AmeriSpec home energy audits soar - Dayton Business Journal:

mastering-input.blogspot.com
Memphis-based AmeriSpec has 250 franchise owners throughoutthe U.S. and Canad who provide services to homebuyersand sellers. The company has seen its business skyrocket in Canada as the Canadian governmenft has mandated homes be more energy efficient and reducecarbon footprints. Brent Armstrong, vice presiden t and general manager of says the company is the only national provider of inspection services in Itconducted 50,000 audits in 2008, compared to 18,500 in 2007 and 14,009 in 2006.
Part of AmeriSpec’sx inspection process creates an artificial draft to find out whers air seeps in or leaks out of An inspection also covers the energy efficiency of HVAC After an inspectionin Canada, homes are givem a rating and owners are givehn 18 months to improve or retrofit the home. While the Canadian governmen doesn’t penalize homeowners who don’tg make changes, up to $5,000 in grant money is available for improvements and homeowners can get reimbursedsfor energy-related work they have Armstrong says the Obama administration is lookinh at implementing similar changes in the U.S.
“There’s a growingv awareness in the United and tosome degree, all of us are asking the same Armstrong says. He says all 50 states have weatherization The federal government hasallottecd $5 billion in stimulus funding to help low-incomde families replace roofs on their homes and change inefficient furnaces. As the attentionb to energy efficiency grows, AmeriSpec is training its franchise owners to be certifieed in Home Energy RatingSystem inspection. Inspectors are require to take an exam forHERS certification, but the nationalp pass rate is 20%.
At a training session at AmeriSpec’s Memphis facilities last 11 of the 15 participants Owners can train at other AmeriSpec facilitie acrossthe country, but the most comprehensive training is locateds in Memphis. Armstrong says AmeriSpec offers three different courses that are open to itsfranchisd owners. Its facilities include a fullyyfunctional “flood house” that can be flooded to simulatw a home disaster. The house offers inspector full field training without them havingy to intrude on customers inthe field.
It also allowx them learn from their mistakes without being Gale Colvin, director of technicakl training and development for AmeriSpec, says inspectors who pass the test will have the highes t certification in energy auditing. Following that certification, they must perform threw field evaluations. “We loan out the equipment they need to get that Colvin says. “We want to keep everythin fresh for them out in the Steve Anderson, owner of two franchises in Memphis, is one of the ownerxs who passed last week’s While the course isn’t a requirementf for franchise owners, it gives them anotherr level of service for customers.
Anderson, who is also a license architect, can now offer complete home services from design to making sure existing homes areenergy efficient. “Ths cost of energy for homeowners is steadily so being able to assist people in how well theifr homes work and where improvementxs can be made is a service that will be neededr inthe future,” Anderson “We’re positioned to tap into the market and help folkzs that are interested in going green.
”