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Creating a Career Path for Raters

December 2007

In 2004, the RESNET Board of Directors voted to develop professional designations which differentiated rater professionals who have skills, knowledge, and experience both for advanced and entry levels of basic rater certification. The goal was to create a career path for raters as exists for other trades in the housing industry. To achieve this, the RESNET Board created a task force called the RESNET Categories of Rater Certification Task Force. The task force was chaired by Ken Fonorow of Florida H.E.R.O. and included thirty-seven representatives from all facets of the rating industry. After over two years of deliberations, the task force proposed two additional rater certification categories to achieve the following goals:

• Create career path in the rating field.
• Formally recognize raters’ additional experience and certifications.
• Provide an opportunity for clients and sponsoring programs to easily identify raters who have achieved additional experience and certification.

Two additional certifications, Rater Field Inspector and Senior Certified Rater were adopted by the RESNET Board and incorporated into the RESNET Standards in 2006.

The Rater Field Inspector certification was created for individuals entering the rating field as well as for those currently assisting raters in their field work. This was a means of legitimizing and naming a large number of individuals who otherwise were not formally recognized by the industry. At the same time it allowed RESNET to establish minimum standards for these rater assistants and a means to qualify them for this certification.

The Senior Certified Rater was created to formally recognize and name certified raters who have demonstrated that they have the increased knowledge base to interpret the findings of a rating and make recommendations on how a home can be improved. This certification represents the first category of advanced rater certification in the rating industry. As with the Rater Field Inspector, creating this certification allowed RESNET to establish a uniform minimum standard by which a rater can attain this certification.

Establishing these two additional certifications established a structured career path for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the home energy rating field. An individual can enter the field at either the Rater Field Inspector Level or the Certified Rater level and have the opportunity through a structured certification process to advance in the rating field and be recognized with the appropriate professional designation.

In the course of the process of creating these two additional certifications, the RESNET Board also created an additional certification called the Rater Specialty Certification. Rater Specialty Certifications approved by RESNET to recognize a rater’s additional training in a particular program such as the USGBC’s LEED for Homes program or building performance system such as HVAC. These certifications are one of the requirements Senior Rater candidates must attain.

For more information on the specific requirements of these career path options, please see RESNET’s standards Chapter 2, section 205.