Hello everyone. My name is Trevor. I am 25, live in Alberta Canada and am anxious to start a company that would facilitate home energy audits for our exploding new home market. I understand that this topic (H.E.A.-startup) has been discussed before but I would like to know if any of you experienced folks out there could provide me with a direction or advice as to how to start my business properly and efficiently. I have every intention of taking my Level 1 prior to inspecting anything for anyone and am also considering the Fluke TiR1 as my camera of choice. Any thoughts and opinions would be appreciated. Please, only constructive input.

 

Best Regards,

 

Trevor

 

ps- anyone who has a whole or part business plan that they would like to let me take a look at for ideas would be sincerely appreciated.
 

Trevor -

If you are serious about home energy audits you should recognize that they are a broader field than just IR.  For example, blower door testing and evaluation, air sealing and impacts on moisture problems, effects on the combustion appliances of the home (heating system, clothes dryers (if gas)), etc. 

You may have meant to say "I want to do IR for energy impact" and that would be fine, but if you meant what you said, then training in more than just IR is needed.  You need to understand building science, for example.  One source of training, though not the only one, is through the Building Performance Institute, or their training sub-contractors.  I don't know if they are active in Canada.  I will also caution that not everyone agrees with all the things that they say, so YMMV. 

Bottom line: Training, Training, Education, Experience, Training.  (do you see a thread there?)

 

good luck

Jack

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Jack M. Kleinfeld, P.E.
Kleinfeld Technical Services, Inc.
Bronx, NY
718-884-6644
JKEngineer@KleinfeldTechnical.com
come see what we can do for you: http://www.KleinfeldTechnical.com

First off if for example if you were an electrician and took up thermography then you would be an electrical thermographer etc.

So that being said You should have building diagnostic skill set  and that the infrared camera is the tool of choice to enhance your energy loss survey.

You said you will take the level 1 course which is important not only for some credential but to know what you can't do with IR.

I don't want to sound as if you should not do what you are about to embark on -in fact come on in the water is warm.

I just want to exclaim the importance of your background of what your looking at with or without the IR camera.

The building diagnostic field is what your are getting into with the help of IR. Energy loss survey's not audits is what I say I'm doing.Audits involve kw readings and more and blower door tests like Jack said. It sounds like you are going to show the home owner where they can improve on their  building envelope - so be careful what you say you are going to give your customer.

Go to the local power company site for the energy audits they perform.

 

Good luck you are amoung a great staff of thermographers on this site.

You can't possibly pay for all the advice you can get here.

 

 

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John Cannamela
ASNT II Vibration/ Level II Thermographer
HVAC Journeyman
Owner
http://www.infraredsurvey.com

My input...do not loose site of the commercial aspect. Remember you are starting a business the technology and the skills etc only make up a small percentage of what it takes to make it succeed. You need to make sure the fundamentals are in place. Do you have a market, how much does it cost to reach it, how much are they willing to pay, how many clients will you need to service to pay back any business loan and pay yourself etc etc.

 

Good luck! 

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Rory Paul
Independent Level II Thermographer
Barak Systems
www.baraksystems.com

Good morning Trevor, and greetings from Ottawa.

The Canadian landscape for energy use evaluations, heating and cooling optimisation and insulation is getting a big boost from the federal subsidy plans.  This shows all the signs of being a growth industry.

That's the good news.

The catch is ensuring that your work qualifies a homeowner for the grants and making sure you don't get yourself into a bind by recommending work that the contractor subsequently says was unnecessary.  In your neck of the woods, this can get really expensive, and fast. 

Here in Ontario, to qualify for the grant, the energy audit has to be done by someone licenced by Natural Resources Canada, so that might be a place for you to start.  I haven't looked further into the certification requirements but I suspect they will reflect some of the excellent advice already posted by others on this thread.

I hope this helps, best of luck.

-John

Trevor,

 

Starting a business can be an exciting and lucrative endeavor. It can also be an expensive demanding beast that devours your free time and cash. I helped by wife start her gourmet chocolate business in Washington State 3 years ago and began an environmental consulting business 1 ½ years ago.

 

As important as the knowledge of building systems and thermal imaging will be to you, a strong business foundation is crucial. The Small Business Administration is invaluable in helping people start their businesses. I don't know what is available in Canada but the local SBA office here has reference materials on marketing, accounting, human recourses and more. As a business owner you get to wear all of those hats plus more.

 

The SBA website, www.sba.gov is filled with information that can increase the chance of success for new businesses. Download a business plan template. Answering the questions in it will help you determine the cash needs of your start-up company, develop a marketing plan, and develop a budget.

 

Good luck to you.

 

Richard

The SBA rocks if you use the make sure that you talk with several different people as you will get many different opinions and view points.  One of the most important things that I learned was to make sure I had an exit strategy.  I did not have a clue of what they were talking about.  Information and education is crucial I never stop learning.  If I had to do it over the only thing that I would change is I would have started small and paid cash for everything.  The amount of stress you will have when starting a biz is more then enough you do not need the added stress of owing anyone anything.  One of my favorite quotes is "The borrower is servant to the lender" Jesus. I am on my way to living debt free and wow what a feeling.

Good luck with your biz

Lee 

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Comprehensive
Heating & Cooling
Consulting LLC,
Meridian, Idaho
208-941-2545 Cell

Hi,

This is an excellent website and congrats to all involved. I hope to both learn and contribute to the forums in the future.

This is my first post, I am about 1 year into my start up business idea which is very similar to what you have in mind.

 
I co run an energy consultancy company in the west of Ireland. We specialise in compliance with new energy regulation. This is a mix of air tightness testing, desk based certification of energy use of buildings, thermography and energy audits for commercial and residential clients. 

 

The economy in Ireland has gone from 6% growth to 1% growth in the last year as we are having a construction recession so my timing wasn't the best but I am still in business!

 
There are a few fundamentals where I found it quite challenging.

 

1. Cash flow: Cash is king. It will take a while for your business to gather momentum and get sales so you need to ensure that you have sufficent     capital to meet these lean times. Also leave some for the rainy day. 

2. Draw up a business plan and go through it with a good accountant. Try and stick to this plan and use this account to do a regular check on             things every quarter. 

3. Marketing: People need to know you exist. Existing relationships are the cheapest way of getting business but you should also consider the         advice of a PR company and have a budget for marketing etc.

4. Know your business: In these times you need to know your business. Use your own house or friends houses before going out and selling your         service. You may have done all the training but its no harm to try a few houses first to hone your skills. It suprising the different challenges you     meet and you will learn. You have to throw your  self into the market eventually but no harm to be nice and sharp when you get there.

 I hope this helps.

 
Chey.