LaHouse offers energy code verifiers, HVAC certification trainings in January

BATON ROUGE — The LSU AgCenter LaHouse Resource Center is offering two training and certification classes to help contractors, inspectors and prospective energy code verifiers meet or exceed Louisiana residential energy code requirements — and avoid common problems of homes in this hot, humid climate.
A Duct and Envelope Tightness Verifier certification class will be held Jan. 8-9. The class is designed for those who seek certification to test and verify Louisiana energy code building and duct tightness requirements.
An HVAC for Home Performance class on Jan. 8-10 includes the DET class and an extra day of building science insights for HVAC and home building contractors.
Either class is also beneficial for building officials, home inspectors, consultants and others, said LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel.
“A little-known fact is that as the energy-efficiency bar rises, the margin of error shrinks, which can lead to moisture problems, decay damages and health hazards,” Reichel said. “So these classes go beyond mere code compliance to shape an understanding of building science concepts that affect end results — the good, the bad and the ugly.
“These classes were created to help housing professionals produce better-performing homes so their customers can enjoy greater energy efficiency without sacrificing comfort, indoor air quality and durability.”
Participants who complete the DET course, and written and field exams will be designated Southface Energy Institute-certified DET Verifiers to perform diagnostic testing and report the building and duct tightness results to verify compliance with the 2009 IRC energy code.
LaHouse Resource Center is an authorized provider for Southface DET training and certification.
The HVAC for Home Performance class includes the DET course as well as best practices to prevent, diagnose and solve heating, cooling and ventilation challenges in a hot, humid climate.
DET certification is especially beneficial to HVAC contractors because it provides more options for code compliance that are not available to those who are certified only in using duct test equipment for “total leakage” measurements, Reichel said. DET verifiers can do both “total leakage” and “leakage to outside” tests.
All participants receive a handbook, online tutorials, classroom instruction and hands-on practice, plus the DET exams. The classes also count for CEU hours for Louisiana residential contractors and home inspectors.
More information, fees and links to register are available at the LaHouse Resource Center website, www.LSUAgCenter.com/LaHouse. The classes will be held at LaHouse, an educational demonstration of high-performance building systems, located at 2858 Gourrier Ave. across from LSU Alex Box Baseball Stadium.