Stop. Exhale. Close your eyes. Wait, no… keep them open. Now inhale and repeat.  As you take in the crisp Colorado morning air, take in the awe inspiring surroundings of September in the Rocky Mountains. It’s hard to describe how beautiful Colorado is in late summer. It’s simply one of the best times of year to visit.

As always, this year’s RaterFest is poised at this time of year to offer up the best of Colorado and provide you access to a few of our industries finest professionals.  Already, we have outdone ourselves with our speaker line-up, and we expect an early sell out for this year’s festivities.  We are excited and honored to announce this year’s keynote speaker; Mark LaLiberte.

As a distinguished trainer, author, and consultant, Mark LaLiberte (of LaLiberte Online Inc. and Construction Instruction Inc.) has devoted over two decades to educating the home-building industry about the benefits of constructing durable, energy efficient, healthier, more environmentally sustainable homes. It’s his commitment to helping the building industry that keeps Mark traveling nationwide, reaching more than 8,000 builders annually. A very high demand presenter, Mark has been featured at leading industry events such as the NAHB International Builders Show, PCBC, West Coast Green, Sunbelt Builders Show, Energy Star Summit, GreenBuild and JLCLive conferences. Every energy and building professional (from rater to HERS provider, builder to LEED provider) should see Mark at least on time while working in our industry.

I’ve had the pleasure of hiring Mark to speak with a wide range of audiences throughout the years, including homeowners, builders, code officials, trades, and others.  Mark has the talent to comfortably engage with people at any technical level. There are few trainers that I’ve come across in my work with this ability.  Beyond his immense expertise and excellence in the home performance industry Mark is truly one of the best presenters working in our industry. If you haven’t seen Mark before, this is your opportunity!

“This was my first RaterFest (2012) and I loved it. The overall energy of the conference was great and I think that there is something special about being at 7000′ with no cell phone service. The size and remoteness of this conference make it a unique experience. I felt that I really connected with some folks and did not miss the oversized trade-show atmosphere one bit.” 2012 RaterFest Participant

We hope you see you all there! RaterFest 2013

Matt Thornberry
Deputy Director of ePro Services
EnergyLogic Academy

 

 

What should a HERS Provider expect from a prospective HERS Rater Candidate looking for either a job or a Provider?  Well, you would expect that having passed the core competency test and completed two ratings under the supervision of a HERS Trainer would mean that you could seamlessly begin the certification process. The Provider, which may or may not be the same company that did the training,  oversees the certification process. During the process, the candidate completes at least three more ratings to demonstrate competency to the Provider, the entity who will ultimately “create” a HERS Rater.  I’m afraid making the assumption that someone who has completed rater training is prepared for the industry bears out the old saying of what happens when you assume things.

As a RESNET Accredited HERS Provider (now called “QA Provider” in the RESNET Standards), we have rater candidates come to us from all over the United States.  Some of them have come through our own training with EnergyLogic Academy.  But others have obtained their training elsewhere.  Our experience has been, in many cases, that folks trained by some, let’s say less rigorous training organizations require significant additional training and in some more egregious cases, re-training to get to the level that we expect from a rater candidate.  Consider these first-hand accounts from students who have come from other trainings that we’ve worked with:

• Never touched actual field equipment, they only got to watch the instructor
• Twenty plus in a class with one instructor
• Never visiting the field at all, i.e.  “from plans” only ratings
• Training in a hotel conference room, never visiting the field

Here are our general impressions:

• Most students come in with an absolutely minimal knowledge of REM/Rate
• Most students didn’t get anything remotely like the field experience that we believe they should get in training
• Most students relate to us that they have a very low comfort level with equipment

In summary, most students are NOT prepared to begin the next steps- Probationary Ratings with their HERS Rating/QA Provider.  It is the responsibility of the trainer to produce a student who can reasonably begin the process of becoming a certified Rater.  Trainers that can’t or won’t do that are doing a disservice to both the student and the industry.

From Scott Doyle, our Director of Energy Professional Services and our Lead HERS Trainer –

We think being a RESNET Accredited Rating Provider AND a rating company AND Rater Trainers changes our perspective.  How well should students be prepared after leaving Rater training?  How much should they know?  How sure do you need to be as a trainer that each and every student can run the diagnostic tests, gather field data, and properly represent the tested home with software modeling?  Well, if our RESNET Provider Seal is going on the reports that those raters give out to clients -or in the case of our own staff raters, the EnergyLogic name and company logo are right at the top of every report- they better have the best training possible.  Our name and reputation are on the line when a poorly trained Rater joins the workforce.  All RESNET Accredited Training Providers should understand this — bad training leads to incompetence in the workforce.  And that erodes the entire credibility of our industry.  If we expect to be here five or ten years from now, we had better hold ourselves and our students to a higher standard.

