Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESPONSE - RFP - 7255 BUILDING CODE TRAINING SERVICESPoint of Contact: Robby Schwarz EnergyLogic, Inc. PO Box N Berthoud CO 80513 720-838-0677 RFP 7255 -- Building Code Training Services 7/20/2011 energyLogic analysts. Insight. answers. Complete Training Solutions EnergyLogic is pleased to present this proposal for the City of Ft Collins Building Code Training Services — Residential Building Envelope, Residential Mechanical Systems Design, and Residential Mechanical Systems Performance Training. This includes collaboratively developing the most effective training approach, developing new or refining existing training curriculum, delivering training and improving upon training based on student and program administrator feedback. i QnergyLogic on olysl s Insight. ens. eis Contents Contents.......................................................................................................................................................2 Section1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................3 1.1 Statement of Qualifications......................................................................................................3 1.2 Staffing.....................................................................................................................................4 1.3 Relevant Experience.................................................................................................................4 Section2 Solution Overview......................................................................_........................................6 2.1 Project Understanding.............................................................................................................6 2.2 Training Areas...........................................................................................................................6 2.3 Proposed Training Approaches................................................................................................6 2.4 Curricula...................................................................................................................................7 2.5 Certifications............................................................................................................................7 Section 3 Proposed Compensation...................................................................................................8 Section 4 References and Availability.................................................................................................9 Section5 Summary ............................................................................................................ ........9 21Page QnergyLogic analysis. Insight. answers. The City of Ft Collins has adopted "green amendments" to the previously adopted 2009 International Building Codes —to become effective January 1, 2012. In order to prepare for implementation of these amendments, and to create a smooth transition, the City desires to provide training to effected parties. Ft Collins has been on the forefront of building performance for a number of years. EnergyLogic has been pleased to work with the City providing over 400 audits for their Home Efficiency Program since January 2010 and new home energy code compliance verification since the adoption of the 2006 IECC. We therefore feel we know well Fort Collins dedication to improving building performance and look forward to the opportunity to continuing to work together on this next chapter. EnergyLogic sees this as a tremendous opportunity to build on the progress that has been made and move forward by integrating energy efficient and green building into an integrated whole house systems approach that encompasses health, safety, comfort, durability, efficiency and environmental 1 impact. We are extremely excited to present our approach to providing the requested services to Ft Collins in an effort to improve contractor services for many years to come. EnergyLogic is the leading home energy rating, program compliance, and simulated performance path energy code Compliance Company in the state of Colorado. Our foundation is based on continual education, applied building science, and the systems approach to construction. We therefore stress and seek out in our employees a continual desire to learn and thrive through the realization that in this industry we do not know everything, we learn something new every day, and we take the time to continually educate ourselves and our clients. We seek performance as the matrix of compliance and understand that flexibility results in this evolution of progress toward sustainable and well performing homes. The city is seeking a partner to help it on its next step toward even better performing homes and we feel that we are that partner because we have been there alongside the city promoting codes, programs, and performance matrixes in partnership for years. EnergyLogic Awards and Recognition: • Three National EPA Awards: The US EPA awarded EnergyLogic a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year and a 2011 ENERGY STAR for Homes Leadership in Housing Sustained Excellence Award. These awards recognize EnergyLogic's outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through its work as a home energy Rater supporting the Energy Star program. • 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Business Ethics • Northern Colorado Business Report's Mercury 100 List (fastest growing companies) every year since 2007; Top 10 for the past three years; #4 in 2011. • Named in the June 2011 issue of coloradoBIZ Magazine as one of Colorado's Top 50 Companies to Watch. a 0 1 0 R A 1) 0 QnergyLogic analysis. insig n 1. answers. Robby Schwarz will be the head representative and trainer for EnergyLogic on this project. He has been working and training in the industry for 19 years and has a clear and concise understanding of applied building science and the systems approach of construction. Robby has worked training builders and sub contractors