Training Summary
The Northeast HERS Alliance offers a hybrid training course, comprised of 36 hours of online instruction and 5-days of classroom/field instruction (some of which will be live in the field), designed to prepare individuals to become certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Raters. The course is the first step in becoming a HERS Rater and meets the national standard for the training and certification of energy raters adopted by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET).
The class covers:
- Basic energy and building science concepts
- Hands-on field experience with blower door testing and duct blasting
- Training on the latest version of REM/Rate software and Ekotrope
- Combustion safety and workscope concepts
To meet RESNET’s field testing requirements, each student will conduct a field rating and blower door test in the presence of a trainer. RESNET requirements include additional training and testing on combustion safety. The course now includes preparation and proctoring for the 55-question multiple-choice rater exam, the combustion safety practical exam and the practical simulation exam.
Fees and Policies
The cost for the full rater training is $2995.00 and includes:
- 36 hours of online instruction
- 5 days of classroom/field instruction
- Two of the five Probationary Ratings overseen by a RESNET certified Candidate Field Assessor required by RESNET
- Preparation, fees, and proctoring for all three of the RESNET exams
- Reference materials and a one-year membership to the Alliance
A payment of $1000 is required with the application to hold a space for the class. The balance must be paid three business days prior to the first day of the online class. Registration and payment can be done using a credit card online from our Events page. Click on the training you are interested to register.
Pricing for Training Components:
The both portions of the course are available separately for those who want to complete their Rater certification in stages or wish to gain knowledge or experience for reasons other than Rater certification.
Online Training only: $875.00 (does not include software or testing)
Classroom/Field Training only: $2275.00* (includes tests).
*Requires permission of the trainer(s).
Please note that RESNET requires raters to complete an entire rater training course for certification as defined in section 202 of the RESNET standards. Please also note that NEHERS strongly encourages anyone wishing to become a rater to take the full course at one time and not to split it apart. We have found that those who are able to dedicate themselves to mastering the material during the online section do better on the exams if they take the exams right away.
Meals
A light breakfast and lunch are included in your registration fee. We will do our best to make reasonable accommodations for students with special dietary needs, but in some cases students should be prepared to bring their own food.
Hotel and Travel Expenses:
Hotel and travel expenses are not included in your registration fee. Please check with Betsy to see if we have reached our minimum registration numbers before you book non-refundable hotel or air fare reservations. We have only had to cancel one training in the last three years due to low enrollment, but it has happened. Please plan your hotel and air fare reservations accordingly.
Re-Test Policy and Fees:
There are three exams that students must take in order to become a certified rater. The exams are challenging even for individuals with some years of experience. The exam fees are included in the training registration fee. The re-test fees are not included. If a student does not pass a the HERS Rater Exam on the first attempt, they will need to pay NEHERS $50 to set up the re-test and pay RESNET $125 on the day of the test. The CAZ Practical exam can be retaken at no charge and the Practical Simulation Exam allows three attempts before the student has to pay for the software again. The exam-taker is responsible for any fees the testing center/proctor may charge. Additional information about re-tests can be found here.
Liability Waiver
All students participating in an on-site classroom component of the Hybrid HERS Rater Training Course will be required to sign a liability waiver prior to the start of the course.
Pre-Requisites:
There are no official prerequisites for attending the training. However, basic computer literacy is required. This includes understanding how to:
- Navigate on Windows
- Download, upload, and save documents
- Drill down into folders to find files
- Navigate on the internet
- Utilize simulation software
- Use excel
Recommended Backgrounds
While not required to become a HERS rater, we often find that those with some background in the building trades more often go on to become successful HERS Raters. Experience in the following kinds of careers are often helpful.
- BPI Certification
- Building Science Coursework
- Code Official
- Construction Supervisor License (or equivalent)
- Electrician
- Estimator
- Framer
- Insulation Installer
- Home Builder
- HVAC Installer or Technician
- Mason
- Plumber
- Surveyor
- Utility Employee
For those who do not already have a strong, or current, background in building science, attendance at the training alone may not be sufficient to pass the exams. Candidates are encouraged to study on their own prior to the rater training course using such reference materials as Residential Energy, by John Krigger. You can purchase this book along with your registration or from our online store for $81.75 (including shipping). This book covers basic home performance technical material and is easy to refer to during the open book exam.
Recommended Skills and Qualities
- Self-motivation and persistence
- Ability to communicate abstract concepts clearly and patiently
- Ability to master and communicate a wide range of building science and programmatic details
- Ability to focus on consistent high standards
- Experience talking with trades people
- Experience with Home Building or Construction Sites
- Interfacing with computers and software
- Geometry
- Math
- Reading building plans
What to Bring
Computer Requirements (a laptop computer will be required for the classroom component):
System Requirements for REM/Rate
System Requirements for Practical and CAZ simulation software.
