New breed of inspector goes after energy leaks

[Chad Fabry]

No special tools, just common sense, a little math , a report and Poof..Eco Inspectors hit the scene.

Are they providing a service or riding the next mold is gold wave across the nation?

To read more, click here.

[Erby]

I think it's a little more than poof.

Certainly more than the one day wonder mold course I went to! Learned just enough there to know I didn't want anything to do with it.

[Mark P]

"Installing a new water heater with an outer insulation blanket is another easy way to save on energy. The Deanes had an older model, so Trujillo recommended a replacement. Cost: $1,000. Annual savings: $144."

A $1000 water heater! An insulation blanket! Gee wizzz!

[kurt]

It's more than mold is gold, but there's some amount of superficiality to it.

I think you will see this snowballing. The most visible example is, dare I say it, LEED certs. Simple basic technology that could/should be included in all homes now needs a $5000 consultant to tell you to install insulation, use modern appliances, and do the sorts of things any decent architect should be telling you.

Of course, there's still no recognition that square footage/cubic volume has anything to do with it.

[hausdok]

Hi,

Every year I teach an Introduction to Home Inspections course to a group of appraisers, property managers, property maintenance, real estate folks, investors and a few wannabe home inspectors. One of my students this year is stymied by our new home inspector licensing law because the course she's enrolled in hasn't yet been approved by the state for credit toward the education requirements. I recommended that she look into this field.

I think it's a completely different animal; one isn't looking so much for defects, per se, as for ways to improve energy efficiency. In my opinion, it's quite a bit outside the normal sphere of work that we do. I think it will probably be a new revenue stream for inspectors in some areas, but I expect to see lots of people doing it who've no idea how to conduct a "home" inspection and that's just fine with me as long as they stay out of our field and don't call it home inspection.

I doubt that one could make much extra money at it here on Puget Sound; I heard that the utility company is training hundreds of energy assessors in free classes. Each of those that's certified must do x-number of free audits before their course is considered paid for. At some point there will be so many of them around here that one won't be able to swing a cat without hitting one of them.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[kurt]

It'll be just like the late 70's. Everybody will be an energy consultant.

No one made any money doing it then, and I doubt it will be very much different now.

[Brian G]

This is also another example of how narrow the knowledge of the general public is these days. They don't know about insulation, air leaks, old appliances, etc. already? I guess not, as hard to fathom as that is for the rest of us.

I just did a little 1200 sq. ft. house in town, built in the 1920's or so. It still had no central heating or cooling, so 4 windows had AC units sticking out of them (bottom sash about 3/4 raised). Not a dang one had anything to stop air from flowing right between the sashes. I could only imagine how much air is exchanged on a cold, windy night. Brrrrrrr!

Brian G.

Energy Is Money [:-bigeyes

[kurt]

Originally posted by Brian G

[navy]This is also another example of how narrow the knowledge of the general public is these days. They don't know about insulation, air leaks, old appliances, etc. already?

Brian G.

So true. I am still surprised by it.

[Jim Morrison]

That is job security, Hombres. As long as 'software hands' flood into hardware stores, home inspectors will have jobs. Count on it.

[travismoshier]

"Trujillo also recommended replacing the Deane home's 168 lightbulbs with compact fluorescent models, or CFLs."

168 lightbulbs???? The house must be a small city.

[kurt]

That's sort of my point previously. The guy's got 168 lightbulbs, and wonders why he has high energy bills.

No one thinks this stuff through at the primary level. Folks build big stupid POS houses and wonder why they're expensive to operate.