The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is collaborating with technicians and trainers from across the home performance industry to support high-quality, nationally-recognized professional certifications. These new certifications focus specifically on the four most common job classifications in the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and home energy upgrade industry: energy auditor, retrofit installer technician, crew leader, and quality control inspector.

DOE is committed to rolling out these certifications in a thoughtful and systematic manner, built on a foundation of peer reviewed and industry validated technical materials, some of which are still undergoing technical review and public comment. The new certifications will be available to workers in DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program and the broader home energy upgrade industry in 2012.

These voluntary certifications are a component of DOE's Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project. They are designed to assess and demonstrate the skill and professionalism of America's Weatherization Assistance Program technicians and home energy upgrade workforce.

Learn more about the certifications and their benefits to WAP, the home performance industry, energy efficiency program administrators, and consumers.

• Purpose of the New Professional Certifications
• Certification Framework
• Independent Certifying Bodies Deliver Certifications
• Job Task Analyses
• ISO 17024 and Certification Blueprints
• Recognition of Other Professional Certifications
• Benefits of Professional Certifications

Purpose of the New Professional Certifications

A "Recovery through Retrofit" interagency working group and the Weatherization Training and Technical Assistance Plan both identified the need to make nationally recognized, transferrable certifications available to individuals employed by WAP and the broader home performance industry. Moreover, Weatherization Assistance Program technicians and other home energy upgrade professionals currently do not have access to certifications accredited to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 17024) standard. This standard provides a framework for the quality and rigor of a personnel certification program. To address the shortcoming, DOE enlisted its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to coordinate the development of a "certification framework" for new certifications in the four most common weatherization and home performance job classifications: energy auditor, retrofit installer, crew leader, and quality control inspector.

These four professional certifications are very specific to the Weatherization Assistance Program and residential whole-house energy upgrade industry. They are not intended to supplant or infringe upon other certifications in HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration), PHC (plumbing, heating, and cooling), remodeling, or any other professional credential in the building trades. DOE continues to recognize and support this broader suite of industry-developed and industry-recognized credentials, while acknowledging that the Weatherization Assistance Program and whole-house energy upgrades are only one piece of the existing-home contracting industry (including HVACR equipment repair or replacement, and building remodeling and renovation). The well-established building trades have already taken impressive strides towards embracing and incorporating energy efficiency into the overall suite of professional credentials available to the workforce.

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Certification Framework

NREL brought together more than 40 industry-nominated volunteers to develop the certification blueprints for the four new certifications. These blueprints define the general requirements of each certification (e.g., prerequisites, exam structure, practicum, and re-certification requirements). They are based largely on NREL's four Job Task Analyses (JTAs), which were developed and validated by more than 800 industry experts. The certification blueprints were also produced in accordance with the ISO 17024 standard for the quality and rigor of personnel certifications.

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Independent Certifying Bodies Deliver Certifications

NREL issued a competitive solicitation and selected the Building Performance Institute (BPI) to oversee test development and deliver the four new, ISO 17024 accredited certifications in 2012. Selection of a certifying body is necessary to expedite the delivery of the four new certifications to preserve and create new employment opportunities for Weatherization Assistance Program technicians in the broader home energy upgrade industry.

NREL is also exploring how to make the certification blueprints available to additional interested and qualified certifying bodies through a process that complies with ISO 17024, so that they might also administer the new certifications. Neither DOE nor NREL will be directly engaged in the certification of individuals.

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Job Task Analyses

The NREL Job Task Analyses describe the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform four specific jobs (residential energy auditor, retrofit installer, crew leader, and quality control inspector) at a high level of competency, and were developed in according to industry-recognized practices for workforce psychometrics.

Some of the text in the "knowledge" section is very broad, and does not imply that these professionals actually perform that activity in the course of their daily work. For example, "knowledge of electrical safety" does not suggest that a retrofit installer is qualified to serve as a licensed electrician, but rather that the installer is knowledgeable enough to identify electrical hazards if they exist in the home. Similarly, "knowledge of plumbing" is needed to "install simple efficiency measures (low-flow fixtures, pipe wrap insulation)." There is no expectationundefinednor is it permitted by lawundefinedfor the retrofit installer to engage in any work that requires a licensed professional to perform.

