Illinois Home Energy Efficiency for Real Estate Professionals Course

Welcome to InterNACHI's free, online "Illinois Home Energy Efficiency for Real Estate Professionals Course." This course is written for Illinois real estate agents who work with home inspectors. It is provided by our accredited college at internachi.edu.

Take the free online course now.

Goal:

The goal of this course is to teach real estate professionals how to help their clients save money by reducing home energy consumption.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this training course, the individual will be able to:

• understand the value of Home Energy Reports for current and prospective homeowners;
• understand and provide informative options to help homeowners cut their energy use, reduce their carbon footprint, and increase their homes’ comfort, health, and safety; and 
• help homeowners make informed decisions about purchasing new HVAC equipment or improving existing equipment for more efficient operation.

This course will also help:

• protect the general public and registrants in real estate transactions;
• enable registrants to better serve the objectives of the consumer in real estate transactions; and
• develop and enhance the competence and professionalism of registrants in a changing marketplace. 

The typical home buyer purchases a home without first fully understanding what it costs to operate it. Most homeowners do not understand where energy (and, therefore, money) is being wasted in their home. For the average American homeowner, heating and cooling accounts for over 55% of annual energy usage.

There are many approaches to reducing the heating and cooling costs of the utility bill, including:

• properly maintaining the existing HVAC system;
• improving the energy efficiency of a system in need of repair; and
• picking the right heating and cooling equipment when replacement is needed.

The course includes:

• 4 InterNACHI® CE credit hours;
• 27,400 words in the course;
• 24,000-word, downloadable course book;
• 30 questions within four quizzes;
• instant grading;
• a downloadable, printable Certificate of Completion; and 
• accreditations and state approvals.

You will learn the following topics:

INTRODUCTION

• Beginning and Progressing Through the Course
• Student Verification and Interactivity
• Study Guide, Library, & Resources
• Introduction
• Student Course Materials
• Acknowledgments
• Typical U.S. Homeowner's Energy Bill
• Throwing Money Away

WHOLE-HOUSE APPROACH

• Energy Upgrades
• Home Performance Energy Assessment
• Home Energy Auditor
• How to Find a Certified Energy Contractor
• Space Heating and Cooling
• Federal, State & Utility Incentive Programs
• Building Permits and Codes

HEATING SYSTEMS

• Introduction to Heating Systems
• How Much Does it Cost?
• Decision Chart for Replacing Heating System
• Common Heating System Options

FURNACES

• Furnaces
• Furnace Efficiency
• Furnace and Boiler Equipment Efficiency
• Low-Efficiency Furnaces (Less than 78%)
• Mid-Efficiency Furnaces (80% to 82%)
• High-Efficiency Furnaces (90 to 98%)
• Bigger Isn't Always Better
• Repair or Replace?
• A Furnace Tune-Up Checklist
• ANSI/ACCA HVAC Standards
• Ducts
• Existing Ducts
• New Ducts
• A Word about Chimneys
• Zoning

ELECTRIC HEATERS

• Introduction to Electric Heaters
• Electric Central Furnaces
• Room Heaters

HEAT PUMPS

• Introduction to Heat Pumps
• Heat Pump Heating Efficiency
• Central-Air-Source Heat Pumps
• Central-Air-Source Heat Pump Checklist
• Ductless Heat Pumps
• Ground-Source Heat Pumps

BOILERS AND HYDRONIC HEATING

• Introduction to Boilers and Hydronic Heating
• Steam & Hot Water Radiators
• Radiant Floor Heating
• A Boiler Tune-Up
• Repair or Replace?

WOOD AND PELLET HEATING

• 2.9 Million
• Traditional Open
• Pellets
• Check Codes
• Consider Upgrading

SOLAR HEATING

• Introduction to Solar Heating
• Passive Solar Heating
• Active Solar Heating

COOLING SYSTEMS

• Introduction to Cooling Systems
• Cooling Efficiency
• Decision Flow Chart for New AC System
• Common Cooling System Options

CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING

• Introduction to Central Air Conditioning
• Sizing Up Old Air Conditioners
• Bigger Is Not Always Better
• Repair or Replace?
• ANSI/ACCA HVAC Standards

ROOM AIR CONDITIONING

• Introduction to Room Air Conditioning
• Efficiency Ratings

HEATING PUMPS

• Introduction to Heat Pumps
• Central- and Ground-Source Heat Pumps
• Ductless Heat Pumps
• Absorption Heat Pumps

EVAPORATIVE COOLERS

• Introduction to Evaporative Coolers
• Indirect Evaporative Cooler
• Water-Cooled
• Photovoltaic PV

RADIANT COOLING

• Introduction to Radiant Cooling

DEHUMIDIFIERS

• Introduction to Dehumidifiers

NATURAL COOLING STRATEGIES

• Introduction to Natural Cooling Strategies
• Fans & Ventilation for Cooling
• Central Fan-Integrated Night Cooling
• Natural Draft
• Window Fans
• Attic Vents
• Whole-House Fans
• Passive Cooling
• Windows
• Window Rating
• Shading
• Replace Roof with a Cool One
• Radiant Barriers

VENTILATION

• Introduction to Ventilation
• How Much Ventilation?
• Exhaust-Only Ventilation
• Supply-Only Ventilation
• Balanced Systems
• Semi-Balanced System
• Ventilation System Types, Cost & Performance

THE HOME PERFORMANCE ENERGY ASSESSMENT

• Introduction 
• Video
• Certified Energy Contractors
• The Energy Assessment Process
• Step 1: Assessment
• Step 2: Making Energy-Efficiency Upgrades
• Step 3: Testing

HOME ENERGY INSPECTORS

• References
• Final Exam