Minnesota’s Plan to Meet
DOE Requirements
for
QCI Inspectors
• MN felt it is important that state
monitors receive the same
training that will be required of
final inspectors.
• MN sent all three Field Monitors
to Community Housing Partners
(CHP) in Christiansburg, VA to
take the five-day QCI course.
• We are still waiting for the
approved final test to be
available so we can take the
certification test.
• MN Field Monitors were pleased
that the QCI training delivered
the same message that MN is
currently delivering to
Subgrantees.
• MN will require that all
Weatherization Subgrantees
have staff or contractors who
are QCI certified to perform all
final inspections beginning July
1, 2015.
• This will ensure that 100% of
dwelling are inspected by a QCI
certified inspector.
• MN does not have an IREC
training center in our state.
• The closest facilities are in
Indiana or Missouri.
• MN is exploring the possibility
of partnering with training
centers to provide the training
and testing for the QCI.
• MN is not sure if we will hold
training sessions here or at an
IREC training center.
• This decision will depend on
the quality of training that is
being provided and the level of
funding that we receive.
• The classroom portion of the
QCI training would be easy to
schedule for an instructor.
• Without a training center the
testing portion of the training
may be difficult to schedule.
• Finding houses or mobile
homes that we can use for
testing would be a challenge.
• MN is currently exploring the
possibility of reducing the
number of Weatherization
Subgrantees due in part to
decreased funding from DOE.
• MN would not begin any QCI
training until this process has
been completed.
• QCI Training would most likely
start in July of 2014 after the
internal evaluation of how many
subgrantees are needed to
effectively carry out the
Weatherization Program.
• MN is very concerned that a
high number of our inspectors
may not be qualified to pass the
QCI course.
• Changing our field guide to
conform with the SWS.
• Adopting the SWS as a whole or
in part as part of our State Plan
• This is an enormous task.
• We are working as a region to
discuss the possibility of
creating a regional field guide.
• The SWS is a National Standard
which poses problems when
you go to one extreme or
another - in our case, the range
of heating degrees days
throughout the state.
• MN is considering adopting the
SWS in the same way that our
building code is adopted.
• That is, we adopt the whole
document and then make
amendments that fit our climate
and building codes.
• All technical/field training paid for
with WAP funds for individuals who
function as installers, crew chiefs,
auditors, and/or inspectors at the
grantee and subgrantee level must
be provided by training providers
who have demonstrated the ability
to train individuals in the knowledge
skills and abilities contained in the
Job Task Analyses for Home
Energy Professionals (JTA).
• DOE will require that all in state
trainings be IREC certified
trainings as of July 1, 2014.
• As I mentioned earlier, we do
not have a training center near
our state.
• Exemptions to this requirement
include:
• One day or less specific trainings
such as those provided at WAP
training conferences, for example,
are exempt.
• Specialized technical training for a specific
technique or skill that the grantee determines
is needed by field staff is exempt. Examples
include Dense Pack, Blower Door, Thermal
Imaging, NEAT, etc. The instruction provided
in these trainings must adhere to the required
outcomes outlined in the SWS related to the
subject and be aligned with the applicable
knowledge, skills and abilities outlined in the
NREL Job Task Analyses related to task
being taught. Instructors of these trainings
must provide a curriculum that specifies the
relationship of the training to the SWS and
JTA.
• There were several issues
noted at CHP when it came to
the IREC curriculum.
• The issues related to the
National Standards that Field
Monitors were trained on in the
QCI course.
• One of the challenges will be
clarifying the exemptions with
our Project Officer to determine
what requires an IREC training
and what doesn’t.
• The exemptions are somewhat
vague.
• The many different climate
conditions throughout the United
States and the training presented
on some topics will cause serious
problems in a cold climate.
• Other items will cause funds to be
spent needlessly on HVAC
equipment when the equipment is
operating within the
manufacturer’s specifications.
• We must determine if we will
contract with a IREC training
facility to perform our trainings
or if we can use our trainers
and the IREC approved
curriculum, provided there is a
curriculum for our cold climate
area.
• We will consult with our Project
Officer before making a
decision.