Pre-Conference Sessions

With the increase in the demand for HERS Ratings, builders are increasingly requesting suppliers to relate what contribution the product would have on their homes’ HERS Index score.  The RESNET HERS Associate designation trains professionals to answer that question without the time and expense of going through the full HERS Rater training. This new RESNET certificate level designation is essential for anyone needing a working understanding of RESNET and HERS for uses other than conducting ratings.

HERS Associate - for Non-HERS Raters to learn about the HERS Industry Registration:
https://energylogicacademy.com/product/resnet-pre-conference-hers-associate/

Learn the residential requirements of the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) from this in-person class. Participants will be able to take the exam the following day, Sunday February 25, 2018.

Log into your attendee registration to add this session https://conference.resnet.us/conference-registration

Come meet the RESNET Staff for a reception!

We know we need tight, well-insulated buildings to provide thermal comfort with low energy consumption. But based on the experience of the last few years, what sort of problems occur with moisture management and indoor air quality, and how can these be avoided through design, construction and operation? Terry Brennan will recap what we know are moisture and humidity-related problems, and how they can be avoided. Aaron Johnson will focus on other key aspects of indoor air quality of emerging concern, including limiting airborne PM 2.5. He will describe how the EPA’s Indoor Air Plus program addresses these issues, what the program experience has been to date, and where the program is headed next, to help energy-efficient builders achieve the air quality that consumers assume happens automatically in energy-efficient houses.

Log into your attendee registration to add this session https://conference.resnet.us/conference-registration

SketchUp is a powerful graphic modeling tool developed by Google and now owned by Trimble. EnergyLogic has successfully adopted SketchUp to streamline the takeoff process for all of our builder clients. With it's 3-D depiction of the thermal envelope, it has also proven to be a strong tool when reviewing probationary ratings, performing quality assurance, and field verifying a house was built to the original model. This training is designed to provide an overview of SketchUp and provide you with practice designing a 3-D model. Then we will use the scripts developed by EnergyLogic to generate a report designed for easy manual input into any energy modeling software (including REM/Rate™, Ekotrope, and Energy Gauge.) Using SketchUp by itself will improve your speed and accuracy in performing takeoffs, but with EnergyLogic’s custom reporting script, you’ll find this method is not only fun, but cuts takeoff time in half! This course is designed for HERS Raters or other energy professionals with equivalent experience with energy modeling. It has been specifically designed to help complete accurate take-offs with quick from-plans rating data collection.

SketchUp for Energy Professionals- Quick, Accurate, Powerful Takeoffs Registration:
https://energylogicacademy.com/product/resnet-pre-conference-sketchup/

Pivotal's AXIS product is a cloud-hosted platform solution specifically designed for the collection, storage, and sharing of energy rating and certification data. AXIS is used by leading energy efficiency program sponsors and utilities to administer residential new construction energy efficiency programs and can also be used by HERS Raters/Providers and homebuilders to centralize energy rating and program-specific data. The AXIS platform also provides general workflow and data management solutions and can be used for QA, incentive payment processing, task management, and a variety of other functions. AXIS streamlines program administration and participation and benefits program sponsors, utilities, homebuilders, HERS Raters, HERS Providers, HVAC organizations, QA agents, program evaluators, appraisers, real estate agents, and more! While providing a basic overview of the AXIS platform, this session will also focus on integrations between AXIS and other technology solutions serving the energy efficiency and real estate markets including EnergyPlus, Ekotrope, and RaterPRO and will feature a demonstration of auto-population of energy program certification data into the MLS and G&EEA auto population.

Log into your attendee registration to add this session https://conference.resnet.us/conference-registration

The ICC Residential Energy Inspector/Plans Examiner Certification exam contains 50 questions. Once you begin the exam you will have two hours to complete it. The exam is open-book so please be sure to bring a copy of the 2015 IECC. It will be a paper/pencil exam. Additional information about exam content and scoring can be found at: https://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/79_content.pdf

Click on ICC Exam Registration to register for the exam. 

Cost: $209

The first quarter of 2018 will bring the release of the public beta of ENERGY STAR RaterPRO. This free app that will help Raters complete high-quality field inspections for ENERGY STAR certifications and HERS ratings. Even before its release, partners have requested features to extend and enhance its functionality, such as support beyond HERS ratings and ENERGY STAR certifications, advanced two-way communication with energy rating software and third-party software programs, and customization opportunities.

The ENERGY STAR team invites partners, particularly software developers and rating organization technology leads, to help explore options for an open RaterPRO future that makes these kinds of developments possible. In this round table discussion, partners can share their ‘wants’ and explore possible solutions with the ENERGY STAR team, like adding enhanced APIs or converting to an open-source project.

Conference registration opens in the International Ballroom Foyer

All types of attendees are welcome, whether just hearing about Ekotrope or already ramped up and using the tool. The first part of this session will feature a demo and product walkthrough, highlighting both basic functionality and advanced features. The session will then move to question and answer format to answer users’ questions about the product, and finally, end with an interactive discussion about users’ needs and potential product improvements.

Meeting of the RESNET Board of Directors is open to the public.

The EPA WaterSense Homes program was designed to give the building and building science communities the tools and resources needed to build more water efficient homes. With codes becoming more stringent, watering restriction increasing, and the ever-present threat of drought hanging over critical building market; the need for water efficiency has never been greater.  To continue to respond to the needs of the industry, EPA is currently developing it’s WaterSense Homes Specification 2.0. Version 1.0 was first published in 2009, with version 1.1 published in 2012 and version 1.2 in 2014 making it the latest version. As the program continues to grow, it aims at keeping up with technological advances as well as new market trends, such as the use of Water Efficiency Rating Index (WERI), and thus the necessity for EPA’s WaterSense Homes Specification 2.0. This interactive and wide-ranging workshop, aims to engage the RESNET community as we provide an insider’s look at the WaterSense Homes’ Specification revision progress and facilitate feedback and input from participants. Discussions will focus on topics ranging from program implementation, construction and building science matters and inspection and certification processes. Participation in this workshop ensures that the revision process is inclusive of our stakeholders as we work towards delivering appropriate tools to continue saving water and energy in our homes.

Log into your attendee registration to add this session https://conference.resnet.us/conference-registration

Please join the Insulation Institute (NAIMA) and Insulate America for an evening reception with complimentary drinks and hors-d'oeuvres. Your evening entertainment will feature a recent winner of “America’s Best Insulation Installer,” who will be on hand to demonstrate his skills. This annual competition pits fiber glass insulation installers against one another to see who can perform a Grade 1 installation the fastest, and with the highest quality, in a real-world style wall assembly. Please join us for a night of fun and refreshments before the full agenda kicks off the next day.

The Camelia greeting room will be open for all early attendees from 7:00-9:00pm on Sunday the 25th at the 2018 RESNET Conference host Hilton Hotel.

High quality energy modeling is required for many national programs.  HERS Ratings are seen as the gold standard of energy modeling.  Join us to kick off your RESNET Conference experience and learn how your energy models can be used for Energy Mortgages, high-quality energy retrofits as a member of EnergySmart Teams, and for other programs monitoring energy model quality through tools such as REMCheck.  This session is sponsored by the EnergySmart Institute; providing high-quality online, on-demand training for the Energy and Energy Services Professional.