General Computer Specifications:
- Recommended Operating System: Windows 7 or higher
- If using a MacIntosh, a Windows emulator running and a copy of one of the approved Windows OS installed to run REM/Rate software. Please have this tested and working properly prior to class.
For field training: Handheld calculator, tape measure, flashlight, and clipboard.
Online Component Passing Requirements:
There is a lot of material to cover in the online component of this training. Please keep up with the class, especially if you don't have a background in the building sciences. In order to be eligible to move on to the classroom component, students must meet the following requirements:
- Attend a minimum of 8 of 12 live training sessions must be attended. Students are strongly encouraged to attend all sessions at the scheduled time with the live instructor, however, sessions will be recorded, and in the event that a few must be missed, they can be watched later.
- Take a daily 5-10 question quiz.
- Pass a 20 question quiz at the end of the online component.
- Upload photos of passing simulation scores.
- Upload one projected rating.
Students who are only taking the online component will be eligible for an online only certificate from NEHERS if these above requirements are met. Students who are taking the full training will only be eligible to take the classroom section once these above requirements have been met. Students intending to take the full course but who do not pass the online training and wish to transfer to an upcoming classroom training will be considered "7 days or less prior to the online training" and will be subject to the $500 transfer fee listed below.
Classroom/Field Component Passing Requirements:
In order to be eligible to receive a course completion certificate from NEHERS (which is the first step towards RESNET certification), students must complete 2 of the 5 probationary ratings required by RESNET. Students must also pass three exams and complete the classroom component course evaluation survey. Students are expected to take the exams at the times scheduled during the classroom component of the training. The fees for the exams are included in the training registration fee. The fees for re-tests are not included. Students will be eligible for a course completion certificate from NEHERS once their two probationary ratings are complete, they have passed all three tests, and have submitted their completed course evaluation survey.
Next Steps After the NEHERS Training:
Once students have passed their exams, they have 15 months to complete their remaining 3 probationary ratings under the supervision of their chosen QA provider. The QA provider will help them get certified by RESNET once those requirements have been met.
NEHERS Refund Policy
The Alliance is pleased to be able to offer high quality HERS Rater training in the Northeast. It would be unfortunate to have to cancel a class at the last minute because one or more students drop out. In order to cover our costs and continue to hold classes when students cancel, our refund policy is as follows:
There is a non-refundable $200 deposit at the time of registration. Fees paid by the Alliance to RESNET for software licenses included in the training are also non-refundable. And any fees paid by students for Krigger books are not refundable once the books have been shipped.
REFUND POLICY
If you need to cancel your registration and our training coordinator receives notice of your cancellation in writing (email):
- 21 or more days prior to the online class: You will be refunded the full training cost minus the $200 non-refundable deposit.
- Between 21 and 8 days prior to the online class: You will be refunded the full training cost minus the $200 non-refundable deposit and a $150 processing fee.
- 7 calendar days or less prior to the online class: No refund.
TRANSFER POLICY
If you need to transfer your registration to an upcoming training and our training coordinator receives notice of your intent to transfer in writing (email):
- 21 or more days prior to the online class: You may apply the non-refundable deposit, plus a $100 transfer fee, to a future Alliance training session if one is available.*
- Between 21 and 8 days prior to the online class: You may apply the non-refundable deposit, plus a $250 transfer fee, to a future Alliance training session if one is available.*
- 7 calendar days or less prior to the online class: You may apply the non-refundable deposit, plus a $500 transfer fee, to a future Alliance training session if one is available.* In the event that a student either does not pass or drops out from the online component, then wishes to transfer to an upcoming training, the student will be responsible for the full cost of re-taking the online component, which may be higher than the $500 transfer fee. This may be the case even if the overall price of the training has not changed.
CANCELLATIONS AFTER TRANSFERS
If a registration is transferred to a future Alliance training session and you then withdraw, the Alliance will retain both the non-refundable deposit and the transfer fee based on either how many days in advance of the original training you transferred or how many days in advance of the subsequent online training you withdrew, whichever is shorter. If you transfer your registration seven calendar days or less prior to the online class and then withdraw from the subsequent training, there is no refund. Students must transfer registrations within 1 year from their original registration and may transfer registrations no more than twice.
Exceptions to the above stated policy are rare but will be considered on a case-by-case basis with the approval of the NEHERS Board of Directors. If you have to withdraw from a class, please contact the training coordinator immediately at 978-633-3013.
*Future Alliance training sessions, may or may not include third party subsidies, therefore future sessions may be at a higher cost than the one from which you are withdrawing. If you transfer to a class that is at a higher cost, the student will be responsible for the difference.
Additional Resources