[Equest-users] eQUEST Help Desk Funding

[Michael Mantai]

Yes, PLEASE, someone offer this.  We would love to have this kind of option
to help us.  Frankly, we’re way overworked (a good thing) and don’t have
time to describe our problems, post to this list and add screen shots, etc.
We’ve tried outsourcing modeling but prefer to have control over the model.
What we need is expertise available real-time that can look at our model
input via Webex, etc. and help us through these models.  I would pay good
money for this service.  If there are any of you out there that can offer
this, please email me.  Thanks.


Michael K. Mantai, PE, CCP, CEM, LEED AP
President
System WorCx, PLLC  Building Commissioning Services
1900 Abbott St, Suite 101, Charlotte, NC  28203
Phone:  704-996-9924
Fax:  866-432-3942
Email:  mmantai at systemworcx.com



On 5/26/10 2:13 PM, "Dakota Kelley" <dakotak at teliospc.com> wrote:

> Carol,
>  
> Let me cut through the philosophical stuff and set a starting bid: were I to
> find myself in need, I would pay $125/hr for one-on-one, pay-per-use,
> phone/WebEx-style assistance, billed in 0.25 hr increments or each fraction
> thereof, with a minimum charge of 0.5 hrs.  This assumes the person providing
> the help has both a mechanical engineering degree and years of eQUEST
> experience, which appears to fit your description.  If Portland has not
> eliminated your Canadian accent, I would gladly pay aboot $126/hr..what’s
> another loonie, eh?  Naturally, there would be a high expectation that you
> should be able to solve nearly any issue somewhat quickly, and you would have
> to determine how you want to handle issues you are unable to resolve. 
> However, I have no qualms about charging or paying for one-on-one help…it’s
> called “consulting”.  In my early days I posted a couple questions and
> received no responses – I could’ve just as easily been talking to my HP
> DeskJet while printing “I hope that helps” messages to myself.  Having an
> alternate, fee-based help resource would have been a blessing.    
>  
> If I may enter the philosophical arena for a minute, I’m amazed by the eQUEST
> users who will comfortably charge their clients thousands of dollars for a
> model, using “free” software, but expect free assistance and get up in arms
> when anyone brings up the idea of fee-based help (or that it would be brought
> up on a forum created for eQUEST help).  There has been talk about helping for
> “the greater good of the modeling community”, but I don’t find it to be
> intellectually honest.  Such a notion is predicated on an equal contribution
> from all participants, but the reality is that there are far more help-seekers
> than help-providers, and such will always be the case with voluntary forums. 
> Quick questions that can be answered in five minutes are not an issue, and the
> forum is wonderful for that, but when it turns into me taking an hour or two
> to go through someone’s model for free, while they get paid for my findings,
> is not inherently good for me or the community.  It has been done for me in
> the past, and I have paid it forward.  However, there are not enough active
> participants to make this standard operating procedure.  I also refute the
> notion that having an alternate help source undermines the forum; the two are
> not mutually exclusive. 
>  
> So, Carol, please put out your shingle.  I might break my model just for an
> excuse to call you.
>  
>                                
>                         DAKOTA KELLEY             
>                                                
>                                 Project Designer
>  
>                                 Office:      214-744-6199
>                                 Cell:         214-280-3825
>                                 Fax:         214-744-0770
>                 
> http://www.teliospc.com <http://www.teliospc.com/>           3535 Travis St.
> Suite 115 
> dakotak at teliospc.com <mailto:dakotak at teliospc.com>              Dallas, TX
> 75204 
>  
> | MEP ENGINEERING ? ENERGY MODELING ? LEED CONSULTATION ? COMMISSIONING |
>                        
>  
>  
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>  
>  
>  
>  
>        
>  
> 
> From: Carol Gardner [mailto:cmg750 at gmail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 4:45 PM
> To: eQUEST Users List
> Cc: Benville, Jim; ed.wall at ee.doe.gov
> Subject: [Equest-users] eQUEST Help Desk Funding
>  
> All,
> 
> For the right amount of money, a dedicated land line, and a dedicated
> computer, I will function as your dedicated Help Desk. Let me know who is
> interested in funding me to be this resource. Let me know how much you think
> this resource is worth. As you all know by now unless you've been sleeping, I
> am a self-employed professional that takes time to answer your questions but
> must quit giving my time away for free. 

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