depth knowledge of boiler systems.

On to the BPI Accreditation program…a BPI Accredited contractor is typically called a “Home Performance Contractor” (sometimes you’ll see “with ENERGY STAR” following the title). The point of accreditation is to label those contractors who have both the training and have incorporated quality control systems in place to truly look at the home as a system. A home performance contractor will come to a home not as a single trade (ie, an HVAC tech whose sole aim is to sell you a new HVAC unit) but rather from a holistic approach that includes insulation, air sealing, appliance efficiency, duct testing, and more. Once the work is selected, a BPI Accredited contractor will ensure that quality repairs or energy retrofits are made to the home.

So, if you are an individual looking to become an Energy Auditor, you will want to gain multiple certifications to expand your knowledge and to be able to market your services.

Jan. 2020 Update – if you’re looking for more information about the BPI Accreditation program, it seems that initiative has been rebranded and redesigned to become the BPI GoldStar Contractor program.