BPI, or the Building Performance Institute, is an organization committed to making buildings more energy-efficient, less exhaustive of resources, cleaner, and healthier for the environment and surrounding community. BPI certification designations vary depending on the professional. For example, you can take one BPI exam for air conditioning and heat pump certification and another BPI exam for manufactured housing.
The various BPI certifications enable you to provide energy savings audits for various types of buildings. Small homes BPI certification represents a different skill set and an understanding of completely different systems than commercial BPI certification. Likewise, the multi family building analyst BPI certificate acknowledges expertise in the energy-consuming systems that typically appear in apartment buildings or housing developments while the BPI certificate for heating professionals would equip an HVAC specialist with the savvy to also deliver energy-saving solutions to his heating customers.
The BPI exam consists of 100 questions and a separate field component that tests the procedural knowledge taught in the field component of the BPI training course. While taking a BPI exam training class is not a prerequisite to taking the BPI exam, enrolling in BPI training is a very good idea as graduates of BPI courses tend to perform better on the BPI certification test.
The BPI examination tests students in building systems knowledge, which is instrumental for the work that energy auditors do, which involves gathering diagnostic information about how the various systems in a building are working together to meet the occupants’ energy needs. Energy auditors then compile this data and express it in clear reports that they have been trained to explain to their clients. From ventilation to thermodynamics, expertise in building systems and their performance’s impact on energy efficiency is a skill that students of a BPI course will gain in order to take the BPI certifying exam.
This article was written for CleanEdison, Inc. CleanEdison serves federal, state and local governments, building design and construction firms, owners, operators, and real estate investors. We have educated hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals in green building practices both through customized training and the largest open enrollment green training program in the nation. CleanEdison has courses in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BPI (Building Performance Institute) Certification, Energy Auditing, Solar, Wind and Renewable Energy. CleanEdison has also developed numerous customized training programs specific to a business or organization’s needs. Call CleanEdison for more information about BPI certification, LEED certification, and other courses near you.
