ELC Members

Company: Building Efficiency Resources (BER)

Years in the building performance industry: 8

Certifications held: RESNET QAD & Instructor; ENERGY STAR® Verifier

Bio: Dylan is a Florida native with a love for doing the right thing and making the world a better place for all. Being as accurate and as honest as possible is something they strive to do in every aspect of their life. They have a BS in Engineering Technology specialized in Sustainable Design.

Dylan started in the industry in 2016, became certified as a Rater in 2018, and then later became a QAD and Instructor, all out of Central Florida. In mid-2023, they joined BER and now perform QAD and Instructor roles across the country as BER’s Technical Training Lead. Along the way, they have worked on new homes, both code-built as well as above-code and custom homes, and old homes and commercial buildings as audits or training opportunities.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

I joined the ELC because I saw myself being a future leader in this industry. I was far ahead of my contemporaries I met in the early days of my career in home energy ratings. In order to further jump-start my career, I joined the ELC to gain as much experience as I could through others who, like me, are very passionate about the industry and have their own experiences to share.

Task Group involvement: ELC Fellows Program; Rater Retention & Recruitment; HVAC 310; Standards Working Group

Company: Integral Building + Design, Inc.

Years in the building performance industry: 4

Certifications held: HERS® Rater; LEED Green Rater, LEED AP Homes

Bio:My name is Alyssa Scharf, and I am a Home Energy Rater and Sustainability professional based in the Hudson Valley, New York. My interest in energy efficiency and sustainability sparked during my service year as a team leader in AmeriCorps NCCC, a national service program that engages young adults in community service projects. I began my career in the green building industry as a project manager, overseeing the certification process for various standards such as LEED Residential, Enterprise Green Communities, and the NYS HCR Sustainability Guidelines, but I also have experience with ENERGY STAR, EPA Indoor air PLUS, and DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes programs. I am typically engaged with residential single family and multifamily projects, from design development through final testing and verification. My team and I have been fortunate to work alongside many developers and construction teams that are committed to building with energy efficiency and sustainable strategies as a priority. I am passionate about topics like indoor air quality and educating the public about the benefits of green building practices for their homes and environments.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

I chose to participate in this program to enhance my technical skills in residential energy, seek leadership opportunities, and connect with other young professionals who share my interest in this field of work.

Task Group involvement: WIRE; Standards Working Group; Rater Retention & Recruitment

Company: Stephens & Company, Inc.

Years in the building performance industry: 9

Certifications held: HERS® Rater; ENERGY STAR® SFNC and MFNC certification; LEED Green Associate

Bio: I grew up in Birmingham, AL and got my Bachelors degree at Middlebury College in VT. I then lived in NYC for 5 years where I worked for architects and a commercial real estate developer. I moved back to Birmingham and got my Masters in Environmental Management at Samford University. I went to work for Eco Three where we did energy efficient retrofits and new construction HERS ratings and code compliance testing. From there I went to work with Brayn Consulting where I helped builders with the 45L tax incentive and specifications analyses and certification via Energy Star for New Homes. Now I work remotely for Stephens and Company on Nantucket, MA; we perform HERS ratings for homes there and in Birmingham. I love teaching people about building science and continuing to learn about building techniques and materials in new construction as well as historic preservation and restoration. I am involved with neighborhood leadership and enjoy helping address municipal issues and preserving our historic area. My husband and I are working on restoring parts of our 1925 home.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

I joined the ELC to meet more raters, have a forum for helping others and continuing to learn, and specifically to help amplify women in construction.

Task Group involvement: WIRE; Rater Retention & Recruitment

Company: Performance Systems Development

Years in the building performance industry: 3

Certifications held: HERS® Rater; RESNET QAD; ENERGY STAR® SFNH and MFNH; Candidate Field Assessor; Instructor

Bio: Graduated from University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a degree in Sustainability and Renewable Energy Systems. Started with Performance Systems Development as the Wisconsin Focus on Energy New Homes QA inspector, and became more involved with the PSD Providership and attained QAD certification.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

If I am going to be involved in the RESNET world, I want to make sure I can network and voice my opinion.

