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Proposed Amendment QA-2005-1

Quality Assurance of Raters That Complete Update mechanical ventilation specifications in Table 303.4.1(1)

Proponent: RESNET Standing Quality Assurance and Ethics Committee

Proposed Changes:

Chapter 1.4.A. – Amend as follows:

4.A.4 . If the quality assurance designee leaves the home energy rating system, the provider shall have sixty (60) calendar days to notify RESNET of the new designated officer, or employee or contractor or be subject to suspension of the accreditation under the provisions of Chapter One, Section 9, Suspension and Revocation of Accreditation.

Chapter 1.4.C. – Amend as follows:

4.C.8.a.3.) Field Monitored ratings - For each rater, the provider’s quality assurance designee shall be responsible for an annual evaluation of the greater of one home or one percent of the rater's annual total of homes for which confirmed ratings and/or diagnostic testing services were provided. The provider’s quality assurance designee shall ensure that a rating is independently repeated to determine whether the rating and/or diagnostic testing was accurately completed by the rater, and determine whether information was completely collected and reported as required in 3.B.1. of Chapter 3 of these standards.

1. A Rating Provider may petition RESNET to waive the on-site inspection procedure for Raters that complete less than twenty (25) ratings per year or less than fifty (50) ratings over a two year period (low-volume raters). Said petition must provide full justification for the requested exemption.
2. The Provider shall provide a set of alternative quality assurance procedures (e.g. increased percentage review of rating data files, digital photo documentation) that ensure that the Provider meets the intent of the field inspection requirement.
3. In no case shall the Provider’s alternative procedures allow less than 1% or 1 field inspection, whichever is greater, based on the sum total of all ratings performed by all low-volume Raters who are certified by said Provider.
4. In no case shall the Provider’s alternative procedures allow a certified low-volume rater go more than two years without a quality assurance field inspection of their work.
5. If there are consistent or substantial errors discovered in the data file review, a field inspection shall be conducted.

Justification:

The newly adopted quality assurance procedures require that the rating provider’s quality assurance designee must annually conduct the greater of 1% or one field inspection of each rater’s homes to determine the accuracy of the ratings. For rating providers who have start-up raters or raters that conduct a small number of homes each year, this presents an economic hardship since the rater’s activity might not be enough to cover the costs of the field evaluation. There is a great concern that rating providers will be driven by economic necessity to drop certification of these raters.

The RESNET Quality Assurance and Ethics Committee proposes that a provision be made for raters that do a small volume of homes annually and are located in an emerging market. It is proposed that providers may petition to RESNET that the annual on-site field inspection by the provider’s quality assurance designee be waived for raters who complete a minimum number of homes annually and are located in emerging markets for rating services.

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