Home Energy Fraud

Columbus C.E.O. Magazine

2010-07-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

My letter to the editor was published in the August issue of Columbus C.E.O. Magazine entitled, "LEED Program is Another Sham." Not sure where the title came from?

I wrote - To the Editor:

Before you anoint the LEED program with saving the planet, you should be advised that Climate Gate and LEED have a lot in common. Both promote an agenda first.

In the book by Pay Murphy entitled "The Green Tragedy: LEED's Lost Decade," it is noted that the LEED Point System gives equal value for the use of a bicycle rack as it does an energy-efficient HVAC system. LEED buildings are not very energy-efficient over standard building code and cost considerably more.

Other green build programs such as Energy Star are also under attack for not being energy-efficient. When Energy Star pats themselves on the back yearly and publishes the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they have saved the planet, this is just an example of Climate Gate, Green Washing and pure politics for the sake of making someone money at the expense of a gullible public.

Bruce Wingfield
Westerville

Editor's Note: Bruce Wingfield is the author of "Home Energy Fraud When GREEN is Oversold and runs www.EnergyFraud.com and www.homeenergyfraud.blogspot.com.

One of the GOOD Guys

2010-06-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

Today I received an email from the President of California Living & Energy. He stated, "I am in this energy business and I believe it is oversold. There is a lot of well meaning tree huggers in this industry who have one foot in sand and the other on shakey data."

It was signed - Bill Lilly
President
California Living & Energy
3015 Dale Court
Ceres, California 95307
Saving the Environment one house at a time

I believe that Bill is one of the good guys as it relates to energy conservation!

His goal is like mine. Save Energy, but do it truthfully without bias and a lot of bogus claims.

Thanks Bill for taking the time to let your position be known.

YouTube Video

2010-06-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

I recently made a YouTube Video to promote my book "Home Energy Fraud, When GREEN is Oversold." My goal was also to deflect some critics remarks regarding why I did not build my home myself. These critics also questioned the book in a vague non-specific manner as to it's content.

It so happens that the content was verified and checked by their peers. That's right I wrote this book by first interviewing several RATERS and of course my brother is an expert on the Energy Star program as well as a LEED AP. His help during the process was invaluable.

. It will be sent out to a lot of people tomorrow. Go to www.EnergyFraud.com and look for the link in the first paragraph. I hope you like it.

Thank you for your support. Hey Brian I could use a good review on Amazon!!

Great Reviews So Far

2010-05-26T11:05:00.001-07:00

It has only been two weeks since the book Home Energy Fraud, When GREEN is Oversold became available on Amazon.com and the reviews from consumers has been great!!

Soon Bill Kelly a writer in Southern California will be letting us know what he thinks about the book. Bill has been a contributing writer to Consumer Digest and reported on Energy Star problems with LG refrigerators in 2007.

Bill interview me recently and the feature he liked the best was the color pictures, especially the thermo images. There are over 93 color pictures!! Look for Bill's review to be published soon on this blog.

In the meantime go to www.HomeEnergyFraud.com to order the book online.

Email to Local Home Builder

2010-03-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Local Home Builder,

Energy Star homes are usually 20% to 30% more energy efficient than the 2004 International Building Code, not 40% as your radio spot advertises. In fact 15% would be acceptable as long as the Thermal Bypass Checklist is compliant.

When your ad says that your homes are "Up to 40%" more energy efficient this is a statement that is hard to make. To meet this criteria your home would on average need to be:

1. R-16 in the walls
2. R-49 in the flat attic ceilings
3. Basement slab insulated
4. Basement walls insulated even above grade to subfloor
5. 97% HVAC efficiency
6. SEER of 13 AC
7. Programmable Thermostat
8. Reflective roof sheathing
9. Tank-less Water Heater
10. All Windows wrapped and tapped
11. Manual J calculations performed on each floor plan you build with consideration taken regarding site
12. And finally, monitoring the actual energy bill of the home to reflect the HERS certificate, which clearly states a numerical amount of money that is to be saved on energy costs. (Although this is of course not a requirement of the EPA and Energy Star officials).
13. As a matter of CYA principle, I would also thermal image the entire home if I was the builder. (Again not required by Energy Star).