for years and has become an accredited home energy rater and auditing trainer through RESNET and Building Performance Institute. He trains code officials through the Colorado Energy Codes Support project and the ICC Colorado Code education institute. Robby works with builders on a daily basis training sub contractors and builders through sponsored presentations by HBA's around the state. Our EnergyLogic staff offers a number of personnel that may be __r called upon to assist in this project. Our Energy Professional Services division is headed by Scott Doyle who is our lead trainer concentrating in energy rating and auditing. Charlie Stevens is our lead Energy Rater and quality assurance designee and brings in-depth experience with house diagnostics and training. Nathan Pepper has a background through the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance supporting building code development, adoption, and compliance throughout the Midwest. Matt Thornberry, formally with E-Star Colorado, is our learning management systems developer. Depending on the needs as they develop through our conversation, we feel confident that Robby and the EnergyLogic Team can support the city in creating and implementing a meaningful and impactful educational training series. Presentations concentrating on applied building science, the systems approach, and detailed application of these principals are the cornerstone of EnergyLogic materials that we bring to the table to train Fort Collins stake holders. We strive to link the "Why?" to the "How?" In other words, we aim to demonstrate the science behind the application so that builders, subcontractors, code officials, architects and others understand not only how to construct a specific detail, such as an air barrier, but also why it makes a difference in the performance of the house from a health and safety perspective as well as comfort, durability, efficiency, and sustainability perspective. The need to define and construct solid and well performing thermal envelops and to ensure an understanding of what a thermal envelope does for a home is key and the first step to being able to fully design and implement a HVAC system. Commissioning the HVAC system comes next and is what has been lacking for years. We only now will begin to understand how what we have built actually works because we have not consistently or fully commissioned HVAC system. The synergy gained through a well performing thermal envelope and a well designed and commissioned HVAC system will transform the market and the houses that are built in Fort Collins. The reality is that although three separate trainings are being proposed, they are linked and the relationship between the three needs to be brought out. We have seen the understanding of this synergy grow first hand in similar projects to what is being proposed by the City of Fort Collins. It began with our work implementing the Energy Star thermal 41 Page QnergyLogic analysis. Insight. answers. bypass checklist and the codified checklist in the IECC mandatory insulation and air barrier requirements. Trainings we provided to builders, subcontractors, and code officials ensured that verification and enforcement led to thermal envelopes that HVAC contractors could rely on which lessoned the need for manipulation of user defined inputs such as design temperatures and infiltration levels in manual J heat load calculation. This in turn led to more correctly sized equipment which led to the question if the equipment was producing the flow needed to properly heat and cool the house. More complex diagnostics are now being introduced in version 3 of the Energy Star program (ESv3) and our education efforts have once again ramped up. Currently we are working on two related projects that, similar to Fort Collins code changes, are meant to be market transformation programs: Energy Star Version 3 (ESv3) implementation and the States Energy Code Support Project. Energy Star Version 3 implementation requires education, understanding, marketing, and perseverance to convince Builders to continue with a voluntary program that will cost more to implement but will ensure houses that perform. Our efforts to educate Builders, HVAC Contractors, Architects, Engineers, and other trade partners have been successful in helping dispel fear of change and promote the outcomes of the changing program which is and has transformed the market. Through various presentations, in -field house walks, diagnostic demonstrations and discussions, and a continual outpouring of information through news letters and email blasts, we are seeing that many builders are committing to continue with the program. In addition, we feel that the ESv3 required HVAC contractor credentialing would not be taking pace at the pace it is without our educational efforts to the industry A few years ago, nobody knew that the simulated performance path of code compliance was the third allowed pathway for meeting the intent of the International Energy Conservation Code. Now a growing majority of builders on the Front Range are seeking this path of compliance and we are seeing that the IECC is moving to more codified performance matrixes. EnergyLogic has led the way by opening a continued dialogue with building code jurisdictions and demonstrating that a home's energy performance is more than R-values and U-values but largely about implementation and enforcement. Again, the builder's adoption of the performance path came about through education and demonstration. We have proven that a home built with 2x4 walls and R-13 batts can outperform a standard code house if the attention to details is addressed through inspection and diagnostic testing. The States Energy Code Support Project has brought us in as experts on the simulated performance path and the newly code adopted diagnostics. We are providing educational presentations around the State for the program which include a half day class session and a half day field demonstration to enlighten code officials to the flexibility allowed in the code to ensure house