RaterFest
We look forward to RaterFest each year...
It was a tough decision to cancel RaterFest 2020. As we anticipate gathering again in 2021, we can hardly contain our excitement. RaterFest is an amazing chance to meet new friends, grow as energy professionals, and soak in Colorado's gorgeous Rocky Mountain scenery. Over the past 10+ years, we've worked hard to create the best training and networking experience for energy professionals.

We can't wait to see you this year!
RaterFest is a chance to meet new friends, grow as energy professionals, and soak in Colorado's gorgeous Rocky Mountain scenery. Over the past 10+ years, we've worked hard to create the best training and networking experience for energy professionals.
We're so excited to see your face this year!
Registration is open and it's all inclusive! From lodging to dining, sessions to activities, all you need to do is get here and we'll take care of the rest. RaterFest is an amazing chance to meet new friends, grow as energy professionals, and soak in Colorado's gorgeous Rocky Mountain scenery. Over the past 10+ years, we've worked hard to create the best training and networking experience for energy professionals.



The "unconference" for energy professionals!
Sept. 24-26, 2021
We can't wait to see you this year!
RaterFest is a chance to meet new friends, grow as energy professionals, and soak in Colorado's gorgeous Rocky Mountain scenery. Over the past 10+ years, we've worked hard to create the best training and networking experience for energy professionals.
We're so excited to see your face this year!
Registration is open and it's all inclusive! From lodging to dining, sessions to activities, all you need to do is get here and we'll take care of the rest. RaterFest is an amazing chance to meet new friends, grow as energy professionals, and soak in Colorado's gorgeous Rocky Mountain scenery. Over the past 10+ years, we've worked hard to create the best training and networking experience for energy professionals.
Thanks so much to everyone who made RaterFest 2022 possible! We can't wait to see you all next time!
Mark your calendars for September 22-24 for our 13th RaterFest!
Special thanks to our 2022 Gold Leaf Sponsor, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC!
Interested in sponsoring RaterFest? Learn more here!
Learn more about the experience!
Key Info
Date
Sept. 22-24
Location
Empire, CO
Price
$600 - $850
CEUs
RESNET, BPI, & ICC
Capacity
Limited to 100
Housing & Meals
Included in price!
Registration will open soon!
Ready to pack your bags?
Sign-up to receive updates on registration details and discounts!
RaterFest Reviews
"Really enjoyed my first time at RaterFest. Loved the intimacy of a smaller conference with a single track of sessions where we could all learn together, ask questions and network. The location was great and made for an awesome road trip from Oregon."Laura Klement, Enerstructa
"RaterFest is fantastic! It is a well run weekend event that brings our industry leaders together in a laid back setting in the beautiful state of Colorado."Matt Zaleski, Energy Diagnostics
"Since this was my first RaterFest, I didn't know what to expect. I was very excited to be a part of the experience this year and am impressed with the information and the sense of community that I experienced at the event."Dustin Oedewaldt, Thrive Home Builders
"My Team and I had a blast, the venue, sessions, and fire pit shenanigans make this event a must for all building science professions, see you next year!"Chris Schwarzkopf, EDI
Registration will open soon!
The Venue
Location
Address
- 2644 Alvarado Rd
- Empire, CO 80438
Directions
From Denver:
- Take I-70 west to exit 232 (Empire/Granby exit toward US 40 E)
- Veer left at fork and follow the signs for "Easterseals Camp"
- At the stop sign, continue straight onto Co Rd 257 by passing across US 40
- Travel 0.5 miles along Co Rd 257 and take a left over the first overpass onto Co Rd 308
- At the stop sign, cross over Alvarado Rd and enter the driveway with the overhanging "WELCOME" sign
- The check in is located about 400 yards down the dirt road on the left with a small parking lot
Lodging Options
Rocky Mountain Village
When you sign up to attend RaterFest, housing is included! Enjoy looking through the different housing options below. We are sure you will find one that is perfect for you and your team.
This private, comfortable room in the Homebuilder's three-story lodge features a plush queen bed and beautiful aspen-covered views. This spacious lodge features a cozy lounge area with a gas fireplace, WIFI, and a covered deck with breathtaking views. Linens are included (sheets, blanket, comforter, bath towel, pillow and pillowcase).
$850.00
Share the premium bunkhouse with 2-3 other guests, located in the new lodges with beautiful mountain views. These spacious lodges feature gas fireplaces, WIFI, and covered decks with breathtaking views. Linens are included (sheets, blanket, comforter, bath towel, pillow, and pillowcase).
$750.00
Come relive your camp days in these aspen-surrounded cabins! These cabins feature divided sleeping corridors with 1-5 roommates. Linens are included (sheets, blanket, comforter, bath towel, pillow and pillowcase).
$715.00 per night
Pitch your tent or park your RV under the stars, and enjoy some good old-fashioned (bare-bones – there are no tent pads, hookups, fire rings, or dump stations) tent/RV camping! Wake up to scenic views and crisp mountain air. Colorado in September is unpredictable, so please pack all your warm layers!
$660.00