You may be doing some of this already. However, because the HERS Ratings are purely subjective (in that a human being is involved in the input of data into software known as REM/Rate) your company is in essence "Green Washing" the public and could subject your company to litigation and challenges in a court of law.

"Up to 40%" implies to a consumer that it is 40%, not that it could be a range from 30% to 40%. The Consumer Protection Act of Ohio has some pretty good language concerning this issue. Even so, I doubt if your homes consistently rate close to 40% given my expertise in the many variables that can fluctuate the scoring, or the mistakes that can be made by a human being when entering in the purely subjective numbers. For example, does your company provide cubic square footage of each home to your inspector, or just two dimensional square footage? Does your company do a Manual J calculation on each and every floor plan, even the ones with bump-outs? How far away is the probe placed from the HVAC unit when conducting a duct blast test? Does your inspector test to ensure that all windows are actually low-e glass coated, even the tempered glass units? Who at your office is actually making sure that the "Corrections Needed" entries on the Thermal Bypass Checklist are actually fixed? Do your superintendents have training in Energy Star compliance?

I can go on and on with the hundreds of variables. Now lets examine the differences between inspectors and their training. If four inspectors from different companies rated the home is the HERS Score going to be the same? Probably not. Proposed changes by the Department of Energy and EPA are to go to a range in 2011, not a single HERS Score anyway. So quantifying a HERS Score or quantifying to the public a percentage of energy savings to an exact number like "up to 40%" is GREEN Washing.

For more information go to www.EnergyFraud.com. I invite your management to contact me.

Regards,

Bruce Wingfield

Book to be Published Soon!

2010-03-10T18:02:00.000-08:00

Although I survived a nasty Trojan Horse attack this weekend, I wanted to notify everyone that the book entitled "Home Energy Fraud, When GREEN is Oversold" will be out soon and available on Amazon. Thanks to some Russian Anti-versus software my personal computer is up and running again. Hey aren't most of the world's virus hackers in Russia? So if you are like me and love defending a PC from all comers, then ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 is for you.

It's like energy efficiency, once that large gas bill comes in you find ways to defeat the problem. My recent gas bill for one of the worst winter months on record was only $160.00. Big difference from the $338.00 I received two years ago!!

Letter sent to United States Senator

2010-03-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

The Energy Policy Act of 2004 allowed home builders of new homes to deduct $2,000 per home from their taxable income if the homes were constructed as energy efficient. This energy efficient criteria was established by the EPA based upon the 2006 Mortgage Industry National Home Energy Rating Systems Standards published by RESNET, also known as energy efficient mortgages. Energy Efficient mortgages are virtually never used in today's market and were not much of a tool used by lenders. When contacted a Vice President of Wells Fargo could not remember the last time his company participated in energy efficient mortgages.

RESNET is a non-profit corporation established in Arkansas who has a monopoly on all inspections of Energy Star labeled homes in the United States and whose organization has a patent on the HERS Rating System or Home Energy Rating System wherein a HERS score of from 100 to 0 is obtainable. This scoring is done by a member of RESNET known as a Rater or Provider using a software program called a REM/RATE. The rater or provider inputs into the software various information in order to have the software calculate a HERS score as to the energy efficiency of the home being inspected. The process also involves the rater/provider making certain visual inspections, measuring square and cubic footage of the home being rated, and providing numerous subjective information in order to obtain a HERS score.

However, as in any subjective computer program, garbage in means garbage out, or in some cases garbage in and fraud out. One home received FOUR different HERS ratings from FOUR members of RESNET.

This is one reason the EPA has decided to go to a HERS Range instead of a single score. One home had thirteen errors that had been entered into the software fraudulently in order to achieve a HERS score of 63, when in reality a score of 76 or 78 was accurate.

RESNET's own web site posts the Annual Report of 2007 it states the following: Staff also determined that there was enough evidence of non-compliance with the standards during on-site visits to warrant a more rigorous approach to monitoring.

In conclusion, as a tax payer I seriously question the validity of any tax credit based upon the subjective analysis of a program that appears to be seriously flawed and prone to outright fraud and deception. Tax credits for new windows is something that can be seen. A subjective analysis of how well a home is supposedly well insulated can be manipulated and fraud can become a factor. As a tax payer I would submit that thousands upon thousands of homes have received fraudulent tax credits based upon the Energy Star program and it's subjective approach.