We take training very seriously and that’s why.

We recently rolled out an advanced online training for our Rater Partners and prospective Rater Partners to help fill these gaps.  We have always been stringent in our certification requirements, and now we have measurable results through our learning management system that can help in finding and filling those gaps.  

Are you committed to your success?  Here are our top 5 things every rating company (or any company) should do!

1.  Have Goals

If you don’t have any goals, you surely won’t achieve them.

This is a play on Yogi Berra’s famous, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.” But think about it.  Most businesses don’t have a clearly defined set of goals. If they do, they may be too lofty (i.e. is it a mission or is it a goal?). They may not refine them as they are reached or as the world shifts around them.  Imagine a horseshoe manufacturer around the time that “horseless” carriages started to take off.  Think they needed to adjust their goals or even the entire business model?

2.  Be Accountable to Someone

Please, someone, anyone!  If everyone in your organization isn’t accountable to someone, then they are accountable to no one.  That goes most of all for you if you’re the leader.  Most of us that have the mantle of leadership might say that we are accountable to everyone in the organization.  That’s true, sort of.  But who above you are you accountable to?  Who is your trusted advisor, who will truly hold your feet to the fire?

3.  Know Where You are as a Business

Every business has a lifecycle. There are a number of great books that include discussions about this.  The venerable E-Myth is one and not as well-known is one called Navigating the Growth Curve.  As you guide your organization through its lifecycle, it is critical to know where you are and what’s coming around the bend. The great news is that you aren’t alone, many have blazed the same path!

4.  Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

One of the great temptations in life, especially as a type A personality is to try to work on your weaknesses. As a business leader, it’s a mistake to focus on your weaknesses instead of playing to your strengths.  If you are a natural cheerleader, play to that.  If you are naturally process driven, go there. Hire the things that you suck at.

 

5.  Start with Plan A

You don’t really need a Plan B if you don’t have a Plan A. Too many organizations don’t even have a Plan A.  If you don’t have one, build one. Go ahead, I’ll wait… just kidding, but if you don’t have a plan, you need to start developing one.  Again, there are myriad books, articles and other references including mentors and coaches to help you work on this key area of business success.  Another great thing! – you get to refine the plan over and over, so your work in learning how to do this will serve you in the future.

 

EnergyLogic is committed to helping our partners succeed in business.  Our newest HERS Provider service is called Premium Provider.  Part of the package for Premium Provider is business coaching and mentoring.  All of the points above are part of the work we can do together.  As with many things that we believe in, if you don’t work with us on these things, work with someone, it’s critical to your success.

How does one celebrate the Mustaches of Building Science?

Well, we’re not really sure, so we made something up.

In preparation for ACI next week, and a late celebration of International Mustache Day (February 24th) we are pleased to present you with our timely game of “Whose Stash Is That?” Game.

The game was originally labeled, “Ew, Whose Stash Is That?” but we changed the name after our Photoshop wizard stopped grossing out after she finished defining the difference between upper lip hair and the nose hair of our various unsuspecting entries.

So, without further ado, or blather..

WHOSE STASH IS THAT?

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, the glory of them all!

Can you match the man to the stash?

Your options are:

• Brett Dillon
• Neil Moyer
• John Proctor
• Paul Raymer
• Dave Roberts
• Peter Troast

Hope the anticipation doesn’t kill you.

One more note, we did not ask permission… umm. Sorry!

Update:  05/1/2013

Here are your results!

Thanks for letting us play. (And don’t be afraid to celebrate Photoshop!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EnergyLogic is Leading Professionals to the Water

Premium Provider Services Part 4

You can lead an Energy Geek to water…

• but they probably won’t drink it unless it’s from a low flow fixture.
• and they’ll wonder where the water came from and ask to inspect the site
• and once they arrive they’ll marvel at the water
• and then they’ll search the shoreline for evidence of its origin
• and even then you can’t make them drink.

However, we are doing our best to entice you to Quench Your Thirst to Learn by offering deep training discounts to Premium Provider Members.

All Premium Provider Members (including their staff and client network) will receive 50% discount for online EnergyLogic Academy trainings.

The EnergyLogic Academy was built on the foundation that your success is our success. Our focus has always been to prepare our clients and students to be the best educated home energy professionals in the industry.  EnergyLogic Academy has invested heavily in courses that offer the highest quality trainings available.  In order to continue offering trainings we are looking for Premium Partners to invest a little in their thirst to learn and we will meet you more than halfway to continue offering premium training services to help you, your staff, and clients all grow professionally.

