Questions to Ask before You Take a Home Energy Rater Class

HERS Rater Class Blower Door Instruction

HERS rater class Blower Door instructionYesterday I gave some general advice about how to choose a HERS rater training class, and one of suggestions I made was to contact former students of each HERS training provider you’re considering. Testimonials in the trainer’s marketing materials may be helpful, but you’ll get a much better picture of the effectiveness of a HERS trainer’s class if you actually talk to their students.

Yesterday I gave some general advice about how to choose a HERS rater training class, and one of suggestions I made was to contact former students of each HERS training provider you’re considering. Testimonials in the trainer’s marketing materials may be helpful, but you’ll get a much better picture of the effectiveness of a HERS trainer’s class if you actually talk to their students.

If you call them up and ask, how did you like the class, you’re not going to get a very useful answer most of the time. What you want are specifics, so here are some questions you can ask those former HERS rater students to get a fuller picture of the energy rater course you’re considering.

Class Organization

  • Did the class teach you the rating software in bite-size pieces to make it more understandable?
  • Did the trainer encourage you to learn from others in the class by working together on group projects?
  • How long were the stretches of lecture?
  • Did you feel able to grasp all the material the way it was presented?
  • Did you get to know the other students in the class?
  • Did the training provider give everyone a list of the students in the class and their contact info so you could keep in touch afterward?

Attention to Student Needs

  • Did the trainer help to break the material down into understandable chunks? 
  • Did you often feel overwhelmed with the amount of information?
  • Was the atmosphere of the class friendly and helpful? Did the classroom setting foster learning?
  • Did the training provider set your expectations, both before and during the class, at the proper level for the degree of difficulty of the class and the rater test?
  • Were there enough breaks, or did you have to walk out during class and miss some of the material being covered?

HERS Rater Test & Class Results

  • Did you pass the national HERS rater test on your first attempt? If not, how many times did it take you? How long did it take to pass?
  • How much did it cost for each additional attempt?
  • Do you know how many in your class passed on the first attempt?
  • Did the training provider allow students to take the test more than once during the class?
  • After taking the rater test, did you feel that the HERS trainer had prepared you well for the test?
  • How long did it take to get your certificate of completion from the HERS training provider?

Pressure Testing & Field Inspections

  • Did you actually operate the Blower Door and Duct Blaster?
  • Did you have to demonstrate that you could operate the Blower Door and Duct Blaster to pass the class, or were you tested only by being asked questions about their operation?
  • How many times did you go out in the field to measure, inspect, and test homes?

Instructors

  • Did the instructors know their stuff? Were they prepared?
  • Did they read from their Powerpoint slides?
  • Did they answer your questions clearly and accurately?
  • Did they stick to the agenda and keep the class moving?
  • Did they start and end on time each day?

Yea or Nay?

  • Would you recommend this HERS rater class to other people?

Use these questions as a guide when you’re calling the references for a HERS training organization. You probably won’t ask them all, but try to ask enough so that you get a good feel for how that particular HERS training class operates. After all, you’re investing more than $1000 (in most cases) and a significant amount of time. Due diligence is your right and your responsibility.

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