Regards,

Bruce Wingfield

Cap and Fraud the Politics of Energy

2010-02-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

After reviewing a thread on www.nachi.org named Cap and Trade: A License Required for your Home, I have the following comments:

1. I became a Realtor in 1976. As such my experience on certain subjects should be without challenge. A mandatory national retrofit in the name of saving the planet from greenhouse gases and furthering the political myth called Global Warming, will certainly kill Real Estate which is already on life support.

2. For those inspectors jumping for joy at the prospects of cashing in on this type of socialism, bear in mind your home equity will come crashing down. Your home will be worth nothing when average people are not able to spend the mandated dollars required to sell their home. Mr. Gary Farnsworth is correct in that the national foreclosure crisis will only worsen. And as a result all home equity will decrease in worth.

3. Energy should be held subject to the Free Market forces of our Capitalistic System. Not become a Cap and Fraud Political circus. After the Carter term of office and his socialist agenda, can anyone tell me how many solar panel manufacturers were in business. It was in the thousands!! Unfortunately without a proper payback they all went out of business except for a handful. Does anyone doubt the harm that ethanol has caused. First the cost of food went up; then to make matters worse the amount of pollutants to make ethanol is more than the amount anyone can save driving ethanol cars! Again this was engineered by politicians not free markets.

In conclusion, when politics and fraud become the dominant reason to do something we should all pause and think about the consequences. My particular home builder and his inspector committed fraud. It is more than just four inspectors making four different opinions all members of the same non-profit organization. This was much more than incompetency, this was a calculated plan to cheat the system. Energy Fraud exists all over the country, with story upon story of cheating. So this is more than just one home, one story, one complaint.

I will explain more in my book to be published on Amazon soon. The title will be "Home Energy Fraud" by Bruce Wingfield.

Response to a Critic

2010-02-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

Frank,

There are always critics. Please post this reply:

Dear Mr. Bailes,

RESNET enjoys a monopoly on inspections of the Energy Star program. RESNET's own web site for their 2007 Annual Report sites problems with the quality of those inspections. Therefore the evidence of FRAUD and poor inspections is not limited to a single home per RESNET's own web site.

After the launch of www.EnergyFraud.com many consumers provided me more evidence of many abuses, including one who sent me the guilty plea of Steve Baden the Director of RESNET on charges of ethics violations from his employment for the State of Alaska. Another consumer summed it up this way, RESNET is a morally rotten organization.

Both consumers and inspectors have contacted me. The evidence is overwhelming. The fraud is rampant. Many complaints have fallen on deaf ears. The good news is that many of the RESNET Providers want the problem to be cleaned up. However they doubt the intentions of the National Association of Home Builders, the EPA and their own leadership.

Being a third generation home builder I was appalled when one RESNET Rater reported to me the comment of a home builder client of his, "I don't care if you say the home is not qualified for a tax credit, the other rater said it was."

So you see the FRAUD impacts everyone who pays taxes. So even the new guidelines are not going to be able to remove the subjective human element out of the process. Or eliminate the home builder who wants to cheat. Or the inspector who want to undercut his price and service versus the inspector who truly wants to be fair and honest. Or the EPA who insists on publishing a bogus number of greenhouse gas emissions saved from their Energy Star program.

If the new guidelines of the Energy Star program are to be more rigorous then why the change from a SINGLE HERS Score to a Range? Why not require Thermal Imaging? Why not provide copies of the Thermal Bypass Checklist for the Home Builder to sign and require this checklist be given the consumer? Why not require a picture of the blower door and duct blast and results given to the consumer like when a home inspector provides a copy of the home inspection to the consumer? Why not prove that a Manual J calculation was performed on the home? My builder just guessed. Why does the EPA require a Thermal Bypass Checklist and RESNET does not?

Fraud at my residence including more than just listing a programmable thermostat when there was none, it included THIRTEEN ERRORS OR FRAUDULENT ENTRIES IN ORDER TO FABRICATE A HERS SCORE OF 63. FACT - None of the 24 homes built in my subdivision were compliant. Complaints are all over the country!
After the power vent was connected with electricity and set to run when the attic was 95 degrees and higher, a drop in the Air Conditioner usage was noticeable. It does not run continuously. Negative pressure in the attic? The attic accesses are now thermally sealed. There is no health issue.

