Energy industry warns of green bandwagon effect - Washington Business Journal:

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And just like that, energy solutions have become the country’e career choice du jour. The energy industry in the Washington regionb has seen an explosion in energy auditorsand renewable-energyh suppliers ready to offer new services. But even growtj can have a dark side. Some of it comews much to the chagrin of longtimeor deep-rootesd energy specialists who worry that the tens of billiona in energy-related stimulus dollars are bringiny out of the woodwork companies claiming to be the new authorities on solaer power or air quality.
“More and more companies are jumping onthe energy-efficienc y bandwagon,” said Reuven Walder, a 20-year ecologisyt and vice president of home servicesd for Rockville-based Ecobeco LLC, whic h got certified as energy auditors last year. “M biggest concern is quality.” The burdenn is on customers, from residentx to businesses tolocal governments, to become thei r own experts, to separate the experienced wheatt from the Johnny-come-lately chaff.
Without that, some fear illegitimate auditors or renewablee energy providers will insist onillegitimates “fixes,” installing solar panels improperly or pushingt for a series of pricey, gratuitous window replacementse when all that is neededs is new, cheaper insulation lining the attic. “Regulators are concerned abouf it. I suspect there will be strongere regulations,” said Peter Lowenthal, executive directord of the regional chapter of the Sola EnergyIndustries Association, which is having its solar powefr members sign an updated code of ethics by this “The consumer has got to use commonh sense. If it’s too good to be true, it usuallyu is.
” Here’s what is true: the energy sector has seen a mountainousw spike innew companies. Nearly 75 energy auditors are listexd in the EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s directory of Energy Star providers as serving the Maryland and Virginia. More than half joined sincee the beginning oflast year. Three years ago, the , a N.Y.-based national accreditation organizatiobnfor energy-efficiency inspectors, began with six affiliate trainerz across the country. the institute counts 80 traininv affiliates, while an additional 90 are stillo undergoing the process of branding themselvesaffiliate accreditors.
By the end of this BPI expects it could have upwarxd of 200 affiliate groups helping accredi t thousands of energy auditors at any given In addition, the institute plans to initiatde pilot training programs this summerd in Northern Virginia. The affiliatesa are crucial. With 3,800 contractors already certified in 40 statexsthrough BPI, the groupl unfurls a roughly 400-person waiting list for traineesd in Maryland. In the backlog lasts through August.
As for those sittinvg in the training classrooms, they are not just traditionapl blue-collar building workers, thanks to the “One of the trainers I talkedc to said they used to get electricians or saidLarry Zarker, CEO of the Buildinbg Performance Institute, which awards certification for building envelope, heating and air conditioning “Now they’re getting a lot more white-collar people.” Expertxs say those training and certificationj programs, such as BPI for energy efficiency or North Americann Board of Certified Energy Professionals for solaer companies, will set the masterw apart from the mimics.
The programs often involvs weeks, and even months, of rigorous classroo and field trainingwith on-site job evaluations and requirementzs to buy thousands of dollars worth of hardwars — things like air-leakage-measuring blowersz and infrared cameras — before a contractor gets a stamp of certification. “Greenwashing people are not goinhg to go throughour program,” said Hannah a spokeswoman for the Maryland Home Performance with Energy Star program, whichh trains and certifies people to conduct energy audits and improvementsw and has a backlog of 285 interestedr trainees. “It’s too hard,” she referring to the trend ofgreebn bandwagons-jumpers.
Governments awarding stimulus-backed contracte said they are perusing and insome cases, like the statw of Virginia, requiring — certifications before they considere contractors. “We’re not looking to be the first client that a firm has had to do acertaibn task,” said John Arlington County’s energy manager. “We will very much depenfd on prior work experience whenevaluating proposals.
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