RaterFest Speakers From 2022

Sam Rashkin - Keynote
Founder of Retooling the U.S. Housing Industry
As founder for “Retooling the U.S. Housing Industry”, Sam is a published author, trainer, and consultant who has been preparing our nation’s home builders for major disruptions looming ahead. In his prior role as Chief Architect for the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, Sam’s led deployment of proven housing innovations including directing the Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.
This work built upon his experience leading ENERGY STAR® for Homes from its inception in 1996 to more than 8,000 builder partners, over one million labeled homes. During his 20-plus years as a licensed architect, he specialized in energy efficient design and completed over 100 residential projects. He has served on the national Steering Committees for USGBC’s LEED for Homes, NAHB’s Green Builder Guidelines, and U.S. EPA’s Water Sense and Indoor airPLUS™ labels. Mr. Rashkin has been recognized for his contributions to sustainable housing in 2019 with the EEBA Legend Award and in 2012 with the Hanley Award. Find Sam on LinkedIn.
Olga Cano | Environmental Engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Olga M. Cano is an Environmental Engineer in the Homes Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense® Program. She is involved in the development and implementation of the WaterSense Homes specification and certification system. Through this program, the EPA aims to promote water efficient system and practices in the residential sector. Prior to joining EPA in 2015, Ms. Cano worked as an architect in the hospitality and residential sector for 7+ years and then went on to serve in the Peace Corps as a Water & Sanitation Volunteer in Peru as part of the Peace Corps Masters International Program. Ms. Cano holds a B.A. in Architecture from Florida International University and a Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University. She was part of the 2nd place team winners of the 2013 Amazonas River Race.
Scott Doyle | Technical Director of Quality Assurance & Training at RESNET®
Since entering the residential energy industry as a RESNET HERS® Rater in 2003, Scott’s background has included wide variety across housing types, climate zones, codes, programs, and business types. Always up for a new challenge, he has consistently embraced opportunities to serve in a variety of roles. Some of these roles included HERS Rater, Quality Assurance Designee, Instructor, committee chairman, program manager, and division director. Prior to his role with RESNET, Scott was already directly involved in industry standard development through committee appointments and served as a volunteer subject matter expert for multiple professional certification exams.
As RESNET’s Technical Director of Quality Assurance and Training, Scott’s role is to manage, train, and mentor the individuals performing important quality control and training for the home energy rating industry across the U.S and to guide industry standard and policy changes that support this effort. RESNET’s mission is to make the energy use of all homes transparent, thereby driving residential sector energy use toward net zero. The majority of his nearly two-decade career has been with growth and profit-driven organizations in the private sector. But in retrospect, Scott has been supporting this larger goal in some way across the last two decades. Since joining the non-profit side in 2017, Scott directly supports RESNET’s mission by enhancing the consistency of home energy ratings through improved quality assurance and training.
Find Scott on LinkedIn.
Steve Byers | CEO at EnergyLogic
Steve Byers is the CEO of EnergyLogic. He has been involved in this industry for nearly thirty years (as of next year). Early on, Steve flew airplanes for the US Air Force. Putting both work experiences together, he considers himself to be one of the luckiest people that he knows! He loves the Rubik's cube, that is building a company that cares about people, the planet and profit. Steve feels fortunate to work with a great team at EnergyLogic, as well as the opportunity to work with great clients in a challenging and honorable industry.
Find Steve on LinkedIn.
Joe Medosch {med-osh} | Owner of Energy & Environmental Consulting and Client Success Manager for measureQuick
Joe is an Industry Master Trainer, national presenter, and his diverse background in multiple trades provides a unique understanding of “The House as System.” Joe has been evaluating homes for 25+ years and has been a Comfort Consultant /Trainer for over 15+ years providing solutions on Healthier/Energy Efficient Home Performance and co-creator of Retrotec rCloud app.
Certifications/knowledge base and committees include Board Member on Healthy Air Research and Certification Authority (HARCA), ACCA, IAQ/IEQ assessments, ICC, BPI, RESNET, SMACNA, ASTM.
Peter Troast | Founder & CEO of Energy Circle
Peter is recognized as one of the country's foremost authorities on marketing for home performance, HVAC and other efficiency related contracting companies. He authors the widely-read Energy Circle blog and is a passionate advocate for the power of the whole house home performance business model. He and his team work with over 350 companies in 49 states grow their business through services like website design and development, search engine optimization, lead generation and strategic content production. He is a popular and high ranking speaker about marketing for contractors at ACI, RESNET, ACCA, BPI and EGIA conferences and events. For 2015, he received the Tony Woods Award for excellence in advancing the home performance industry.
Dan Perunko | El Presidente at Balance Point Home Performance
Dan Perunko is co-owner of Balance Point Home Performance, a small training and contracting company specializing in creating low-energy homes. Dan is excited by the level of comfort and efficiency that is achieved in the homes BPHP works on. In addition to construction and training services, BPHP has been installing heat pumps of all shapes and sizes. The movement to decarbonize buildings has increased the call for their services. Dan is also very interested in the unintended consequences of electrification and large-scale heat pump adoption. He has been developing best practices for line set testing to try and help the industry avoid refrigerant leakage in new installs.
Find Dan on LinkedIn.
Bruce Manclark | Trainer at CLEAResult
Bruce is a nationally recognized leader in residential consulting on energy efficiency, energy efficiency technical training, implementation of conservation programs, and quality control testing. Bruce has helped clients such as the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Bonneville Power Administration, Energy Trust of Oregon and others develop program strategies for HVAC, new homes and existing homes programs. Bruce previously owned an energy services company, Delta T, specializing in the implementation of residential energy conservation programs and services. In April 2016, he was inducted in the Building Performance Industry Hall of Fame recognized for his significant and lasting contributions to the building performance industry over the course of his career. Bruce is currently on the Board of Directors for Efficiency First.
Nathan Kahre | Innovation & Initiatives Manager at EnergyLogic
Nathan Kahre brings his experiences working for a home builder to EnergyLogic. As the Innovation and Initiatives Manager, Nathan works on internal and externally facing projects to keep EnergyLogic at the forefront of innovation and excellence in our industry. After graduating with a master’s degree in building science from Appalachian State University, Nathan came to the Denver metro area to work for a high-performance production home builder. Time spent working for a builder has helped Nathan understand what is important to builders and what information they need to get the job done. He has presented on building science, renewable energy, and home builder quality assurance throughout the country including sessions at RESNET, EEBA, & IBS. Nathan is also active in the local community volunteering on issues that are important to him and doing his best to be on a mountain bike as much as possible.
Find Nathan on LinkedIn.
Jonah Schein | National Program Manager for Homes & Buildings at the EPA WaterSense® Program
Jonah Schein is the National Program Manager for Homes & Buildings at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense® Program. Jonah is a self-professed water nerd who has spent his career focused on water efficiency; first via desert agriculture and for the last two decades, through high performance buildings. He has overseen the technical development and implementation of the WaterSense labeled homes program since its inception. He has also led numerous efforts to better understand, and influence water use in the field. In addition to the WaterSense labeled homes program, these have included the EPA Water Score for multifamily properties as well as several standards, research reports, and papers focused on modeling, quantifying, and understanding water use. Jonah lives in Washington, DC with his wife and their dog Jilly, who can usually be heard in the background on any phone or conference call he takes while working from home. In his free time, Jonah enjoys biking, running, swimming, hiking, camping, climbing, traveling, and just about any activity that lets him play outside.
Find Jonah on LinkedIn.