In conclusion, I am helping the industry to improve. It is my only motivation. The program should not have rampant Fraud and abuse. The program needs to be improved. My book will be out in a few weeks and one chapter goes into many suggestions for the Energy Star program. Some of the ideas are from local code enforcement of Delaware County, Ohio.

You asked about me, or specifically why I don't have a "About Us" page. This cause is not about me. Since you asked I will tell you who I am. I am a Third-generation home builder of hundreds of homes, in construction since age eight. Building products experts as it pertains to concrete, masonry, sealants, waterproofing, and steel framed construction. Commercial General Contractor and licensed Realtor for the State of Ohio. Expert in Energy Star construction with considerable knowledge of sustainability as it relates to the LEED's program (which has also drawn it's critics).
I have been forty-two floors high in a swing stage and constantly get phone calls from the A & E community for my expertise. I am married with no children, although again I question why you would want to know.

If you have read my blog, I am sorry to say it is new. But the last entry is evidence of the problems with home builders in this country. Become a follower at www.homeenergyfraud.blogspot.com. And when you have an opinion please feel free to voice it. The great thing about this country is the right to free speech.

--

Regards,

Bruce Wingfield

Home Builder Confused?

2010-02-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

Question to a home builder - "Does your company perform a Manual J calculation by the HVAC contractor on every home you build?

Answer - I do not know if it is manual but every home is measured during the design process to ensure that all areas of the home are balanced.

Sizing Your System -

When sizing a heating and cooling system for a home, rule of thumb measurements can yield an improperly sized system. Yes, you've probably heard it all before, but a poorly sized HVAC system can lead to an uncomfortable living environment and higher bills for the homeowner, to name a few.

The popular method of calculating heating and cooling loads is to use ACCA, Manual J-compliant load calculation software. The old method of buying a Manual J book and sizing by hand is rarely used these days due to all the great software available. Still, it is convenient to have a Manual J book around for reference when calculating loads.

Manual J books have been around since the 1970's!!

Is this scary or what? I don't know if it is manual? This is why in OHIO there needs to be a license to build a home!!

In Ohio you have to pass a 750 hour course and a FOUR HOUR test to become a licensed massage therapist, but to build someone a home, nothing!! No course, no test. To become a home builder you need to pay $120 to become a Limited Liability Corporation.

And bingo you can build and supervise the construction of residential homes in the State of Ohio!!

Why should builders be worried? There are not! They will just stand behind their "binding arbitration clause" and puppet LLC and laugh all the way to the bank.

Ok, take a breath time to edit pictures of my upcoming book, "Home Energy Fraud" "When GREEN is Oversold." Available on Amazon soon!!

More Insulation Works

2010-01-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

I just paid my Columbia Gas Bill. It was only $152.06!!! This is fantastic news! Remember my problem started with a bill of $328 in January 2008.

I attribute this success in the dead of winter to the increased insulation in the attic, the filling of all attic voids, the foaming of the basement perimeter, caulking of all windows sills, repair of large picture window seal, replacement of insulation at the bottom of the single-hung windows, and repair of the knee wall in the infamous bonus room.

Our home is not perfect, but obviously we are thrilled with the improvements. Again, we urge everyone to hire a professional energy inspector. For help, please go to www.EnergyFraud.com and go to the contact page. Fill it out, and we will contact you.

Infamous Bonus Room

2009-12-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

The picture to the left is the infamous Bonus Room. It shows a thermo image of the knee wall. Note the temperature at the interior ceiling slope is 46.9 degrees Fahr. and the interior wall temperature is 67.6 degrees Fahr.

The floor to wall intersection is almost as bad with a reading of 50.7 degrees Fahr. This intersection was clearly marked as a problem on the Thermal Bypass Checklist by the home builder's inspector. But never corrected. And yet the home was labeled Energy Star compliant.

This picture was sent to the EPA for their comments. They thought that air infiltration was a problem. When the wall was cut open it revealed that fiberglass batts had fallen from the slope of the ceiling INSIDE the knee wall.

