New to energy auditing? See all the steps of a complete home energy audit in this 90-minute DVD including:
Step-by-step audit walkthrough
Worst case combustion safety testing
Blower door setup and air leakage testing
Indoor air quality inspections
How to Become a Home Energy Auditor
Now is a great time to get involved in the energy efficiency industry. Local and national legislation and proposals like Home Star are providing significant incentives for energy audits and retrofits. This means demand for BPI certified energy auditors and energy retrofit contractors will continue to grow.
Quick Steps to Energy Audit Certification
- Take a training from a Building Performance Institute (BPI) Training Affiliate
- Study for the BPI written and field exams. What to expect on the BPI exam.
- Take the written and field exams with a BPI proctor. Building Science Tech can serve as your proctor.
Thinking about becoming a home energy auditor?
1. Do Your Research
Who's your competition? What local resources are available?
- Regional Home Performance with ENERGY STAR programs promote energy auditors and energy retrofit contractors.
- The DSIRE database includes incentives and rebates related to energy efficiency.
2. Get an Energy Audit
Hire a local energy auditor and watch first hand what they do, both from a technical and a professional standpoint. We recommend doing some research first, like watching our Building Analyst Field Training Video: How to Perform a Home Energy Audit, so that you aren't seeing the tests and the processes for the first time. This way, you can concentrate on more of the nuances of how the energy auditor communicates what they are seeing and doing.
3. Get Trained and Certified
As more people get into the energy audit industry, proving that you are an expert becomes more important. The Building Performance Institute (BPI) is the leading certification and accreditation body for energy auditors. To participate with your local Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, they'll likely require at least BPI Building Analyst certification. Learn more about the BPI exam.
BPI Training
BPI maintains a list of Training Affiliates who offer week long plus trainings ($1,000 - $2,000) both in person and online. Check out our training resources page for more information on training.
Building Science Tech is a BPI Training Affiliate and our Building Analyst Field Training Video: How to Perform a Home Energy Audit is a Recognized Training. It is tailored for students about to take a BPI training or who have already taken one and want to be more comfortable with an energy audit before going to clients' homes. It covers all the equipment set-up and testing procedures, and is organized in sub-chapters so you can easily select the content you need to spend additional time studying. It is an excellent study guide for the BPI certification exam.
4. Get Equipped
The basic energy auditing equipment will cost about $5,000. You'll need:
- A blower door ($2,500 - $4,000)
- Combustion analyzer ($1,200)
- Gas leak detector ($150)
- Ambient CO monitor ($150).
An Infrared Camera ($4,000 +) is good to have as well, especially as a sales tool. Our Building Analyst Field Training Video: How to Perform a Home Energy Audit shows you how to effectively use these tools, as well as a handful of other commonly used items. TruTech Tools has great equipment packages and is a great place to start.
5. Create a Business Plan
Are you going to be doing just audits, or is your company going to be performing some or all of the work yourself?
Answering these questions will help you determine how much to charge for the audit, and how to message your services. Most markets have 2 or 3 successful energy audit only firms - the rest of the energy auditors also are insulation installers, HVAC firms, home inspectors, remodelers, etc. If you are currently in the installation business, learning how to do energy audits shows you know how to diagnose and solve problems, not just install products.
Here's an excellent article on how an HVAC company that got into the energy auditing/home performance contracting business.
6. Become the Expert
Once you become trained and certified, and have all the equipment and infrastructure in place, practice! Perform audits for all of your family and friends. Treat them like real customers, and solicit their feedback on how you present yourself and educate them.
Once you have fine tuned your audit, messaging, and customer report, hit the pavement! Network with local environmental groups, give presentations, and give demonstrations to groups.