performance through proper enforcement. All of this confirms the message that you get what you inspect not what you expect or as they say in Fort Collins, "Is it there and is it working?" Our experience is that it takes a holistic approach of education that explains the why and the how in the class room, and compliments that with hands-on experiences in the field that are designed to reinforce what has been learned until the "ah" moment comes and true understanding is achieved and a desire for more information is instigated. QnergyLogic analysis. insi9 h f. answers. The following is our understanding and detailed plan on how we propose to accomplish the services covered under the Ft Collins Program. Your Program is an excellent fit to the current mix of services we already provide. Internal processes and procedures have already been established to develop and modify training and all administrative and support functions are in place. As such, we envision implementation time would be minimal. EnergyLogic is submitting a proposal to collaboratively work with the City of Fort Collins to create and implement trainings that will promote a smooth transition to the new green code provisions of the adopted 2009 IECC slated to go into effect on January 1, 2012. We understand clearly that the creation and implementation of these trainings is an evolving process not something that has been set in stone and we look forward to working with the city to develop the most dynamic and comprehensive package of materials, including binders, PowerPoint, field and class room presentations. In addition, EnergyLogic's online Learning Management System is an ideal place to permanently archive these trainings for future use and/or to offer training to a population who may not be able to come to a traditional class room setting. Of the four proposed trainings Energylogic feels confident that we can assist in the development and implementation of the Residential Building Envelope, Mechanical Design, and Mechanical Systems Performance testing classes. EnergyLogic's training philosophy revolves around an understanding of the systems approach to construction and the notion of applied building science. Therefore, all our trainings begin with an introduction to building science and systems thinking in order to orient participants into a potential new mind set and frame of reference that is heavy on performance from not only the perspective of efficiency but also building comfort, safety, durability, and sustainability. Our curriculums have traditionally utilized PowerPoint presentations that focus on relevant details and are highlighted with accurate and thought provoking pictures so that the written word is always accompanied with a pictorial image that reinforces the points being discussed. Our field experience is constantly drawn upon to further highlight points with additional real -world examples. We also recommend an atmosphere that is receptive to managed open dialogue, questions, and exchanges so that students can express their thoughts and bring insights to the class. Lastly, we believe that only so much can be attained in a classroom environment and therefore these sessions should be followed up with field sessions at actual houses that are at both a rough stage of construction and a final stage of construction. By so doing, both HVAC issues and thermal envelope issues can be discussed thoroughly. 6 1 P c QnergyLogic analysis. insight_ answers. EnergyLogic has developed prerequisites for its normal suite of classes. However, it is our feeling that the Fort Collins training series is focused on a different client base and has different objectives for the presentations. In order to develop a contractor infrastructure that can take advantage of new business opportunities we cannot exclude individuals through prerequisites but rather need to ensure that they are engaged and understand the new code, the thought process behind it, and how to engage with it to build homes that will ultimately help their businesses succeed. We therefore believe that a classroom presentation can accommodate 20 to 30 individuals but that a field demonstration should not exceed 15 in order to reinforce what has been learned and to get proper feedback and dialogue amongst the participants. We have led successful field demonstrations by breaking up groups between a rough and final home from which students would travel from one to the other and feel this type of field class setting works best and could accommodate more participants on the same day if needed. EnergyLogic has also developed an internet-based course and Learning Management System which we would like to offer to Fort Collins so as to archive and potentially continually update the training series, offer it on an ongoing basis, and from which to obtain feedback from participants. Our online eLearning environment recognizes the different learning styles of students and overcomes traditional classroom - only based training. The system is built on our desire to provide students with a full spectrum of multi- media components, interactive lessons, quizzes, progress evaluations and live online instructor interaction but can be tailored to the specific needs of the City. Traditionally, students learn together by working in a social environment designed to build knowledge as a group. All courses offered by EnergyLogic have a learning management system login for students and we would like to include this with the Fort Collins training series. The system can be built to prepare students prior to class as this type of prerequisite can build understanding without disqualifying individuals. Obviously what this would look like needs to be decided but the eLearning System can give greater depth during a class, and support students well after classes are complete. The online eLearning system provides great flexibility from branding the Fort Collins message, to course feedback, and tracking to meet your needs. EnergyLogic brings this to the table as a potential addition to the training series and means to support it moving forward. 