So the problem was more than just air infiltration through friction-fit fiberglass batted insulation.

Repairs have been made to this wall. However due to the difficulty of access there are certain to be areas that still leak or have insulation voids. It also is apparent that repairs are not as good as if the home had been built correctly. EPA still treats problems as building defects even though it is sometimes impossible to remedy without taking drywall completely off the wall.

Fiberglass batted insulation is an inherent problem especially when they are friction-fit and placed in stick-built homes.

Energy Star Partner Comments

2009-12-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

The EPA recently proposed sweeping changes to their Energy * program to the Partners (home builders) in their program. EPA did allow comments from their Partner home builders. Under Quality Assurance, Training and Brand Integrity the following caught my eye:

"Respondents expressed concern that lax oversight has resulted in an increasing quantity of homes earning the ENERGY STAR without meeting the guidelines."

"Respondents requested that EPA both work with RESNET to improve its oversight role and also develop a more robust level of oversight that is independent of RESNET and involved TRUE third-party random inspections."

This means that even Energy * Partner/Home builders know that cheating is taking place on a large scale.

FRAUD IS RAMPANT, INSPECTIONS ARE LAX, BUILDERS ARE RECEIVING $2,000 TAX CREDITS BY PAYING OFF INSPECTORS!!!

AND THE EPA KNOWS ALL ABOUT THIS!

When buying a home, don't depend on a label or brand.

25 Thermal Image Pictures

2009-12-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

There is a link on www.EnergyFraud.com at the Picture page to a PDF file from Mays Consulting that shows 25 Thermal Image Pictures of Insulation and Thermal Bypass Checklist problems.

Log on today!

Climate-Gate or Greenwashing - Pick One

2009-12-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

Four energy inspectors provided Four different ratings and opinions as to the energy efficiency of my home. All were members of Residential Energy Services Network a non-profit corporation from Arkansas.

According to one my home was nearly 40% more energy efficient than the 2004 Building Code. But another expert said that my home was 20% not 40%.

It was claimed by the EPA that my home had a reduction in Carbon Dioxide of 13,524.3 pounds per year!

But this was from the Energy Analysis software and opinion of the expert that was proven wrong. In fact Residential Energy Services Network placed him on administrative sanctions.

So if members of the same organization can come up with FOUR different ratings, how can the EPA claim that their green build program is reliable?

Thus it is impossible to measure accurately the amount of greenhouse gas emissions anyone is saving. So much for Cap and Trade. How much money are we going to send to third world companies based upon bad science?

This picture is of the attic. It did not have good workmanship. But the home builder's rater decided to GREENWASH the inspection and label the home GREEN anyway.

Bonus Room Knee Walls

2009-12-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

This Friday our bonus room knee walls were repaired by a local insulation contractor. The repair procedure was to cut through drywall for the east wall and cut through OSB sheathing on the garage attic access.

Photographic evidence revealed that the friction-fit fiberglass batts placed in the ceiling slope had fallen into the knee wall cavity. This was the cause for the 46.5 degree temperature recorded next to an ambient temperature of 68 degrees or a 21.5 degree cold spot in the bonus room.

It is ironic that I predicted the problem based upon what was found in the great room knee wall that had afforded easier access. Sam Rashkin of the EPA (in charge of the Energy Star program) had felt that the infrared thermo imaging photos revealed mere air infiltration problems. He was wrong and was prepared to allow the home builder to skip this problem.

The use of Friction-fit fiberglass batts without complying with the Thermal Bypass Checklist requirements of Energy Star is a recipe for disaster.

Home Builder advertised at least 40% Savings

2009-10-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Guarantees and promises of saving money catches everyones attention. However when GREEN is over-sold and over-rated by the EPA, Home builders, and Residential Energy Services Network Providers and Raters, everyone loses.

A home builder advertised that if you bought their home you would save at least 40% on your energy bills over other home builder homes. Instead the home cost 20% more to heat and cool due to inadequate insulation, builder fraud, inspection fraud, and a system that uses a self-serving inspection process.

EPA publishes how much GREENHOUSE Gas Emissions their Green Residential Home Energy program is saving annually. This number is totally false and misleading.

Who is to blame? I blame Congress. Who do you blame?