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- Who takes this course and why?
- Do I need any experience?
- What requirements or qualification do I need?
- What's in it for me?
- How do I become a Certified Home Efficiency Consultant?
- What work schedule will I have to follow?
- How long does it take to become a Home Efficiency Consultant?
- What does it cost for the training?
- Are there start-up costs?
- What does it take to be successful?
- Why is there a need for a Home Efficiency Consultant?
- As a Home Efficiency Consultant exactly will I do for the homeowner?
- Does the Home Efficiency Consultant actually perform work to fix these energy inefficient problems?
- How do I get clients?
- How much money will I make for each Home Efficiency Consultation?
- I know most older homes weren’t constructed with energy costs in mind, but what about new homes? Is there any need for a Home Efficiency Consultant for newly build homes?
- What if I have client questions I cannot answer or I need some other type of support?
- Who takes this course and why?
Two types of people take this course. Those who are looking for a new and rewarding full or part time occupation and those who want to be trained to evaluate their own homes.
- Do I need any experience?
No prior experience is needed. You will receive complete training and be able to confidently and proficiently conduct your business. We even offer continuing education classes.
- What requirements or qualification do I need?
You should have a car (unless you are working in a city that has sufficient public transportation or pedestrian access to reach your prospective clients), a flashlight, a clip board, and a few good pens. Plus, you need to be physically able to climb steps and be a good listener. The reporting system does not require a great amount of writing, but you also need a computer and internet access. A digital camera or camera feature on a phone is preferred but not required and a step ladder is recommended for the occasional access to attics through hatches. We also recommend a compass to more accurately identify the south facing façade which helps in the reporting to determine viability for any future active or passive solar installation opportunities. A cell phone is simply recommended as a convenience if you need clarification with directions on the way to a client’s home.
To participate in the online training program, there are "minimum system requirements. Individuals will need a PC, Mac, or Linux system with a JAVA enabled browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari, Opera) and a broadband connection to the Internet – minimum of 1.44Mbs (T1)
- What's in it for me?
This is a well paying full time or part time occupation. It is an entry point into the green collar industry. You are only limited by your degree of ambition.
- How do I become a Certified Home Efficiency Consultant?
Before becoming a Certified Home Efficiency Consultant our trainees have to complete a multi-stage certification process. This process includes the following:
- Sign-up and pay for your class
- Completion of Pre-Course Materials – trainees are expected to come prepared to the first class by reviewing the materials provide in advance of the training.
- Completion of In-Class Training – depending on the course type, trainees either participate in one or two days of in-class training (8am – 5pm each day).
- Completion of Homework Assignment between classes
- Completion of 5 In-field Practical Home Efficiency Checkup Samples - designed to help our trainees become accustomed to our proprietary reporting tool and the process of reviewing a home’s energy efficiency. Many of the trainees use the homes of their friends, family, and neighbors.
- Completion of References – trainees must receive at least two favorable recommendations from two of the five homeowners that received the sample Home Efficiency Checkup.
- Confirmation of Insurance – all trainees must, at a minimum, secure limited liability insurance
- Upon completing the prior requirements the trainee schedules his/her certification exam (pass/fail). The exam includes fifty multiple choice questions that are randomly pulled from a pool of over two hundred fifty potential questions, resulting in a unique test for each trainee. The test is open book with a 70 minute timed duration.
- Once certified, our Certified Home Efficiency Consultants must maintain their certification by participating in and completing annual certification requirements. This is parallel to the BPI and RESNET programs. Currently there are no State or Federal Certification for Energy Auditing since it is conducted by National Industry Certifying organizations such as BPI, RESNET, and GREENandSAVE. BPI certification requires candidates to perform a field Blower Door and Combustion Safety Test, RESNET includes the successful use of REMrate software for HERS (Home Energy Rating System) and GREENandSAVE requires the successful use of the HEC software (Home Efficiency Checkup) and Return on Investment Report for a minimum of five residences prior to testing. Each of the three Certification Programs includes a multiple-choice Certification Exam.
- What work schedule will I have to follow?
You set your own work schedule depending on your and your client’s availability.
