I particularly like these two FAQs:

“Are NOS available?
Draft NOS are available and our training has been formulated on the ABBE NOS; we do not for-see any significant changes, but training will reflect any changes.”

“When will the ABBE exam take place?
It is understood that after the training course, candidates will need to return to a nominated exam centre to complete the exam.”

Basically they are asking you to fork out £600 on driving lessons before the highway code, standards for driving instructors and requirements of the driving test have been written!

Good luck with that one!

The training provider is saying it will run courses before they have had agreement to do so, now where is the professional bodies to step in and challenge this, mmmmmmm nowwhere.

We are writing to you because you have registered for updates with us in regard to the HEA programme, or registered for training as a Housing Energy Advisor or Community Energy Advisor.

Thank you for your patience, we had to delay our original training dates while we waited for the release of the ABBE HEA qualification; this is now due on the 1st December, but regardless of this we are proceeding with our training on HEA as we have a number of business needs that require an expansion of our assessment team, initially in some London boroughs; we have also included a number of questions that we have been asked by energy assessors, and we have answered these as best we can.

What other avenues of work are available to me as a HEA?

If you have existing or recent projects that you have worked on such as social housing EPC programmes, then your local authority or housing association client may require your services again.

Remember that going forward there are anticipated to be a requirement for 5.5m home energy audits across the private and social housing sectors, with a targeted installation of 3.5m data readers, or a combination of the two.

If you want to put together your own offering around the content of this programme, then we can help you with this including the supply of energy efficiency product.

Once you have trained with us

We will be providing an advanced HEA programme for clients, with the aim of making a significant impact on the energy efficiency of both the property and the householder’s fuel costs.

What other avenues of work are available to me as a HEA?

If you have existing or recent projects that you have worked on such as social housing EPC programmes, then your local authority or housing association client may require your services again.

Remember that going forward there are anticipated to be a requirement for 5.5m home energy audits across the private and social housing sectors, with a targeted installation of 3.5m data readers, or a combination of the two.

If you want to put together your own offering around the content of this programme, then we can help you with this including the supply of energy efficiency product.

What about the Community Energy Advisor role?

This is essentially a role with the Carbon Energy Savings Programme (CESP). It is a much smaller programme than CERT and is heavily driven through utilities; it is still unclear to us as to the real levels of work that will be available to advisors; we will keep you informed as this becomes clearer.

We have tried to answer questions that are generic and of interest or concern to energy assessors; essentially our HEA training programme is really for pro-active assessors who have a commitment to both reducing carbon emissions and supporting us in our programmes to alleviate fuel poverty. If you have doubts about committing yourself any further to this industry, then perhaps you shouldn’t.

We will not try to convince you to become a Housing Energy Advisor, please do not ask us to do so, do your research, look at our answers and decide if it’s for you.

Q&A’s
Is the ABBE qualification now released?
We understand from ABBE that the ABBE qualification will be released on November 1st 2009. Our training begins 9th November 2009. If the qualification is not released by this time, we will still proceed with the training; our business commitments and the tenders that we are currently submitting to London local authorities mean we urgently need to expand our assessment team.

Candidates will be able to complete the exam when it is available, but this will not prevent you undertaking HEA work, so long as you are competent in your understanding to do so.

What is HEEP and what is the role of the HEA?
HEEP is the acronym for the Home Energy Efficiency Programme, which is a delivery vehicle for the provision and installation of small energy measures including Housing Energy Advice (HEA); this takes the form of interviewing and understanding how the householder uses energy, and to encourage and advise on practical behavioural changes that the householder/s can undertake to reduce their energy use and consequently their fuel bills.
A further key driver of the HEA is in combating the very serious problem of households in fuel poverty, in a climate of rising fuel prices.