EnergyLogic Academy currently offers a complete and comprehensive online training program and we believe it is the best in our industry.  Our online classes provide interactive learning resources; interaction with classmates and instructors through forums; complete activities that reinforce your knowledge; and finally quizzes and tests to measure your comprehension.  These courses are more comprehensive than our competitors for one reason: We challenge you during training so you are ready for the challenges of the field.

The deepest discount is offering SketchUp and ENERGY STAR v3 trainings at no additional cost to all premium members and their staff. And yes, this includes sales and office staff. We think these two trainings are important to the success of any rating company.  If you’re not already using SketchUp for takeoffs you’re missing out on a more accurate, visually appealing, and quicker form of takeoffs (cuts takeoffs in half).  ENERGY STAR v3 is important for all staff to understand and have working knowledge of, plain and simple.

The more staff you have the more valuable Premium Provider Membership becomes!  Sign up today by emailing ratersupport@nrglogic.com or calling 970-556-7195.

 

Glenn Pease
Technical Lead
EnergyLogic, Inc.

Here is my personal guide to things to do in Denver especially focused on eating and drinking and things that you can walk to from the 16th St. Mall.

Disclaimer:  This is my personal list, it reflects places I’ve been and things that I enjoy.  Good luck!

PDF attached below or scroll down for links and a separate map…

ACI – Welcome to Denver! Steve’s Guide

@elstevebyers

#acinational2013

@aciadvancing

#aciafterdark

 

 

 

ACI – Welcome to Denver –

The Mile-High City, Queen City of the West, Queen City of the Plains, Wall Street of the West and a whole lot more!

Welcome all my fellow ACI attendees to Denver.  I can tell you right now that I’m quite proud of our fine city.  We’ve done a tremendous amount of work in the past many years.  This is a photo from the Denver Post of the Rockies opening day twenty years ago…
The city is barely recognizable from this photo.  Old Mile High in the foreground – gone.  McNichols Arena next to it – gone. No Coors Field, LoDo a place you didn’t go because there was no reason to go.  We’ve got a tremendous amount of in-fill and density happening.  We’ve got light-rail; we have a recovered river.  It’s good stuff.

In some ways, it’s back to the future…

Wow!  Downtown is exciting again.  And that brings me to the objective of this missive.  One thing I can say about the people at ACI is that they work hard, really hard.

They barely leave the hotel.  So this is my clarion call to you to… leave the hotel!

A great city is at your doorstep when you are downtown like this.  I’ve put together my personal list of favorite places to eat and drink, listen to music and focused it primarily on what you can walk to with a few exceptions.

Just like your great city, the history is rich and pride runs deep.

I hope that you can take a few minutes or better yet, an extra day or two and see some of what we have to offer.  Once again, welcome!

My twitter handle is @elstevebyers and if you want to reach me that way for guidance or an opinion, I’ll do my best!

 

Must See!

Denver Art Museum – a few blocks from the conference and really lovely.  If you’re in early, Georgia O’keeffe leaves after 4/28.

Confluence Park – at the west end of the mall, ride the tram and then walk a few blocks, the river should be raging with the moisture we’ve had!

16^th Street Mall – once you’ve been up and down it a few thousand times it loses a little charm, but pretty fun all and all, look for the pianos up and down the way. Bars, eateries and shopping all along.

Red Rocks – west of town, incredibly beautiful, no shows yet, too early!

Clyfford Still Museum – one man’s art.  If you like modern art (as I do) this is a great stop.

Tattered Cover Bookstore – a really great independent bookstore towards the west end of the mall – hours of fun for bibliophiles!

Rockies vs Rays on Friday – we sometimes have professional baseball here J

Nuggets – yep, they could still be playing!

And of course, you can get outside.  We have a couple of outdoor activities around here…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating and Drinking – these are few of my favorite things…

Drinking – off the mall, but all within a block or three of the mall bus…

Falling Rock Taphouse – many, many beers on tap, close to Coors Field

Freshcraft – ditto with lots of locals.  We have a LOT of excellent local beer…

Whiskey Bar – a “nice” dark, “dive” bar.  Go to Biker Jim’s (below) and then cross the street to the Whiskey Bar.  200+ whiskies, firewater, what have you…

Pints Pub – do you like single malt?  Do you?  How does over 260 of them sound?  I thought so.

On the Mall – The Yardhouse – convenient and plentiful selection

 

Eating – likewise off the mall but all easy to get to…

Larimer Street – this is the place, go just south of 16^th St and you’ll find a plethora (yes I like big words) of mid to upper end places, tons of great ones.  If you’re looking for a really good, organic, local, etc.  somewhat pricey meal I recommend The Kitchen.

