September 17, 2012

U.S. Building Performance Institute gets accreditation

MALTA, NEW YORK

The Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI), a standards development and credentialing organization, recently received accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a national certifying body.

BPI’s accreditation is based on earning ISO ( International Organization for Standardization) 17024 accreditation for its Residential Building Envelope Whole House Air Leakage Control Installer (RBE-WH-ALCI) certification.

“Many organizations develop industry level certifications for technicians within their sector, but achieving accreditation to this international standard means BPI has put in place processes critical to delivering fair exams at every BPI Test Center across the country,” said David Hepinstall, BPI board chairman, in a news release.

ANSI is the U.S. representative of the ISO.

ISO 17024 is the international benchmark for personnel certifications across all industries.

It sets requirements for organizations that manage the certification of individuals.

This is done to ensure impartiality of operations and reduce any conflict of interest.

Under ISO 17024, certifications are developed and administered using international best practices, including cross-disciplinary peer review and industry validation of technical materials.

The RBE-WH-ALCI certification is the first of BPI’s suite of certifications to undergo the ANSI accreditation process and is BPI’s fastest growing certification.

Its exam verifies a candidate’s knowledge, skills and abilities to tighten the building envelope to reduce energy loss from air leakage. Such measures also reduce pollutants and allergens through air migration.

The exams also verify the candidate’s ability to improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency through the proper installation of dense-pack insulation materials. 

BPI’s new Home Energy Professional certifications for Energy Auditor, Retrofit Installer, Crew Leader, and Quality Control Inspector will be the next four certifications BPI submits to ANSI for accreditation under ISO 17024.

ANSI coordinates, facilitates, and promotes the development of voluntary consensus standards that are relied upon by industry, government agencies, and consumers across the United States and around the world.

ANSI accredited organizations work cooperatively with the goal of enhancing the U.S. quality of life and improve the competitiveness of businesses operating in the global marketplace.

For more information about the Building Performance Institute visit www.bpi.org.

JOC NEWS SERVICE

Print | Comment