<html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000; font-size:10pt;"><div>Hear, hear!</div>
<div>I second the motion!</div>
<div>J# </div>
<div>ps eloquently stated Dakota, eh<BR>************************************************************<BR>Jeff Sharpe, PE</div>
<div>Sharpe Energy Solutions<BR>Ashland, OR </div>
<div> </div>
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<DIV id=wmQuoteWrapper>-------- Original Message --------<BR>Subject: Re: [Equest-users] eQUEST Help Desk Funding<BR>From: "Dakota Kelley" <<a href="mailto:dakotak@teliospc.com">dakotak@teliospc.com</a>><BR>Date: Wed, May 26, 2010 11:13 am<BR>To: "Carol Gardner" <<a href="mailto:cmg750@gmail.com">cmg750@gmail.com</a>>, "eQUEST Users List"<BR><<a href="mailto:equest-users@lists.onebuilding.org">equest-users@lists.onebuilding.org</a>><BR><BR>
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<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Carol,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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 <I>expect</I> 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 <I>for</I> 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. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">So, Carol, please put out your shingle. I might break my model just for an excuse to call you.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="Z-INDEX: -1; POSITION: absolute; MARGIN-TOP: 2px; WIDTH: 71px; HEIGHT: 90px; MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; mso-ignore: vglayout"><img src="http://email06.secureserver.net/download.php?rand=757611&folder=INBOX&uid=13610&part=1.3&tnef_part=-1&aEmlPart=0&orig=cid%3Aimage003.jpg%4001CAFCD5.418EC670&inline=1&filename=image003.jpg&type=image%2Fjpeg&encoding=base64&" width=71 height=90 wbeuser="jeff@sharpenotes.com" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2"></SPAN><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> DAKOTA KELLEY</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> </SPAN><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Project Designer<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> Office: 214-744-6199<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> Cell: 214-280-3825<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> Fax: 214-744-0770 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"><A href="http://www.teliospc.com/" target=_blank><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: blue">http://www.teliospc.com</SPAN></A> 3535 Travis St. Suite 115 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"><A href="mailto:dakotak@teliospc.com" target=_blank><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: blue">dakotak@teliospc.com</SPAN></A> Dallas, TX 75204 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></div>
<div><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">| MEP ENGINEERING </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">·</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> ENERGY MODELING </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">· </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">LEED CONSULTATION</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> </SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt">·</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: #3333ff; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> COMMISSIONING |</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 8pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></div>
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<div><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Carol Gardner [<a href="mailto:cmg750@gmail.com">mailto:cmg750@gmail.com</a>] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, May 25, 2010 4:45 PM<BR><B>To:</B> eQUEST Users List<BR><B>Cc:</B> Benville, Jim; <a href="mailto:ed.wall@ee.doe.gov">ed.wall@ee.doe.gov</a><BR><B>Subject:</B> [Equest-users] eQUEST Help Desk Funding<o:p></o:p></SPAN></div></DIV>
<div><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div>All,<BR><BR>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. <BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR>Carol Gardner PE<o:p></o:p></div></DIV>
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