On the other hand…

Biker Jim’s – fantastic wild game Brats.  Really one of my favorite places to eat. Great sides and sauces matched up with the brats.

Snooze – a magnificent breakfast eatery.  There can be a line here any day of the week and especially on weekends.

Crepe’s and Crepe’s – just off the mall with a wide variety of sweet and savory crepes.  Here’s a challenge, get a group together and let them decide only between Crepe’s and Crepe’s and Biker Jim’s – Ha!

Sonoda’s Sushi – if you’re a sushi snob, this probably isn’t the place, but I like it and it’s in a basement!

Okay, this is a short list, I could probably go on and on, so good luck out there and for God’s sake have some fun too!

We’ll be here to meet you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More eating and drinking!

Steuben’s 523 East 17th Avenue

Really great lunch and dinner, diner style.  Not a terribly long walk.

Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Cafe 534 East Colfax Avenue

A local chain, fabulous beer, decent food, probably too far to walk

Uncle 2215 West 32nd Avenue

Cross over the Platte by foot or go by taxi.  This is my new favorite in Denver.  Truly fantastic, affordable Korean inspired food.

Root Down 1600 West 33rd Avenue

Haven’t been here, but it’s supposed to be fantastic.  This and Uncle above are in Highlands.  If you go here, there are great places all around you.  The amazing Johnny Cupcakes personally recommended this place to me.

Amerigo Delicatus 2449 Larimer Street

Low-key, neighborhood style type of place really nice. Italian dishes, good deals on wine, Bruschetta Bar.

 

MUSIC!

Jazz @ Jack’s – one guess what they have here.  Right on the 16^th St. Mall, so very easy…

Ogden/Fillmore/Bluebird – Indie, alt. music, rock, etc.  Old theater style venues.  My favorites!

Larimer Lounge/Hi-Dive/Herman’s Hideaway/Cervantes Other Side – Indie, alternative, etc. Bar type venues

Paramount – right off the mall, big time theater type venue – John Prine on Friday night!

See schedule below…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Disclosure – I am a RESNET Board and Quality Assurance Committee Member

For several years now I’ve listened to and watched as numerous parties have complained that no one is ever taken to task by RESNET.  That’s not ever been true, but the public perception of that was definite.  The discipline undertaken by RESNET has been largely behind the scenes and out of the public eye.  Recently however, there has been a change in process that has made this far less true. It is now possible to view HERS Providers that are either under suspension or revocation.  This new level of transparency bodes well for the future.

Though it remains true that while cases are being adjudicated, they are still private. Once decisions are made, those decisions are made public when a punitive measure is adopted.  Obviously, when no action is taken, there is no reason to make decisions public.  I can attest from my work on the Quality Assurance Committee that a great deal of attention is being paid to these issues and that positive modifications to the process are ongoing.  It is always a balancing act to address the need to protect the industry with due process for those who find themselves the focus of attention of the organization.

Primarily, I’m pleased to see that we are achieving greater transparency around the work of the organization.  That is my personal objective as a member of the board, to drive transparency to the greatest possible degree.

Steve Byers
CEO
EnergyLogic, Inc.

Your level of customer service is based on your ability to communicate well.

Whether you are selling or providing a service, your communication skills dictate your success.  As an auditor, my ability to communicate effectively is the most important part of my job.

I start by parking where they can clearly see my car with our company logo on it. I approach each customer with a clear and open state of mind.  Before I get out of my car I take a deep breath and smile. This can put me in a better mood even on the worst of days.  I use eye contact when greeted at the door. Would you trust someone in your house if they couldn’t look you in the eye?   I also make sure to get their name while shaking their hands.

To be an effective communicator, you must first be a great listener.  Ask questions, read the situation. Listen. Out in the field I meet folks that are very receptive and want to learn as much from me as possible. Others want nothing to with the entire process, and I’m just the avenue to getting them specific rebates (mainly people that want windows).   Act accordingly with patience.

There are different ways to treat different kinds of people.  You will find customers who want to learn from you, which is why we are there in the first place. It can be difficult to complete your audit in time as they want to walk with you and talk the whole time.  At the beginning of every audit, I like to give the client a rundown of what will happen.  E.g. “First, I will complete your audit, and then invite you to join me throughout the home for examples of how you can improve your energy efficiency.”