2.4 Curricula EnergyLogic has already built much of the curricula to train the building envelope and mechanical systems design and diagnostics. We are open to utilizing this as a starting point for the collaborative formation of the Fort Collins training series. Depending on the extent and amount of customization required to meet your needs, we would further discuss the ownership and licensing arrangement if chosen for this program. Our desire would be to have the ability to use any new material that is developed in other training contexts and opportunities that may arise and/or in any way that EnergyLogic sees fit in the future, but this is negotiable based on final discussions. 2.5 Certifications We believe most of these sessions will supplement training certifications trade partners and others already have. It is not our understanding that the City is seeking training to the level required to establish a unique certification as much more is needed for RESNET, BPI, and HVAC credentialing. However we would recommend working with existing certification bodies in order to be able to offer continuing education credit and/or professional development credits. 71Pa;e QnergyLogic analysis. In siq ht. answers. Rarely do clients have unlimited funds to stand up a new program. Fortunately, with our preexisting training and trainers, we believe the customization required for course development will be fairly minimal. Regardless, we are committed to working within your program budget to get you the most out of development funds. One of our primary goals is never to surprise the customer with unexpected costs, so in this regard we would work with you closely to meet your expectations. We propose a flat hourly rate (see Table 1) for all aspects of course development— including meetings, content development and potential online eLearning System development to ensure that the training series is readily available to contractors unable to attend and for reference for those who did attend. We expect this area will become more clear during discussions, but for purposes of providing something for you to evaluate, we make the following estimates: • Meetings — pre training material meetings 4 to 8 hours • Meetings during training development 4 to 8 hours • Post training development evaluation meeting 4 to 8 hours • Power Point development — 20 hours per training; total of 60 hours • Learning Management System (LMS) development o This one is very difficult to determine until a more defined scope is developed through consultation with the City. The LMS can be very simple such as posting a video of the presentations, or very complex where activities, social interaction, quizzes and more are developed. o For a frame of reference it generally takes about 20 to 40 hours to develop one hour of online training if the goal is to take advantage of the full strength of the LMS. Course Instruction: See Table 1 for our course instruction rates. This would include two trainers only if deemed necessary for field demonstrations. • EnergyLogic anticipates the following for the length of each course o Residential Building Envelope — half day with possible additional field session in the afternoon o Mechanical Design — half day depending on the scope that is developed o Mechanical Systems Performance —full day; half in classroom and half hands-on in field • EnergyLogic proposes that it would be the responsibility of the City to print and furnish any developed hand outs, PDF's of slide presentations, etc. • EnergyLogic has no problem with the city videotaping presentation but would like to ensure full and equal access to all footage. We strongly believe that our online LMS would be the best place to take advantage of any video that is developed. The LMS has the ability to archive questions and feedback, and to take advantage of live interactions. For contractors unable to take part in a live presentation the LMS can engage them in a similar way to a live presentation due to the active participation of trainers that continually monitor discussions and questions. If video were taken and not integrated into the LMS, EnergyLogic would like to reserve the right to negotiate a fee. If a video is shot we would also like to reserve the right to have a dialogue about if it makes more sense to shoot it live or not or to shoot it both live and in a controlled environment. 8�1'a0e QnergyLogic analysis. insi gnf. answers. TABLE :1 SERVICE PRICE - Meetings, post -training evaluations, development of course $ 100.00 per hour materials, Learning Management System development Half -day instruction $ 500.00 Full -day instruction $ 1,000.00 Additional instructor $ 250.00 half day $ 500.00 full day Course Fee To be determined Section 4 References and Availabilit% Following is a list of references: • Shaunna Mozingo, Colorado Code Consultants, SMozingo@coloradocode.net • Gil Rossmiller, Vice President Colorado Chapter of the ICC, 303-841-1970, grossmiller@ci.parker.co.us • Kim Calomino, Denver HBA 303-551-6733, kcalomino@hbadenver.com • Laurel Elam, RESNET, (760) 529-3630, laurel@resnet.us • Vicki Wagner, 970-222-3794, www.nocoenergvstarhome.org • Darrel Hensley, KB Home, DHensley@kbhome.com • Marla Novak, Colorado Springs HBA, Marla@cshba.com Energylogic envisions no issues meeting the City's objectives of planning for this program in October and delivering training November 2011 through March 2012 as necessary. Please note: Robby Schwarz, EnergyLogic's lead for this project, is only available for interviews and selection discussions after August 9, 2011. Prior to this date, Scott Doyle (scott@nrglogic, com) is available to begin all discussions. EnergyLogic is excited to be proposing on a program in our own back yard. Building on the synergy and experience of our existing programs and work with Ft Collins and our superior training resources, we will be able to provide you the support you need in a minimal amount of time. We're anxious to build a lasting relationship to help you, our "neighbors to the North", meet your goals.