As more and more people are becoming aware of the benefits that come with having an energy efficient home, they are also catching onto the advantages that also come with having an energy auditor come over to inspect it. Not only does to help you to conserve more energy while improving the air quality of your house, but a thorough energy audit can also make your home more durable, keep you safer and also increase your property value.

As a matter of fact, energy audits are becoming so popular within the green industry that many people are actually becoming residential energy auditors. And while there are websites (such as Energy.gov) that provides you with the steps on how you can conduct your own energy audit, if you want to do it on a professional level, there are actually some specific steps that are required.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to become a certified residential energy auditor, we have provided you with five tips below:

Know the kind of personality that is required. When you’re hired to perform an energy audit, homeowners are going to be relying on you to provide them with a thorough report. This means that you must be detail-oriented while also very aware of what it takes to make a home more energy efficient. It’s also a good idea to be proactive about providing ways for them to make certain upgrades within the budget that they can afford.

Have some construction knowledge. In order to do a good job at residential energy auditor, you definitely need to know your way around a house. And while it’s not mandatory that you become a licensed general contractor, you still might want to look into taking a couple of online contracting classes or working alongside a contractor for a few months, just to get some basic information.

Get certified. Being certified is also an important part of becoming a residential energy auditor. In order to do that, you will be required to take two exams: one that is written and one while “in the field”. Many people are certified through the Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI). and there’s even a link on the BPI.org entitled “Training and Education” that walks you through where you can get the kind of information that you’ll need in order to successful pass the exam. (Do keep in mind that you’re required to get recertified every three years.)

Become trained to be a RESNET-HERS rater. Once you are certified through BPI, the next thing that you’ll need to do is get the training needed to be a RESNET-HERS rater. RESNET stands for Residential Energy Services Network. Some people who have undergone this particular training program find it to be rather rigorous and demanding but once you are certified, your ratings will be officially recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Mortgage Industry. You can learn more about becoming a RESNET-HERS rater at RESNET.us.

Get the right equipment. If you’re going to be checking people’s insulation, pipes and appliances as well telling them things like what they can do that will result in them getting the most from your ceiling fans, you’re going to need to get the right kind of equipment. Some of the main pieces include a duct blaster, an infrared camera and a combustion blaster. These three things should get you started but you can always contact BPI.org or RESNET.us for more info on how to be the most up-to-date residential energy auditor in your area. Good luck!