The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) reached 25,000 active certifications, more than tripling its total number of professional certifications in the home performance and weatherization workforce in just 18 months.

"Reaching this milestone signifies the strong demand for nationally recognized professional credentials in the home performance and broader remodeling workforce," said David Hepinstall, Chairman of BPI. "Across the energy efficiency retrofit industry, energy auditors, HVAC technicians, insulation installers, remodelers, general contractors and many others in residential construction are responding to the need for top quality standards to guide their work in energy retrofits." Nowhere has the growth in certifications been faster than in western states, led by California which achieved 2,000 certifications this week, up 241% since this time last year.

BPI is also currently pursuing accreditation to ISO 17024 through its formal application to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This stringent review and audit by ANSI will entail a complete assessment of the BPI personnel certification process, measuring it against international standards for organizations that provide personnel certifications.

Record numbers of BPI certified personnel have led to rapid expansion in the number of contracting companies earning BPI Accredited Contractor status. In the past 18 months this number has more than doubled to 700 companies. This elite group of firms has taken the extra step in home performance contracting. They've made a commitment to offer their clients solutions based on house-as-a-system building science, backed by BPI's third-party quality assurance program and BPI-certified technicians.

www.bpi.org