BPI Certified Building Analyst: As a certified BPI (Building Performance Institute) Building Analyst, I have had training in BPI's rigorous house-as-a-system approach and kept conscientiously up-to-date on certification (BPI requires Building Analysts to be re-certified every three years). As a BPI Building Analyst I am certified to conduct blower-door tests, combustion appliance inspection and repair, air quality testing including carbon monoxide detection, duct testing and airflow testing in addition to my other contracting services. For more information about BPI's standards, take a look at their Technical Standards for Building Analysts (PDF).
BPI Certified Envelope Professional: Additional BPI training in building science allows me to go beyond a traditional energy audit to perform comprehensive, whole-home assessments, identify problems at the root cause and prescribe and prioritize solutions.
Qualified to inspect and test a home for the purposes of evaluating each of the minimum rated features established by RESNET. After a thorough inspection and testing of the home, the data is entered into software to identify the level of energy efficiency of the home, which is expressed as a value on the HERS Index. The goal is to provide a measurement that identifies the energy efficiency of a home, with a view to meeting ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. For new homes, this means an initial determination can be made from the plans, and final testing measures whether intended goals were achieved, or points to areas of weakness. For retrofits, the initial testing sets the existing energy use benchmark, and a test-out after improvements have been made reveals the results. The HERS index is the reference for the testing, and allows a home to be compared to similar homes. The lower the index number, the more energy efficient the home is, potentially all the way to net zero!
What is Home Performance?
When you buy a car, you expect good gas mileage with low upkeep, safe handling, and comfort inside. In other words, respectable performance. Why would you have any other expectations for a house? The ability of your home to deliver comfort, health, and affordability is what a Home Performance Assessment is all about. Is the home functioning at its optimum? Or are there deficiencies and inefficiencies? An assessment can often determine which cost effective items can improve the performance of your home most!
Check out the Home Performance Assessment page and its Learn page for the issues and how your home can be improved!
Are you new to Home Ownership?
Are you new to Home Ownership?
Make sure you look at the suggestions on my Renovationspage; more useful information on my Real Estate Pages; and an excellent read on the Building Science Corporation's website: The Building Science Guide to Home Ownership! See my LINKS page for more.
Of course, feel free to call (718.941.3725) or email me with questions and concerns!
Are you a builder or developer looking to meet new local energy codes or Energy Star?
As an independent third party, I can provide initial and test-out Blower Door and CAZ testing along with Infrared imagery to help make your project a success.
Contact me for more information.