Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals: pilot certification registration now open

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project is facilitating development of national guidelines for home energy retrofits designed to grow a high-quality residential energy upgrade industry and a skilled and credentialed workforce.

There are three components of the Guidelines Project:

1. Guidelines for Quality Work (Standard Work Specifications for Single-Family, Multifamily, and Manufactured Housing Energy Upgrades);
2. Guidelines for Effective Training; and
3. Guidelines for professional certification.

Dr. Richard Knaub, a Project Leader in Weatherization & Workforce Development at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has been actively participating in the Weatherization training and standards development both at the state and national levels for the last several years.  NREL has been leading the development of the Guidelines (no small task).  In fact, according to Knaub, some 300 stakeholders have been involved in the process.  Technicians, trainers, home performance contractors, labor, healthy homes professionals, building scientists and other experts in the building trades and retrofit industry have been at the table for this project.

Knaub tells IREC that registration is now open for the Pilot Certification part of the project.  In June, the Building Performance Institute (BPI) will make available four new home energy professional certifications for the weatherization and home performance workforce.  If you’re interested in being certified to this credential, applications are due May 1, 2012.  Information on exam pre-requisites and registration can be found here.

Jane Pulaski