Monday 5 November 2007

Home Energy Makeovers

While not legislated as it is in the entire United Kingdom, the United States is nevertheless no slouch when it comes to home energy assessment. The use of a domestic energy assessor to determine what a home is doing to reduce carcinogens from being released into the environment and to improve its energy efficiency has become, if not common place, at least readily available.

One company has been training and employing domestic energy assessors by the hundreds for the last four decades. A leading provider of these certified domestic energy assessor professionals, the firm studies and energy efficiency of homes in 30 of the U.S. states. It also moved into the realm of commercial and government buildings, which many domestic energy assessor employers have not had the scale to do. Its software applications and staffing meet the needs of even the largest companies and government agencies. For the last 28 years even the major utilities have been the recipient of energy audits by the firm’s domestic energy assessors, as well as inspections and follow-up support activities to implement the suggest energy efficiency improvements.


Nor are low income properties left behind in this energy efficient program. For the last 15 years a domestic energy assessor has been available for the low income homeowners who reside in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington DC.

The firm is not standing still in its domestic energy assessor and energy improvement program. Research and development is a constant, with the mission to keep introducing new services and products to protect the environment and save its inhabitants money. Its newest product, not available until 2008, is a recently patented thermal shade. Currently in the testing stage, it may soon become part of the domestic energy assessor suggestions for energy efficiency.

The expectation is that the full fledged energy assessment program by this firm will exceed five million energy-efficient participants by the end of 2009.
The arrival and work of a domestic energy assessor is just two parts of a four-step energy efficiency implementation offered by this Maryland firm. The four steps are inspection, analysis, implementation and financing. The inspection step, the first part, is when the certified domestic energy assessor comes to the home or commercial property, measures it, examines it and notes where improvement in energy efficiency is needed.

Step two is the detailed analysis that results from the visit by the domestic energy assessor. The use of a specialized software application produces the report which indicates where the savings might be found through the use of energy efficient procedures and products.

The next step in the energy assessment process is the actual implementation of the suggestions made by the domestic energy assessor. Not only are you now armed with suggestions but the energy report also provides a database of qualified local contractors that can carry out the energy-efficient improvements.
The final step, the actual financial look at the improvements, spells out the cost of each implementation but also notes what the savings should be for the new products and services.

About the Author: James Copper is a writer for http://www.propertycareerskills.co.uk where you can get domestic energy assessor training

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