A blower door is used to see how leaky a home is by depressurizing it. Image courtesy of Jim Gunshinan.

In a recent blog post, I wrote about what it takes to become certified as a Building Analyst through the Building Performance Institute (BPI) (“Am I certifiable?”). A BPI certification or becoming a certified HERS (home energy rating system) rater through the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) are the most recognized ways to enter the home performance marketplace.

But in several blogs I read on a regular basis and in conversations with building analysts and HERS raters, I’ve found a lot of frustration, even anger, at the slow pace of the economic recovery. Here’s a typical response: “I bought the tools and put time and money into training, but where are the jobs? ” Being certified as a Building Analyst will no doubt make me a better writer and editor. But for thousands of men and women, being certified and finding work in the home performance field is a matter of economic survival.

The problem right now is financing. Who has the money to spend on a home energy upgrade nowadays? The costs can run anywhere from about $2,000 to over $10,000. Municipal governments all over the country are experimenting with financing mechanisms for home energy retrofits—the city pays for the retrofits and recovers its costs through an increase in property taxes, for example. The city of Babylon, New York, charges building owners a tax on carbon emissions, and uses this as seed money to do retrofits. But all these efforts so far have not brought about the expected increase in “green jobs”.

This may soon change. Heard of the “Cash for Caulkers” program? This is the nickname for HOME STAR, a program to provide incentives for homeowners to upgrade their homes to be more energy efficient, healthy, and affordable to live in. The program was born in the minds of private sector advisors, including the Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr; members of Efficiency First, a national advocacy group started in the Bay Area; and others. On November 2, the group presented its ideas at a meeting of the Presidents Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Word on the street is that the plan has the support of the President.

The HOME STAR program would reimburse homeowners for a list of qualified home energy retrofits such as air sealing, insulation, and new, energy efficient lights and appliances. Homeowners would get up to $2,000 for making two upgrades, and up to $3,500 for four upgrades. Homeowners who decrease their energy use by more than 20% would get more money. The government would cover up to half of the costs of a project, and homes would be audited at random to ensure quality work and real energy savings.

So what would taxpayers get for an expected investment of $23 billion over two years? The projected outcome of the program is 500,000 well paying jobs in the depressed construction industry; close to 6-million homes retrofit; billions of dollars in energy savings over the life of the retrofit measures; power plants that don’t have to be built; and according to the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the equivalent in green house gas emissions reduction of taking half the cars in the country off the road.

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A technician checks the combustion efficiency and safety of a water heater—an important part of any home energy audit.

I hope I’m certifiable. I’ll find out in about a year when I’ve completed all the training and taken the written and field exams to become a Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified Building Analyst. The certification would allow me to perform energy audits on homes and maybe even get paid for it if I started an auditing business or joined an existing company. The certification would not prepare me to perform energy upgrade measures, such as air sealing and insulating an attic, only recommend the most cost effective ones. Many energy auditors work with a team of trusted contractors who can do the work the homeowner chooses.

My publisher Tom White and I decided that going through the kind of training that we have been pushing in our magazine will give me a more realistic view of the home performance industry, and the people who are just entering it now—the new weatherization workers, and newly minted technicians, contractors, and small business owners who will help build the new green economy. And it’s an excuse to get off my butt and out of the office more often. If I get certified, I’ll need to continue taking classes and have hands-on experience in the field to stay certified.

There are three kinds of certifications for a wannabe energy auditor to consider: certification as a Building Analyst through BPI; certification as a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rater through the Residential Energy Services Network; or one of many “green builder” certifications that exist nationwide. I think the Building Analyst is the most basic. The training follows closely that of a HERS rater, but HERS raters need to become expert at rating software; it’s a bit more involved. I thought about being certified through Build It Green California as a Green Building Professional. But once I’m certified through BPI, I think it would be a small step to being certified by the other organizations.

Now I am asking what many people in the midst of career decisions are asking. Where do I go for the training and how much will it cost? BPI is in Malta, New York. (Might as well be Malta, the country.) Fortunately, BPI has hundreds of affiliates and approved trainers all over the country. There is also online training, and trainers who will travel to your hometown, as long as you have several people interested in the training. My plan so far is to complete an online training course through well-respected training organization, Saturn Online. That will prepare me for the Building Analyst written exam. I can even take the exam online. The course costs $595, plus about $70 for a book and field manual. Once you start the online course, you have about 8 weeks to complete it, so I can study and take the quizzes and final exam in my spare time—maybe over the holidays. The written exam fee is $225.

But you can’t get all the training you need online, nor would I want to. (Remember me wanting to get off my butt more often?) Saturn also offers three day intensive hands-on field seminars in locations in several locations around the country that culminate in the Building Analyst field exam. I have friends in Portland I haven’t seen in a while; maybe I’ll go there for my field training. The field seminar costs $950. If you want to take the exam at the end of the seminar, there is an additional $350 charge for proctoring. Total costs of going for BPI Building Analyst certification: $2,190. The value of certification: priceless.

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