Peter Troast
Founder & CEO of Energy Circle

Steve Byers
CEO of EnergyLogic

Nathan Kahre
Innovations & Insights Manager at EnergyLogic

RaterFest Sessions
Electrification & Decarbonization- Critical Details For Success
A Cautionary Tale

Dan Perunko
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will be able to describe why residential heat pumps create a significant global warming risk that offsets some of their global warming benefit.
- Participants will be able to identify the standards missing from line set construction and testing that cause the increased global warming risk.
- Participants will be able to identify the benefit of switching from current refrigerants to the next generation of lower GWP refrigerants.
- Participants will be introduced to equipment options that have a lower risk of releasing global warming gases.
Measuring Part 5, Refrigerant Charge, of the RESNET/ACCA/ANSI Standard 310
Joe Medosch {med-osh}
Joe Medosch will demonstrate how simple it is to measure Part 5, Refrigerant Charge, of the RESNET/ACCA/ANSI Standard 310 This can be completed by Anyone!
Procedure: using your hand, confirm cold air inside and “beer can cold” refrigerant line outside = Done. Can it be done accurately and w/o being EPA Refrigerant charge certified = Yes. Can you also measure system SCFM, possible return duct leakage, refrigerant charge including superheat and subcooling and check for 100+ faults in the system w/o pressure gauges? measureQuick does!
Over a dozen studies confirmed most AC systems have either airflow or refrigerant charge faults (or both). A 2018 DOE study found heating and air conditioning installations had at least one fault in 70–90% of homes, and when duct leakage is considered, this number increases to 90–100%. Improper installation leads to increased energy use, comfort issues, warranty claims, callbacks, and higher H/AC repair costs over the lifetime of the equipment.
Fixing these two faults alone has the potential to decrease residential cooling energy loads by 5–10%. Researchers at NREL estimate that central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps in the US waste 20.7 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy per year due to equipment faults. Convert that to energy generated by hydroelectric - it’s 5.7 times the volume of Lake Mead at its highest level. Which is 8.5 trillion gallons of water.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identifying the requirements for part 5 of the RESNET/ACCA/ANSI Standard 310
- Calculate refrigerant pressure from temperatures
- Understanding how this option confirms compliance and reduces failures for your builders
- Learn how to add this to the other sections of Standard 310 and complete the entire compliance pathway