Task Group involvement: ELC Fellows Program; Rater Retention & Recruitment; HVAC 310; Standards Working Group

Company: ARCXIS

Years in the building performance industry: 3

Certifications held: HERS® Rater, QAD, R5 Building Inspector

Bio: I spent most of my adult life as a teacher of one sort or another starting in Texas high school classrooms and later starting a business doing school assembly programs in elementary schools. I’ve always been intrigued with sustainable building; from volunteering on multiple straw bale home construction projects in the 1990s, living on a sailboat in the early 2000s, to the never-ending job of retro-fitting our 1853 home to be more efficient and comfortable while using sustainable and recycled materials as much as possible. But I never became truly SERIOUS about the science of energy efficient construction until I became a building inspector and RFI in 2021.

I currently manage a team of 20 inspectors in San Antonio, Texas. We help builders create safer, more energy efficient homes as affordably as possible. Because we work with a large number of builders we are able to see and help share best practices. I feel compelled to stay knowledgeable about the leading edge of energy efficient construction in order to leverage that knowledge through my leadership position managing a large team of inspectors, each able to further leverage that knowledge as they work with multiple construction managers and builders.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

There is clearly a desperate need for the world to come together to conserve our resources and the best, science-based solutions (like the ones we promote and provide) are not always easy to understand. I want to leverage my ability to help make complicated subjects easier to understand so that we can more effectively spread the word about the value of the systems we help promote and how to properly apply those systems and solutions.

Task Group involvement: ELC Fellows Program, HVAC 310

Company: EnergyLogic

Years in the building performance industry: 8

Certifications held: RESNET® QA, RESNET® Trainer, LEED Green Rater, LEED AP for Homes

Bio: Started as an RFI in North Carolina and worked as a Rater and RESNET QA in Colorado before moving to Hawaii as a Field Services manager and Green Rater. Spends free time snorkeling and hiking.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

I joined ELC to be more involved in the change of RESNET Standards.

Task Group involvement: HVAC 310, Standards Working Group

Company: ES Green & Co., LLC

Years in the building performance industry: 2

Certifications held: NGBS Green Verifier, FGBC Certifying Agent, Energy Star Certifier, AICP

Bio: Julie Christesen is an AICP certified planner who made the jump into Energy Rating and Green Certification in 2022. She’s worked on a variety of certifications from high end custom homes to disaster recovery work throughout the Southeast.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

The ELC provided a chance to connect with other Energy Raters, which is few and far between in this business. I’ve been able to meet, learn from, and communicate with people throughout the US that I never would have met otherwise.

Task Group involvement: ELC Fellows Program, Standards Working Group

Company: 15 Lightyears

Years in the building performance industry: 1

Certifications held: FGBC Certifying Agent, Certified RFI

Bio: I started in this industry about a year ago knowing nothing about it, in the past year I have just become obsessed with learning about the space. From podcasts to annoying my superiors with a bombardment of questions. I went from a data analyst just looking for some experience to becoming a Certified RFI and FGBC Certifying Agent. I believe that the obession and drive to go further in this field is from my 6 month old son. I would like to contribute to a more sustainable future and groundwork for future generations.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

I chose to join the ELC to become more knowledgable about the industry I am in, and to meet others who either have the experience to learn from, or other new faces that share the same drive as I do.

Task Group involvement: Standards Working Group

Company: Green Coast Enterprises

Years in the building performance industry: 5

Certifications held: HERS® Rater, Energy Star CNH/MFNC Rater, Fortified Evaluator, Watersense/ HERS® H2O

Bio: I am a HERS Rater, also dealing in Energy Star, EGC, LEED, NGBC, DOE ZERH, currently residing in Southeast Louisiana. My career in Building Science started after being a Web Developer and Graphic Artist for 10 years, having the odd job working in Commercial and Residential Construction off and on just for fun. I became a HERS Rater and Energy Star Rater in one year to help Affordable Housing Developers earn their required certifications. Since, I’ve helped develop the local energy code, performed energy audits, contracted with local utility programs for benchmarking, RCx, energy incentives, ASHRAE modeling, energy monitoring and BAS programs, Manufactured Housing Pilot programs, Net Zero.

Why did you choose to join the ELC?

I joined the ELC to meet like minded people, expand my professional network, and expand my knowledge on how to improve Rater awareness, both locally and nationally. I believe reducing fuel consumption in homes while improving comfort is a noble cause. I love teaching folks about how to improve quality of life just by being aware of the systems in their homes and how they work. Being apart of the ELC means I get to help develop resources available to Raters and better reach those who may want to venture onto this career path. It also means I get first hand experience with the changes to guidelines.

Task Group involvement: ELC Fellows Program, ELC Volunteer Event, WIRE, Rater Retention & Recruitment, HVAC 310, Standards Working Group