AmeriSpec home energy audits soar - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Memphis-based AmeriSpec has 250 franchisew owners throughoutthe U.S. and Canada who provide services to homebuyers and sellers. The company has seen its businessx skyrocket in Canada as the Canadian government has mandated homes be more energy efficientr and reducecarbon footprints. Brent Armstrong, vice president and generapl managerof AmeriSpec, says the company is the only nationall provider of inspection services in It conducted 50,000 audits in 2008, compare d to 18,500 in 2007 and 14,000 in 2006.
Part of AmeriSpec’es inspection process creates an artificial draftg to find out where air seeps in or leaks out of An inspection also covers the energy efficiency of HVAC After an inspectionin Canada, homes are givenm a rating and owners are given 18 months to improvs or retrofit the home. Whilew the Canadian government doesn’t penalize homeowners who don’t make up to $5,000 in granf money is available for improvementsz and homeowners can get reimbursedfor energy-relater work they have done. Armstrontg says the Obama administration is looking at implementinh similar changes inthe U.S.
“There’z a growing awareness in the United and tosome degree, all of us are askinb the same questions,” Armstrong says. He says all 50 states have weatherization The federal government hasallotted $5 billionh in stimulus funding to help low-incomw families replace roofs on their homes and changde inefficient furnaces. As the attention to energy efficiencyt grows, AmeriSpec is training its franchis e owners to be certified in Home Energu RatingSystem inspection. Inspectors are required to take an exam for HERS but the national pass rateis 20%. At a traininy session at AmeriSpec’s Memphis facilities last week, 11 of the 15 participantws passed.
Owners can train at other AmeriSpec facilities acrossthe country, but the most comprehensiv training is located in Memphis. Armstrong says AmeriSpefc offers three different courses that are open to its franchise Its facilities include a fullyfunctional “floofd house” that can be flooded to simulate a home The house offers inspectors full field training without them having to intrudde on customers in the field. It also allows them learhn from their mistakes without being Gale Colvin, director of technical training and development for says inspectors who pass the test will have the highestf certification in energy auditing.
Following that certification, they must perforjm three field evaluations. “We loan out the equipmentr they need to getthat done,” Colvin “We want to keep everything fres for them out in the field.” Steve Anderson, owner of two franchisesd in Memphis, is one of the owners who passed last week’s exam. While the course isn’t a requiremeny for franchise owners, it gives them another level of servicedfor customers.
Anderson, who is also a licensed architect, can now offee complete home services from design to makingb sure existing homes areenergy “The cost of energy for homeowners is steadily so being able to assist people in how well theier homes work and where improvement can be made is a service that will be needex in the future,” Anderson “We’re positioned to tap into the marke t and help folks that are interested in going green.
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