Some customers may be having a bad day or are just angry people. Some feel the need to argue anything, as they seem to already know everything and aren’t open to suggestions.  It’s an art to get them to accept new ideas. I often hear myself say things like, “You could also think of it this way,” or “You probably already know this, but…”

Auditors tend to deal with elderly quite often.  I always treat them with great respect; they respond well to sir/ma’am, and really appreciate it. I’ve met some of the most wonderful elderly people, and I’ve been rewarded with a few homemade treats!

Every day I am a teacher of energy efficiency, and every day I am a student of customer service and communication.  Remember you are only at a home for a short time. Always be kind and courteous, and be the best communicator you can.

Parker Lahti
Energy Rater and Auditor
EnergyLogic, Inc.

I have a friend, William, who is an amazing musician and craftsman, and a devoted father. Seriously, the man can play anything and everything, and build anything and everything. But l’ve noticed, over the past couple of years, that he seems to have lost some spark. His job is fine, he says. He likes his job. I think he just need a vacation—or maybe a staycation, a couple weeks for music and kids. But he can’t. Although he has worked for big company for three years, and has been successful in his job, he only has a week of vacation (5 days!) and 3 sick days a year. This is low by national standards, but not by much.

Running a company is hard, and I know all too well the pressures of thin margins. But you know what the great thing about running a company is? You get to decide what’s right, and make it happen. And we think that Paid Time Off is important. At EnergyLogic, every employee, from year one, gets 4 weeks of paid time of every year, plus 8 paid holidays. Our part-time employees accrue PTO at exactly the same rate as our full-time employees—after all, they work just as hard and are just as valuable to us. Our employees use these days to recharge, rest if they are sick, take vacations, care for parents and friends and kids, welcome new babies (or puppies), for bereavement, to play music, build stuff and go hiking. I’m grateful for the energy and skill our employees bring to work. But I don’t want work to be all they do. Like William, everyone at EnergyLogic has a big life full of lots of interests and commitments outside of work—and we want it to stay that way. We have geeky-passionate energy raters and auditors and a kick-ass admin staff. And we also have cowboys and skiers and dog enthusiasts and parents and crazy extreme-sports enthusiasts. We have parents, people working on college degrees, amazing cooks, fishermen, gardeners, biologists and photographers. We like it that way, and we know that living such interesting lives—now, not just when they retire—takes time.

Of course it’s costly. And because we’re a small company, it’s sometimes hard to balance. But our staff values PTO, and works hard to fill in for each other so there are no gaps. I know that I should argue that a month of PTO actually makes our staff more productive, creative and helps with retention. And those things are likely true. But that’s not the reason we do it. We do it because we don’t want them to lose their spark: We do it because it’s right.

Wynne Maggi
President
EnergyLogic, Inc.

Premium Provider Services Part 3

All Premium Provider Members who require a second Quality Assurance visit for the year will not incur any cost on that second visit.

March Madness fever from the NCAA Basketball tournament is still in full affect here at EnergyLogic and across the country. Most of us fall victim to the tournament’s excitement every year.  Upsets have shocked us and shattered brackets nationwide. But as we all know, “shocked and shattered” aren’t usually welcome characters in our businesses. Most notably unwelcome is sticker shock and we believe one of the biggest culprits leading to these shocking results is the onsite QA (Quality Assurance) costs, particularly when it comes to a second visit for the year.

Onsite QA is an integral part of the HERS Rating industry and its growth. Your annual QA should not only be considered a standard cost of doing business, but an opportunity to help raters grow and adapt to changes in the standard. It offers an in-depth cross comparison of a rating with your Quality Assurance Designee (QAD), and also creates a level playing field in working toward consistency in the HERS Rating product. These are important reasons why RESNET requires onsite Quality Assurance of every HERS Rater, every year and at an ongoing basis.

EnergyLogic takes this process seriously and provides an annual onsite visit for every rater who does ratings. For higher volume rating companies we are required to do QA at an ongoing basis. The cost of multiple visits in a year can be a pretty upsetting reality with sticker shock on the price tag of covering this expense. EnergyLogic has always made an effort to reduce these expenses whenever possible, but no matter how you dice it up, that second visit can be more shocking than any March Madness upsets to your bracket. EnergyLogic is providing a solution to this dilemma to our Premium Provider Members .

All Premium Provider Members who require a second Quality Assurance visit for the year will not incur any cost on that second visit.

Contact EnergyLogic now at ratersupport@nrglogic.com for more information and lock in on this offer by becoming a premium provider member with EnergyLogic today.  Plus you’ll enjoy all the other perks of premium membership.

And if you’re interested in joining the ‘EnergyLogic March Madness Challenge’ next year, just let us know!

Glenn Pease
EnergyLogic, Inc.
HERS Provider