The NREL JTAs are currently available to industry to reference and/or incorporate into their existing activities.

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ISO 17024 and Certification Blueprints

Certifying bodies interested in certifying workers in the Weatherization Assistance Program and home energy upgrade industry are encouraged to seek accreditation of their programs under the ISO 17024 standard, which provides a framework for the quality and rigor of a certification program. NREL is exploring how to make the certification blueprints (sometimes referred to as "certification schemes") available to additional interested and qualified certifying bodies so that they might administer the four new certifications in accordance with ISO 17024.

The full certification blueprints will not be available to the public, as this would violate the ISO 17024 confidentiality requirements and undermine the integrity of the certification tests.

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Recognition of Other Professional Certifications

There are many existing industry certifications available in the marketplace. The four new professional certifications, based on the industry-developed NREL JTAs, were developed and validated by subject matter experts to reflect four specific job classifications in the WAP and home energy upgrade industry. These four specific certifications are not intended to supplant or infringe upon other certifications in HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration), PHC (plumbing, heating, and cooling), remodeling, or any other professional credential in the building trades. DOE acknowledges that there are many other professional credentials in the building trades, and is examining additional ways to support the industry development of complementary ISO 17024 accredited certifications for other job classifications (e.g., in the HVACR industry) that contribute to building a skilled and qualified home energy upgrade workforce.

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Benefits of Professional Certifications For the Weatherization Assistance Program and Home Performance Industry

• Certified professionals will improve quality, reduce call-backs, and improve profitability.
• Consumers are more likely to engage the services of certified professionals, because they see certification as an assurance of quality.
• Certified professionals are better prepared to deliver high-quality work, and high-quality work improves customer satisfaction.
• DOE invested in the new certifications (and the Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project) to support growth of the home energy upgrade industry. Each component of the project was created by and for both WAP and the private home energy upgrade industry. As each component is completed, it becomes available, allowing industry to reap the benefits without the burden of costs.

For Energy Efficiency Program Administrators

• The new certifications provide administrators of home energy upgrade programs the option to encourage or require nationally recognized and ISO 17024 accredited professional certifications for their employees without having to create and administer those certifications themselves.

For Workers

• Certified professionals differentiate themselves, giving them a competitive edge.
• Nationally recognized certifications facilitate worker mobilityundefinedfrom company to company and program to program, nationwide.

For Consumers

• Certifications reinforce the professionalism of the home energy upgrade workforce and give consumers a quick way to recognize an individual's level of qualification.
• Certifications give the financial industry greater confidence that energy upgrades will be performed effectively, resulting in easier access to consumer credit to invest in these upgrades. Easier access to credit can expand the customer base and create more demand for energy upgrade services.

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Denver Post

In this photograph taken April 15, 2009, an unidentified worker steps through the maze of hoses being used at a remote fracking site being run by Halliburton for natural-gas producer Williams in Rulison, Colo. (AP | David Zalubowski)

In this April 22, 2008 file photo, a natural gas well pad sits in front of the Roan Plateau near Rifle. (AP file | David Zalubowski)

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• Dec 14:
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• Dec 13:
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• Dec 9:
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• Dec 8:
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• Dec 7:
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• Dec 6:
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Colorado today adopted the nation's toughest rule requiring oil and gas drillers to disclose all the chemicals used in the fracking fluids they pump down wells.

"This will likely become a model for other states," said Gov. John Hickenlooper.

The Colorado rule requires great detail than other states on the ingredients and their concentrations in the frack fluid, said Mike Freeman, an attorney for the environmental law group Earthjustice.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Commission unanimously adopted the rule after last-minute negotiations among environmental groups, industry and state regulators.

While the rule was designed to address citizen concerns about fracking, Hickenlooper said, "I don't think you'll ever allay all the concerns of all the people."

Fracking fluid is pumped down a well under high pressure to fracture rock and release oil and gas.

