diff --git a/src/QMC/DMCParticleByParticle.cpp b/src/QMC/DMCParticleByParticle.cpp
index 2653b6399..93819ba1e 100644
--- a/src/QMC/DMCParticleByParticle.cpp
+++ b/src/QMC/DMCParticleByParticle.cpp
@@ -60,16 +60,16 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
       brancher.put(qmc_node,LogOut);
 
       if(BranchInfo != "default")  brancher.read(BranchInfo);
-      //else {
-      //  /*if VMC/DMC directly preceded DMC (Counter > 0) then
-      //    use the average value of the energy estimator for
-      //    the reference energy of the brancher*/
-      //  if(Counter) {
-      //    RealType e_ref = W.getLocalEnergy();
-      //    LOGMSG("Overwriting the reference energy by the local energy " << e_ref)  
-      //    brancher.setEguess(e_ref);
-      //  }
-      //}
+      else {
+        /*if VMC/DMC directly preceded DMC (Counter > 0) then
+          use the average value of the energy estimator for
+          the reference energy of the brancher*/
+        if(Counter) {
+          RealType e_ref = W.getLocalEnergy();
+          LOGMSG("Overwriting the reference energy by the local energy " << e_ref)  
+          brancher.setEguess(e_ref);
+        }
+      }
       
       int PopIndex, E_TIndex;
       Estimators.resetReportSettings(RootName);
@@ -85,8 +85,6 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
         (*it)->Properties(MULTIPLICITY) = 1.0;
         ++it;
       }
-      
-      
 
       //going to add routines to calculate how much we need
       bool require_register =  W.createAuxDataSet();
@@ -110,6 +108,7 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
       int Population = W.getActiveWalkers();
       int tPopulation = W.getActiveWalkers();
       RealType Eest = brancher.E_T;
+      RealType E_T = Eest;
       RealType oneovertau = 1.0/Tau;
       RealType oneover2tau = 0.5*oneovertau;
       RealType g = sqrt(Tau);
@@ -239,7 +238,8 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
 
 	  ++step;++accstep;
 	  Estimators.accumulate(W);
-	  Eest = brancher.update(Population,Eest); //E_T = brancher.update(Population,Eest);
+	  Eest = brancher.update(Population,Eest); 
+          //E_T = brancher.update(Population,Eest);
 	  brancher.branch(accstep,W);
 	} while(step<nSteps);
 	
diff --git a/src/QMC/MolecuFixedNodeBranch.h b/src/QMC/MolecuFixedNodeBranch.h
index a65e6a0a2..ea083939e 100644
--- a/src/QMC/MolecuFixedNodeBranch.h
+++ b/src/QMC/MolecuFixedNodeBranch.h
@@ -144,6 +144,7 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
       //average over the last half of the simulation
       //for(int i=0; i<limit; i++) Esum = Eg[i];
       E_T = Esum/static_cast<T>(mlimit)-Feed*log(static_cast<T>(pop_now))+logN;
+      //cout << "update trial energy = " << Eg.front()<< " " << Eg.back() <<  " " << E_T << endl;
       return E_T;
     }
 
@@ -184,16 +185,17 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
       XMLReport("MaxCopy for branching = " << MaxCopy)
       XMLReport("Branching: Number of generations = " << InFeed)
       XMLReport("Branching: Feedback parameter = " << Feed)
+      //for(int i=0; i<EgBufferSize; i++) {log() << Eg[i] << " "; if(i%5 == 4) log() << endl;}
     }
 
     void write(hid_t grp) {
       hsize_t dim = static_cast<hsize_t>(EgBufferSize);
-      //vector<T> etrial(Eg.begin(),Eg.end());
+      vector<T> etrial(Eg.begin(),Eg.end());
       hid_t dataspace  = H5Screate_simple(1, &dim, NULL);
       hid_t dataset =  
         H5Dcreate(grp, "TrialEnergies", H5T_NATIVE_DOUBLE, dataspace, H5P_DEFAULT);
       hid_t ret = 
-        H5Dwrite(dataset, H5T_NATIVE_DOUBLE, H5S_ALL, H5S_ALL, H5P_DEFAULT,&Eg[0]);
+        H5Dwrite(dataset, H5T_NATIVE_DOUBLE, H5S_ALL, H5S_ALL, H5P_DEFAULT,&etrial[0]);
       H5Dclose(dataset);
       H5Sclose(dataspace);
       //make a char array which contains the species names separated by space
@@ -213,11 +215,15 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
       h5file.append(".config.h5");
       hid_t h_file =  H5Fopen(h5file.c_str(),H5F_ACC_RDWR,H5P_DEFAULT);
       hid_t h_config = H5Gopen(h_file,"config_collection");
-      hsize_t dataset = H5Dopen(h_config, "TrialEnergies");
-      if(dataset) {
-        hsize_t ret = H5Dread(dataset, H5T_NATIVE_DOUBLE, 
-            H5S_ALL, H5S_ALL, H5P_DEFAULT, &Eg[0]);
+      hid_t dataset = H5Dopen(h_config, "TrialEnergies");
+      if(dataset<0) {
+        Counter=0;
+        reset();
+      } else {
+        vector<T> etrial(EgBufferSize);
+        hsize_t ret = H5Dread(dataset, H5T_NATIVE_DOUBLE, H5S_ALL, H5S_ALL, H5P_DEFAULT, &etrial[0]);
         H5Dclose(dataset);
+        std::copy(etrial.begin(),etrial.end(),Eg.begin());
         char temp[256];
         dataset = H5Dopen(h_config, "BranchParameters");
         ret = H5Dread(dataset, H5T_NATIVE_CHAR, H5S_ALL, H5S_ALL, H5P_DEFAULT, temp);
@@ -226,10 +232,9 @@ namespace ohmmsqmc {
         s >> Nideal>>InFeed >>Counter >> E_T;
         reset();
         Counter = std::min(Counter,EgBufferSize);
-      }
+      } 
       H5Gclose(h_config);
       H5Fclose(h_file);
-
     }
 
   private: