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Iowa Auditors and QCI Inspectors
All Iowa Auditors and QCI Inspectors are required to attend the following five state-provded trainings, which are scheduled on an as-needed basis. Once scheduled, announcements will be sent to the agencies and the trainings will be added to the website calendar.
Energy Auditors
All Iowa Energy Auditors must take the Lead Renovation course within 60 days of hire. It is recommended that all energy auditors are also Certified Lead Renovators.
QCI Inspectors
All Iowa QCI Inspectors must be Certified Lead Renovators within 60 days of hire.
Contractors
Every contractor performing work on weatherization homes in Iowa must have a Certified Lead Renovator on staff, within 60 days of contracting with the agency. NOTE: Appliance vendors and subcontractors are exempt from this requirement. If disturbing lead, the Certified Lead Renovator of record must ensure Lead Safe Work Practices are followed, including providing on-the-job training, if needed.
Crew Supervisors
All Iowa Weatherization crew supervisors must be Certified Lead Renovators within 60 days of hire.
Crew Members
All Iowa Weatherization crew members must take the Lead Renovation course within 60 days of hire. It is recommended that all crew members are also Certified Lead Renovators.
See below for more information:
Lead Training Requirements (current date 05-18-16)
All Weatherization Inspectors throughout the U.S. and its territories is required to be a Quality Control Inspector (QCI). Only QCIs may inspect weatherization homes in Iowa. See the link below for more information.
Basic Auditor
This 5-day course is a combination of classroom and in-field training. The course is designed for new evaluators/inspectors, but may also be used as a refresher for other evaluators/inspectors. The course will cover the basics of how to conduct a weatherization evaluation of a house, including an NEAT/MHEA energy audit and a health and safety assessment. Topics included in the training are: the equipment used in an evaluation, residential construction details, energy principles, and the various steps involved in the evaluation. Participants will learn how to use the blower door, pressure gauges, and the ASHRAE 62.2 calculation software. Participants will also learn how to conduct basic combustion health and safety assessments, how to do refrigeration appliance replacement assessments, how to do zone pressure testing, and how to conduct duct leakage testing. The course will also offer an overview of the program, how it started, funding, client qualifications, etc., and some basic program issues, such as work deferral issues, client selection and client priority.
Advanced Blower Door/Zonal Pressure Diagnostics
This 2-day course is a combination of classroom and in-field training. Participants will learn how to use the blower door, DG-700, and TI-89 to determine building tightness limits, baseline, aligning thermal and pressure boundaries, and zonal pressure testing (garage testing). Participants must have a working knowledge of the blower door. Participants need to bring a TI-89 calculator and a DG-700 (if available) to the training.
Furnace and Combustion Health & Safety
This three day course is a combination of classroom and in-field training. Participants will learn about furnace components, basic electric, venting, and gas pressure issues. Participants will learn the basics of furnace and ductwork sizing and how to use combustion appliance testing equipment. Participants will also learn about condensing furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, and air conditioners.
Participants will learn to set up a house in worst-case conditions, and perform required draft and carbon monoxide testing for furnaces and water heaters using a digital monometer, monoxer, and TI-89 calculator. There will be discussion of test results and possible solutions. Participants will also learn steady state efficiency testing using a combustion analyzer and will learn how to calculate the Depressurization Tightness Limit (DTL).
These sessions will also focus on worst case set-up and CO testing.
NEAT/MHEA Audit
Because of the class size, this 3-day course is a classroom-only training. (Note: Participants must have a working knowledge of energy audit procedures.) Participants will learn how to maneuver through the audit, how to complete the parameter setups, and how to input data in the audit. Participants will review necessary information for audit input and complete an audit on a house and a mobile home. Finally, participants will learn how to interpret audit output reports.
Mold/Moisture/ASHRAE
Because of the class size, this 3-day course is a classroom-only training. (Note: Participants must have a working knowledge of the blower door.) Participants will learn what causes moisture and mold problems, how to conduct a mold/moisture assessment, including recognizing “red flags”, and how to determine the various building tightness limits (MVL, ASHRAE, and DTL). Training will also cover moisture control strategies, including ventilation issues. Participants will use a digital monometer and TI-89 calculator to test pressure differential caused by mechanical ventilation and use the REDCalc calculations to determine ventilation needs.
All Weatherization field staff must receive regular Tier 1 training, according to DOE's Program Notice 15-4.
DOE defines Tier 1 training as: Comprehensive, occupation-specific training which follows a curriculum aligned with the JTA for that occupation. Tier 1 training must be administered by, or in cooperation with, a training program that is accredited by a DOE-approved accreditation organization for the JTA being taught.
2016 Tier 1 Training
Addressed the needs of Energy Auditors, was a 5-day training, and was held at three different times to accomodate the network in March and April.