About 90 percent of the wells in the U.S. have been fracked, but the fluids and the process have become controversial over concerns that they threaten groundwater.

Eleven states have adopted or are working on fracking fluid disclosure rules, said Mike Paque, executive director of the Groundwater Protection Council, an association of state water agencies.

"Each state handles it a little differently," Paque said.

New Mexico, for example, only requires that chemicals identified by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as hazardous in the workplace, be listed.

"We know that is about half the chemicals in fracking fluid, so we are doubling the number of chemicals" to be disclosed, said David Neslin, the commission's executive director.

Other states, such as Wyoming and Arkansas, require all chemicals be listed, but do not require revealing the concentrations of the ingredients.

"Colorado is cutting edge," Paque said.

The oil and gas industry had opposed the requirement in the Colorado rule calling for the disclosure of chemical concentrations

Companies were worried competitors could reverse engineer proprietary products.

"We think that under these rules reverse engineering won't be possible," said Rick Grisinger a senior vice president of oil services company Halliburton.

"We are ready to comply with the rules," Grisinger said.

Representatives of the oil and gas industry and environmental groups worked through the day Monday to reach a compromise on chemical concentrations and protecting trade secrets.

"This shows what can be accomplished when industry, environmentalists and regulators come together," said Tisha Schuller, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, a trade group.

"Colorado has the most comprehensive fracking fluid disclosure rule in the county," Schuller said. "Everyone supports it."

The compromise on the chemical concentrations was that the chemicals and concentrations would be listed separately from the descriptions of the products in the frack fluid.

This would make it difficult to know which chemicals go in which products.

Environmental groups had opposed allowing the industry to declare any chemical a trade secret that would not have to be disclosed.

Under the compromise, companies would have to file a form with the oil and gas commission explaining why it is a trade secret.

Even with that, the chemical family of the proprietary chemical must be listed, according to the new rule.

The disclosure forms will have to be filed within 60 days of completing a frack job withFracFocus.org, an independent Internet database available to the public.

"The people of Colorado have really secured a win in overtime," said commission chairman Thomas Compton

Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 orMJaffe@denverpost.com

Colorado Energy News

Boulder solar developer juwi solar Inc. has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Salt River Project (SRP) in Arizona for 19 megawatts of photovoltaic energy from a facility to be built in the Phoenix suburb of Queen Creek. 

Posted by Ann Rascalli

SRP will purchase all of the solar energy produced at the Queen Creek power plant, which is expected to be online by the end of 2012.

The plant will utilize approximately 90,000 photovoltaic modules mounted on a single-axis tracking system that follows the sun.  The solar power generated by the project will offset approximately 21,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year, the equivalent of taking approximately 4,100 cars off the road. The plant will require about 140 acres of land and will create approximately 150 jobs during the construction of the project.

The Queen Creek plant, which will produce an amount of energy equal to that needed to serve about 3,300 SRP customers’ homes, will require minimal water use and supports development of the solar energy industry within Arizona.  The agreement was made in response to a request for proposals and was the lowest cost solar option available.

“Not only are we adding another renewable-energy resource to our sustainable portfolio to serve the needs of our customers, we are purchasing that energy from a solar plant located in Arizona – which also benefits our economy,” said SRP General Manager Mark Bonsall.

What's Happening from Environmental Building News

By Evan Dick

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced on December 7, 2011 that, for the first time in its history, the cumulative square footage of buildings certified under its LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) program is greater than LEED-certified new construction. LEED-EBOM certification has risen rapidly since 2008, according to USGBC.

“The U.S. is home to more than 60 billion square feet of existing commercial buildings, and we know that most of those buildings are energy guzzlers and water sieves,” said USGBC president Rick Fedrizzi, noting the importance of the uptake of LEED-EBOM. “Making these existing buildings energy- and water-efficient has an enormous positive impact on the building's cost of operations. And the indoor air quality improvements that go with less toxic cleaning solutions and better filtration create healthier places to live, work, and learn.”