- How long does it take to become a Home Efficiency Consultant?
The course is over two Saturdays with interim ‘practical’ components that can be done before or after typical work hours.
- What does it cost for the training?
The typical registration fee is $995 however scholarships are available.
- Are there start-up costs?
If you are doing this to evaluate your own home the cost will be your training. If you are doing this to earn a certificate as a Certified Home Efficiency Consultant you will be required to have insurance which costs $50 to $60 per month. We also recommend you become an LLC and get set up with Quick Books to manage your money and taxes. These last two services that cost approximately $250 each. We explain this in full detail in the course instructions.
- What does it take to be successful?
The two most important factors affecting your level of success are your attitude and your level of ambition. Other essential qualities are your ability to study and to follow a marketing plan. Naturally, you will want to be a professional in all aspects from dress to demeanor.
- Why is there a need for a Home Efficiency Consultant?
As you know energy costs are on the rise and will continue to rise as times passes. Home owners are increasingly looking for ways to cut home expenses. Heating and air conditioning alone account for over 40% of the typical home’s utility bill. While the average home owner can do much to greatly reduce home energy costs, most do not know how to adequately identify the areas where they are wasting energy much less know how to fix them. A Home Efficiency Consultant can do both and do it at an affordable price.
- As a Home Efficiency Consultant exactly will I do for the homeowner?
Your Home Efficiency Check up includes a combination of sit down review and a one to two hour walk-through session where you will use a comprehensive check list to identify problem areas that waste utilities. After you have completed the walk through, you will sit down with the home owner to go over your findings, make initial recommendations and answer their questions. In advance of the Home Efficiency Check up, you will ask them to have on hand as many utility bills as possible from the past year, and following the session, you will prepare the report based on the findings during the consultation.
- Does the Home Efficiency Consultant actually perform work to fix these energy inefficient problems?
No, that is not your function. Many times the home owner can make some of the corrections themselves, other times it will be necessary to use a professional tradesman to make the repairs. Once you have completed your check list, you will make some initial recommendations to the home owner; give them a cost estimation based on national averages for your recommendations plus expected savings and the amount of return for their investments also based on national averages.
- How do I get clients?
You will continue to receive support in the form of both continuing education and lead generation. Our company has a strategic partnership with the National Association of Realtors. They have over 1.2 million members and their Green ReSource Council Home Efficiency Checkup via $100 off coupons distributed to their Green ReSource Council 'Designees' each have accesss to distribute our $100 'Gift Certificates' which discount Home Efficiency Checkups for their past, current, and prospective clients. We dispatch the leads to the appropriate consultant based on service area and in exchange ask that you honor the coupon. In addition, we are nationally marketing this service and have been featured on ABC and NBC news and in publications like Forbes and US Weekly. We also participate in tradeshows around the country and online we rank at the top of the search engines for “home efficiency checkup”.
The GREENandSAVE team is dedicated to supporting our consultants with the leads and marketing need to succeed. Our Certified Home Efficiency Consultants also can help grown their business themselves by using the marketing materials we provide (personalized fliers, yard signs, brochures, etc), speaking to groups in their communities and from referrals (many Consultants find that they receive several referrals from their initial 5 sample homes).
- How much money will I make for each Home Efficiency Consultation?
Depending on the size of the home; you will receive $150 to $395 for each consultation. If you have the available time and enough ambition, you can do one, two, or even three checkups each day.
- I know most older homes weren’t constructed with energy costs in mind, but what about new homes? Is there any need for a Home Efficiency Consultant for newly build homes?
The trend today is for builders to construct homes that are more energy efficient. However this consideration is in the very beginning stages and many, if not most, new homes built today are not as energy efficient as they can be; there are almost always opportunities for improvement since the building codes are typically not set at the optimal levels of energy efficiency.
- What if I have client questions I cannot answer or I need some other type of support?
The GREENandSAVE Eco Academy team takes every reasonable means to be available to support its Home Efficiency Consultants. Since the final report is prepared by the Consultant after the session, the Consultant has the opportunity to get feedback from the Eco Academy team prior to submitting the report.