Homeowners and High Performance Homes—The State of the State in 2022
Peter Troast

Learning Outcomes:
- Understand homebuyer’s preferences when it comes to high performance homes.
- Identify which labels and certifications are gaining the most traction in the marketplace.
- Gather insight on customer attitudes towards high performance homes to guide your builders towards above code programs.
WaterSense Labeled Homes Verification
Olga Cano & Jonah Schein
Deep dive into the verification process and opportunities for efficiency during site visits. The EPA’s WaterSense Labeled Homes program has designed its new specification to better align with other green certification programs, including the existing options for verifier training. This means a better verification experience for building and rating professionals. This session will walk through the minimal checklist items required for any home to achieve certification regardless of which rating system it is being certified through. Flexibilities and regional strategies will also be discussed giving the rating industry insight into the importance of water efficiency for continued urban growth.
Learning Outcomes:
- Insight into alignment with other certification programs
- Understanding of training & QA process
- Understanding on technical requirements to achieve certification
-
Insight into regional strategies & importance of water efficiency in urban growth


Heat Pump Water Heaters
Bruce Manclark
This class will focus on the sizing, selection and installation of Heat Pump water heaters. Data from recent research will be presented that indicates how best to maximize savings and reduce customer complaints.

Learning Outcomes:
- How best to size the HPWH for specific applications
- What are the differences between the various brands of HPWHs
- How best to mitigate noise from HPWHs
- What does research indicate about the space heat interaction between HPWHS and the home's heating system
The Wide, Wide World of Opportunities Beyond Ratings
Steve Byers & Nathan Kahre
Learning Outcomes:
- Discuss the impact on your company both pro and con from expanding service
- Discover opportunities
- Explore what is needed to tackle new areas


An Interactive Discussion on Quality and Culture
Scott Doyle

Learning Outcomes:
- Define culture in the context of the residential energy world
- Articulate the importance of culture and the role it plays in the quality of RESNET HERS® Ratings, and other code/program verification services offered by rating companies
- List behaviors and attitudes found in a culture that promotes and values quality
- Describe outcomes and consequences of a culture that does NOT promote or value quality
RaterFest Photos
RaterFest! is deeply committed to high-quality training AND fun. Every year, the weekend features RaterOlympics, ping pong tournament, energy geek trivia, yard games, hikes, great company, break-out sessions, and so much more!

Offered Activities
Schedule
11:00 - 1:00 PM Attendee Check In
1:00 - 1:30 PM Welcome
2:00 - 3:00 PM Dan Perunko
3:00 - 3:45 PM Ice Breaker
4:00 - 5:00 PM Bruce Manclark
5:00 PM Rater Olympics
6:15 PM Dinner
7:00 - 11:00 PM Ping Pong Tournament
8:00 - 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:10 - 9:15 AM Awards
9:15 - 10:15 AM Olga Cano and Jonah Schein
10:30 - 11:30 AM Peter Troast
12:00 Noon Lunch
1:00 - 1:45 PM Break-Out Discussions
2:00 - 4:00 PM Adventure Break
4:00 - 5:00 PM Joe Medosch
5:00 - 5:30 PM Group Photo
6:00 PM Dinner
7:00 - 11:00 PM Ping Pong Tournament and RaterJam
8:00 - 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:15 - 9:30 AM Awards
9:30 - 10:30 AM Scott Doyle
11:00 - 12:00 PM Steve Byers and Nathan Kahre
12:00 - 12:20 PM Closing Remarks
12:30 PM Lunch

Past Years
Previous Sessions
Zero Energy Ready Home HERS Rater Roundtable
Presented by: Sam Bowles, Jamie Lyons, and Joe Nebbia
Marketing Energy Conservation Through The Ages
Presented by: Bruce Manclark
Chemical Dependency - The price of addiction to chemicals in building materials
Presented by: Joe Medosch
The Oregon Trail: Making Energy Labels Normal
Presented by: David Heslam
The Winds of Change- An Update on RESNET Quality Assurance and Technical Standards
Presented by: Scott Doyle
What Should a Rating Really Include?
Presented by: Darrell Lehman & Mike Collignon