Selection of energy efficiency measures being installed on HEEP schemes:
MEASURE
CFL / LED Light bulbs
Block Gaps (floor / skirting) Mastic
Radiator Panels
Draught Proofing
Tap Aerators
Hot Water Tank Jacket
Stand By Switch
Energy Saving Shower Heads
Housing Energy Advice

Some of these measures are proving too expensive to deliver under current funding and themeasures are on probation in these early projects, and these measuresare:Block Gaps (floor / skirting) Mastic;draught-proofing at time of visit.Where these arerequired, CEA has an installation team that carries out these measures.Certain measures are funded under Carbon Energy Reductions Target (CERT).The HEA generally provides energy use Real-Time Data Readers and LEDlight-bulbs; depending on the project the HEA may be required to installother measures such as Radiator (heat reflector) Panels; the CEAinstallation team installs the other measures.
Our HEA trainingcovers all of this information.

(The HEA carries out an energy audit of the property, which includes the gathering of rdSAP data; from this information it can be determined if larger energy efficiency measures can be installed such as loft & cavity wall insulation; this is usually followed up by the scheme manager).

CEA have produced an Energy Savings Action Plan (ESAP), which the HEA completes in agreement with the householder; this details some key changes that the householder can apply to both their property and how they use energy in the home. To compliment the ESAP we also provide information handouts in relation to effective use of domestic energy.

In the case of our projects, CEA also calls the householder after 4-6 weeks of the visit to discuss the progress of the ESAP and to provide further encouragement; these calls are carried out by our energy advice team (this may not be the same procedure if you are working for other providers).

Who will pay for the HEA visit?
The current 10 HEEP demonstration schemes are being funded by local authorities.

How long is the training?
For qualified DEA’s/HI’s/NDEA’s the training is over 2 days.

Will the fees be met by the Govt. via Learning Skills Council?
We are not aware of any funding provision for the HEA, although this was put forward as a possibility in the earlier stages of the programme.

My accreditation body advises me that the role of HEA has not yet been defined by the CLG therefore they were not able to offer a training programme, can you please clarify?
Technical trials of Homes Energy Efficiency Programmes have already been completed and demonstration projects are now being launched; your accreditation body is not interested as there are no EPC lodgement fees for them, and no profit in training people.

Are NOS available?
Draft NOS are available and our training has been formulated on the ABBE NOS; we do not for-see any significant changes, but training will reflect any changes.

When will the ABBE exam take place?
It is understood that after the training course, candidates will need to return to a nominated exam centre to complete the exam.

Is the HEA linked to the EPC?
No, none of the current demonstration programmes include the requirement for EPC’s.

Will you be providing any learning material prior to the course?
We have a first class training programme, with copyright materials that only HEAs trained by us will have a license to use after the training course; these will not be issued before the course.

Would you give me some information on the course content?
The course covers some areas that you should be very familiar with such as building fabric and heating systems; this will act as an aide memoir re-confirming items such as heat loss percentages from building elements. More essential training will cover provision of practical energy advice, renewable technologies, solid wall insulation etc. and the completion of our Energy Action Savings Plan (ESAP) and the use of our handout materials.

Please give me an idea of revenue/fees as a HEA?
These are intensive programmes and there will be a requirement for HEAs to complete 5-7 property visits each working day; fees will vary depending on how much the HEA is required to do, but there will be a good minimum fee per provision of energy advice to each property, and we will provide this information to bone fide enquirers.

Will accredited HEAs be over-subscribed?
At (training provider name removed) we have always advised enquirers of the situation on the state of the oversupply of DEA’s, and we also warn of this on the front page of our website, and as it stands there is certainly no over subscription of HEAs.

Two things:
1. Housing Energy Advice is a natural progression for domestic energy assessors; it is a vital part of Govt.’s drive in the reduction of carbon emissions.
2. 20% extra funding has been added to CERT, fuel poverty is a massive problem and getting worse, we believe HEA will become a very important driver in combating fuel poverty.
Has a start date been agreed yet for HEA’s to begin?
There are currently 10 demonstration projects in London boroughs; we will believe this will become a national programme.

Will it be HEAs having to pay fees, landmark charges etc?
No fees involved.

