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.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Response to a Critic
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
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
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Home Builder Confused?
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!!
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!!
Friday, January 15, 2010
More Insulation Works
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.
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.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Infamous Bonus Room
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.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Energy Star Partner Comments
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.
"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.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
25 Thermal Image Pictures
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.
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