Recent high-profile green retrofits, including the newly LEED-certified Empire State Building in New York (see Empire State Building Achieves LEED Gold for Operations, EBN Oct. 2011), and Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco underscore an industry-wide recognition that greening building operations and maintenance can also lead to greener pocketbooks.

Energy modeling for the LEED Gold Empire State Building retrofit predicts $4.4 million in annual energy cost savings. A co-generation plant at the LEED Platinum Transamerica Pyramid saves about $700,000 annually. Achieving these cost savings is a driving force in the green commercial retrofit market, which analysts expect will more than triple in size by 2015.

December 9, 2011

IMAGE CREDITS: 

1. Photo: Daniel Schwen 

Denver Post

In this April 22, 2008 file photo, a natural gas well pad sits in front of the Roan Plateau near Rifle. (AP file | David Zalubowski)

What's Happening from Environmental Building News

For more information

Passive House Institute U.S.

New York TImes

By JACKIE CALMES

WASHINGTON undefined President Obama joined former President Bill Clinton on Friday to announce $4 billion in government and private-sector commitments to finance building renovations to make properties energy efficient and to create tens of thousands of jobs in the process.

The two emphasized that no taxpayer money or government risk was involved as they appeared together at a commercial building near the White House, where retrofitting has provided more than 250 jobs and is expected to save the property owner $200,000 a year in utility bills. Instead, special contracts with investors allow upfront costs to be repaid with long-term energy savings.

“I believe as strongly as I can say that this is good business, creates jobs, makes us more energy independent and helps to fight climate change,” Mr. Clinton said. “It’s the nearest thing we’ve got to a free lunch in a tough economy, because all of the savings can be paid back within a reasonable amount of time undefined I mean, all the costs of the construction undefined through lower utility bills.”

Mr. Obama, who spoke with two workers in hard hats behind him, announced that he had directed all federal agencies to make at least $2 billion worth of energy-efficiency upgrades in the next two years. And he said 60 private-sector companies, nonprofit organizations and state and local governments undefined including Best Buy, Walgreens, Alcoa, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., Michigan State University, Cleveland Clinic and Delaware undefined had committed to an additional $2 billion in financing to upgrade properties equivalent to 500 Empire State Buildings.

The financing commitments are in response to the Better Buildings Initiative that Mr. Obama announced in February, when he charged Mr. Clinton and his own advisory jobs council to enlist participants. The idea of the special energy-performance contracts dates to the Bush administration, but Mr. Obama, with his emphasis on green jobs, has sought to expand the effort significantly.

The broad support for the initiative was demonstrated by the presence of Thomas J. Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who has often been at odds with the Obama administration, and Randi Weingarten, who is president of the American Federation of Teachers and represented the A.F.L.-C.I.O. They and other participants in the initiative met privately with Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton.

Mr. Donohue said in a statement, “This is a sure-fire way to create jobs and make our nation’s federal buildings more energy efficient, all without using a penny of taxpayer money.”

The initiative does not require legislation, and the White House promoted Mr. Obama’s directive to government agencies as part of his We Can’t Wait effort, which showcases executive actions that Mr. Obama takes to spur job creation despite Congressional Republicans’ obstruction of his $447 billion jobs plan and other legislation.

Mr. Obama said Congress should sweeten tax incentives for institutions that undertake energy-efficiency projects. Then he segued to what has become a mantra: “But we can’t wait for Congress to act. And if they won’t act, I will.”

After he and Mr. Clinton spoke, a reporter shouted to the former president, “Do you have any advice to President Obama about the economy?”

“Oh, he gives me advice all the time,” Mr. Obama interjected, to laughter.

Last month Mr. Clinton released a whole book of economic policy prescriptions, “Back to Work,” and White House advisers were not laughing, given the book’s implicit, if unintended, rebuke to the current occupant of the White House.

But Mr. Clinton stepped back to the microphone to praise Mr. Obama. “He did something that only a president can do: he got all these people together. And then to have the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the A.F.T. and others sort of lead the way, and saying, ‘We will put our members’ pensions into this because we can get a good return, it’s a stable return; we’ll put our current members to work and other working people to work.’ ” He added, “This is a big deal.”

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