Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 43 - NATURAL RESOURCES › Part I - Office of the Secretary › Subpart 1 - General › Chapter 19 - Louisiana Home Energy Rating › Subchapter B - Energy Rater Training and Certification › Section I-1923 - Certification of Existing Small Commercial Buildings Energy Raters

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. Definitions. For
					 the purpose of this Section, the following words, unless the context does not
					 permit such meaning, shall have the meanings indicated.
Department
-the Louisiana Department of
						Natural Resources.
Energy Rating
-a site inventory and
						descriptive record of features impacting the energy use of the building. This
						includes, but is not limited to: all building component descriptions
						(locations, areas, orientations, construction attributes and energy transfer
						characteristics); all energy using equipment and appliance descriptions (use,
						make, model, capacity, efficiency and fuel type); and all energy features, and
						computations.
ESCB Energy Raters
-This includes all
						energy raters qualified, trained, and certified by the department to conduct
						energy ratings on existing small commercial buildings-up to and including 7000
						square feet.
Existing Small
Commercial
						Building
(ESCB)-a completed small commercial building, buildings for
						which a certificate of occupancy, or equivalent approval for occupancy, has
						been issued-up to and including 7,000 square feet.
B. General Provisions
1. Rules provided herein shall apply to site
					 built existing small commercial buildings, except those specifically exempted
					 herein.
2. The energy rating for
					 existing small commercial buildings shall be determined using only software
					 approved by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources for the southern
					 climate. If a rating is performed on a proposed building, the rating shall be
					 clearly labeled as a "rating based on plans".
3. Beginning with the implementation date of
					 this rule, no person may provide an energy rating for small commercial
					 buildings in Louisiana unless such a person has been certified as provided by
					 this rule. To perform an energy rating for any existing small commercial
					 building as required by this rule, the person performing the energy rating must
					 be certified by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, or its
					 designee.
4. Certification will be
					 valid for one year following the date of issuance. No energy rating activity
					 shall be conducted after the expiration of the term of certification. A
					 duplicate certificate may be obtained by written request to the
					 department.
5. An application for
					 annual certification renewal shall be submitted on Form #ERHL-704, herein
					 incorporated by reference, with a renewal fee of the maximum amount allowable
					 by the state. In addition to the annual renewal fee, a certified Existing Small
					 Commercial Building (ESCB) energy rater must, over a three-year period, have
					 completed 12 credit hours of continuing education in courses accepted by the
					 department for certification renewal. Acceptable courses shall, in general, be
					 those dealing with energy use in buildings, building science, or building
					 systems (including heating, ventilation and air conditioning), building design
					 or construction, codes or plan review, financing or selling small commercial
					 buildings, and courses on energy rating systems.