Will you be providing specialist training for listed buildings and those in conservation areas?
Our solid wall insulation will cover aspects of this, as there will be requirements for HEAs to operate in conservation areas.

Is there any software required?
No.

I understand that there is an APEL route and that other qualifications will be considered as equivalent?
City & Guilds 6176 is an alternative qualification that can qualify you as a HEA; the ABBE is a level 3 so is higher than the 6176, and is currently our preferred qualification.

My accreditation body also told me that there are loads of people already qualified?
The C&G 6176 has been around for some years and over this time people have become qualified in this; many of these people are from organisations providing housing advice, such as local authorities etc; most will not be involved in the HEA programme, and if they decided to do so, they would need to bring themselves up to date with areas such as renewable technologies.
We will only be using ABBE qualified energy assessors who have undertaken the HEA training with us for our own programmes; there will be a requirement for well trained and well informed assessors, we are not interested in cursory knowledge and we will not provide work to HEA’s from any other training provider as we cannot be certain of the quality of training provision.

The number of surveys per qualified DEA is correct.

According to the 2001 census, there were 22,539,000 homes in England and Wales, so this may be 4 years work earning a pittance, forking our for more training every year.

What then?

Surveyors should not be salesmen, they should be (and DEAs are required by European law to be) independent to give an un-biased survey. This is re-living and encouraging the bad days of the 80s door-to-door double glazing salesmen genre.

Imagine if the surveyor only got commission for selling Ground Source Heat Pumps. The property has already got an a++ rated gas condensing boiler. The recommendation made would to replace the heating and hot water system with a ground source heat pump. How does this benefit the consumer? would this always be the most efficient? What about the initial cost and pay back?

Sample Report:

Windows: Yes / Who Cares

Doors: Yes / Who Cares

Walls: Who Cares

Roof: Yes / Who Cares

Education (of salesman): Say “sign here” “I’ll let myself out and close the door behind me.”

Interaction and education (of home-owner):Can you sign your name on this direct debit mandate?

Comments: Survey not necessary as they do not have a GSHP, so I have flogged them one.

Gas fitter goes to the house, says the back boiler is on its last legs and is not really very efficient to todays standards. Gas fitter installs and makes a few quid. Is this not what business is about?

Ian are you not being a bit over the top with your heat pump scenario?

Will the energy advisor not produce a energy report and sign post possible quality suppliers, which maybe the energy suppliers or local independants? If they get a kickback, you should not be suprised, this has been happening since time begun.

Yes, there will be sales involved. But what harm is this when you are selling products the clients will want and benefit from?

How many companies stand to make lots of money by placing an invited, knowledgeable, credible advisor [otherwise known as a salesman] into every home? It certainly wont be the surveyor unless they get in on commission or will probably get paid £16k OTE.

The role should also have behavioural advice, which does not earn anyone money so will be dropped (imho) if it hasn’t already.

@Dave T
“5 million homes that will need a home energy audit/report carrying out”

Great:
5,000,000 / 12,000 = 416 audits per qualified DEA
@£20.00 each that’s £8320 – expenses? good investment?
And what happens then Dave?
Once those 5,000,000 homes have been surveyed, what does the surveyor do? Pay for more training to do it all again?

This will be of no benefit to the consumer.

Dave what evidence do you have of this. I previously ran an unrelated small business and whilst LAs are required by law to invite tenders from small businesses they usually have caveats in their Ts&Cs which would automatically preclude them e.g. £10m PLI for a contract worth a few thousand at most.

“In regard to pricing it is expected to be several times the cost of the EPC as it will be much more complex than the EPC.” Dave T

How can the Home Audit be more complex than an EPC when the training courses are only 2 days with no prerequsite knowledge?

As for pricing, the owners of the targeted homes will not pay for these audits so they will have to given away free. Instead of fees I suggest the HEA will receive commission for any insulation measures ‘sold’. Very impartial, I don’t think.

You are right about one thing though, there will be no shortage of desparate, underworked DEAs trying to jump on this band wagon.

In due course, we will be asking a number of training providers directly their views on the HEA and CEA roles.