HERSPro
HERS Rater Marketing Tips and Strategies: 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Business Growth
HERS Rating is a rewarding industry that presents many unique challenges for those who choose to start their own Rater business. You as the rater are the business, and you are selling your knowledge and skills as a service. Below are some HERS Rater marketing tips and strategies to help you grow your business and…
Read MoreOperational vs Embodied Carbon
What is the difference between operational carbon and embodied carbon? What it is and why you should care: Carbon vs… Carbon? In the field of green building and the sustainable built environment, the term “carbon” is commonly used as shorthand terminology for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, measured in units of CO2e or equivalent CO2 emissions.…
Read More2021 IECC Climate Zones and Implications for ENERGY STAR Updates
Are you working in a new Climate Zone? Last month, the EPA finalized the new program requirements for Single Family Version 3.2 and Multifamily Version 1.2, and formal release is anticipated this coming fall. These program updates align with the 2021 IECC codes and thus will be implemented in states that adopt the 2021 IECC or…
Read MoreModeling Air Source Heat Pumps
BER realizes that there has been some confusion around modeling air source heat pumps (ASHP). In a recent webinar, MassSave made clarifications as to the correct method of modeling this equipment. In this article, we recap those clarifications. Why isn’t COP a Supported Method? A common mistake made when modeling ASHP is converting heating seasonal…
Read MoreLet’s Talk Insurance for HERS Raters
Incorrect insurance classification may be costing your HERS Rating business money. Checking your SIC Code with your insurance agent could potentially save your business a lot of money. Insurance agents use Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes to classify a business into a specific industry and risk category. SIC Codes are used for ALL categories of…
Read MoreInsulation Grading: Grade 1, Grade 2, or Somewhere In Between?
An article by Rural Builder, shared in a recent RESNET’s newsletter, offered advice to builders on how to achieve a Grade I insulation. The article used the second picture below as an example of Grade I. However, while it’s not that hard to find a couple square feet of insulation to exemplify Grade I out…
Read MoreUpdate on ACCA 310
Update on ACCA 310: HVAC Grading and What You Need to Know You may have heard a lot of news lately about ANSI/RESNET/ACCA Standard 310. BER would like to give you the latest news on this new standard and what to expect in the near future.
Read MoreThe Future of HVAC is Available Now
Pop-quiz, BER Raters: Why is 12,000 btu/hr of cooling capacity referred to as a “ton” of cooling? Answer: Prior to the age of forced-air, refrigerant/compressor air conditioning technology, buildings were cooled with fans blowing over blocks of ice. Engineers determined that 12kbtu/hr was the expected evaporative cooling over one ton of ice harvested from cold…
Read MoreThe Importance of Right-Sizing HVAC Equipment
Imagine spending your first summer in a newly built, super-efficient, lakeside dream-house and found out that it was unable to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. That is exactly what happened with one house in the northern Midwest that BER happened to be performing a field quality assurance review on! The owners spared no expense on…
Read MoreThe Missing Element in all Energy Audits: ZEB Audits and the HERS Index Solution
Back To Articles by John B. Unger Murphy – June 13, 2012 I am in business to help people. Our country has well over 130 million existing housing units of which over 91 million are single homes, and 10’s of millions more are multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings. Imagine the decades of work and…
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