Eieio
October 22nd, 2010, 11:22 AM
The Rating Game
A few weeks back during West Coast Green 2010, I tweeted my surprise that only eight contractors in California had gone through BPI (Building Performance institute) training. The tweet read: "Efficiency First is so desperate for BPI contractors they are offering FREE training in CA!"
Later that week I had the great opportunity to sit down for my first IRL (In Real Life) meeting with @TheGreenBuilder aka Michael Matson. After trading jabs and having a great online dialogue for months we quickly blew through three hours at the Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa. In that conversation, Michael shared his perspective on the aforementioned tweet, and he’s been gracious enough to share his thoughts with you today as a guest on my blog. I hope you enjoy, and I encourage you to follow him online.
From: @TheGreenBuilder (aka Michael Matson)
First, I think many of us feel a great deal of frustration that there are so many different "non-profits" out there, each with its own program: RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network), EnergyStar, HERS (Home Energy Rating System), BPI. The list goes on and on. And every one of them wants you to shell out $1,500 or more to get their certification. Even worse, many are working mightily to have their program—and only their program—mandated by one energy-efficiency legislation or other. And since there are no state or federal standards, no argument can be made that training and qualifications from one program meets the criteria of another. Nor, quite frankly, is it in the interest of any of these "non-profits" to push for standardization.
But the other reason little interest has been shown in BPI may be that California has long had its own energy program in place. It's not only at least as good as the other programs, but it's also intimately tied into California law. Kind of a blend of BPI and HERS, the California Association of HERS raters (CalHERS) program provides training and certification not only for energy raters, but also for building performance contractors (BPC). Open to general contractors only, BPC training requires completion of the entire whole house rating program before the contractor can even enter the course. BPC certification is required for many rebate programs in California, and nearly all energy upgrades to government buildings.
Full article (http://www.remodeling.hw.net/blogs/postdetails.aspx?BlogId=manschelblog&PostId=98289)
A few weeks back during West Coast Green 2010, I tweeted my surprise that only eight contractors in California had gone through BPI (Building Performance institute) training. The tweet read: "Efficiency First is so desperate for BPI contractors they are offering FREE training in CA!"
Later that week I had the great opportunity to sit down for my first IRL (In Real Life) meeting with @TheGreenBuilder aka Michael Matson. After trading jabs and having a great online dialogue for months we quickly blew through three hours at the Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa. In that conversation, Michael shared his perspective on the aforementioned tweet, and he’s been gracious enough to share his thoughts with you today as a guest on my blog. I hope you enjoy, and I encourage you to follow him online.
From: @TheGreenBuilder (aka Michael Matson)
First, I think many of us feel a great deal of frustration that there are so many different "non-profits" out there, each with its own program: RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network), EnergyStar, HERS (Home Energy Rating System), BPI. The list goes on and on. And every one of them wants you to shell out $1,500 or more to get their certification. Even worse, many are working mightily to have their program—and only their program—mandated by one energy-efficiency legislation or other. And since there are no state or federal standards, no argument can be made that training and qualifications from one program meets the criteria of another. Nor, quite frankly, is it in the interest of any of these "non-profits" to push for standardization.
But the other reason little interest has been shown in BPI may be that California has long had its own energy program in place. It's not only at least as good as the other programs, but it's also intimately tied into California law. Kind of a blend of BPI and HERS, the California Association of HERS raters (CalHERS) program provides training and certification not only for energy raters, but also for building performance contractors (BPC). Open to general contractors only, BPC training requires completion of the entire whole house rating program before the contractor can even enter the course. BPC certification is required for many rebate programs in California, and nearly all energy upgrades to government buildings.
Full article (http://www.remodeling.hw.net/blogs/postdetails.aspx?BlogId=manschelblog&PostId=98289)