STUDY GUIDES |
How Do I Renew My HERS Rater Certification?As part of BPI's effort to make sure you stay current and up-to-date with BPI Standards and practices, BPI requires that every 3 years you re-certify in order to keep your licence current.
There are three ways to do this each requires you take either a written or field exam no more than 6 months before your certification expires. You should receive email reminders from BPI (hopefully you gave them your best email or don't delete it) when your BPI Certification expires. Here are the three ways to renew.
If you miss your re-certification date, you just need to go through the application process again and take the written and field exam as you did the first time. This is no different than if you did #1 above, only the application is different for the BPI Test Center and Proctors. Where Can I Obtain BPI CEU's?Usually nationally or local conferences are the best and quickest way for you to compile a bunch of CEU's at one time. The ACI National and Local Conferences as well as the annual RESNET Conference make it easy for attendees to get their CEU's by just signing in to the sessions you attend. Basically two of these conferences within your three year re-certification period will get you to the 30 CEU's. In my opinion if you are planning of making a career in home performance whether directly or indirectly through another trade, these conferences are worth their cost. The sessions are great material for blogs if you like writing and the networking, stories shared and lessons learned at the bar after the conference is the best.
You can also find a national directory of BPI CEU providers but you will have to go through the list or be familiar with local BPI Training Companies in your area because the list is not segregated to location. You can view and print the direction of CEU providers below.
Where Do I Submit My BPI CEU's?BPI has specific guidelines on how to submit your CEU's for acceptance below.
Requirements for Submitting Courses for CEU’s
Once BPI reviews and accepts your application for CEU's, you will receive an email notification from BPI letting you know that your CEU's have been updated. How Do I Check How Many CEU's I Have?You can login to your BPI Portal and check your CEU status and when you're up for re-certification at the BPI link below.
https://bpicandidate.rsmhosting.com/ Where Can I Take My Exams To Re-certify?Any Certified BPI Testing Center can administer the BPI Written Exam and Field Exam. You can find a Test Center in your area by entering your State in this searchable database.
What Is On The BPI Re-Certification Exam? |
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- HERS PRACTICE EXAMS
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STUDY GUIDES
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HERS RATER WRITTEN EXAM
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Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals
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1a. Basic Terms & Definitions
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- 1. Airflow in Buildings
- 2. Equipment Efficiencies
- 3. Power and Energy
- 4. Effective Leakage Area
- 5. Area Weighted R-Value
- 6. Baseload / Seasonal Energy Use
- 7. Driving Forces (Including Natural and Mechanical)
- 8. Behavior of Radiation
- 9. Thermal Resistance / Transmittance: R and U Values
- 10. Latent / Sensible Heat
- 11. Total Equivalent Length
- 12. Dehumidification / Humidification
- 13. Convert Pressure Units
- 14. Thermal Bridges
- 15. Pressure Boundary
- 16. Stack Effect
- 17. Exfiltration and Infiltration
- 18. Natural / Mechanical Ventilation
- 19. Net Free Area
- 20. Input & Output Capacity
- 21. Peak Electrical Demand
- 22. Permeability and Perm Rating
- 23. Standby Loss
- 24. IAQ (indoor air quality): Moisture, CO, Dust
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1b. Principals of Energy, Air & Moisture Thermodynamics
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- 1. Thermodynamics: Conduction, Convection, Radiation, ΔT
- 2. Factors That Affect Insulation Performance
- 3. House Pressurization/Depressurization by Various Forces
- 4. Heat Gain / Loss
- 5. Power and Energy
- 6. Moisture Transport Mechanisms
- 7. Identify Areas of Highest Relative Humidity
- 8. Principles of Combustion
- 1c. Combustion Safety >
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1a. Basic Terms & Definitions
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Section 2 Buildings and Their Systems
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2a. Building Components
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- 1. Identify basic duct configurations and components
- 2. Identify Basic Hydronic Distribution Configurations and Components
- 3. Identify Basic Structural Components of Residential Construction
- 4. Thermal Boundaries and Insulation Applications
- 5. Basic Electrical Components and Safety Considerations
- 6. Basic Fuel Delivery Systems and Safety Considerations
- 7. Basic bulk water management components (drainage plumbing gutters sumps etc)
- 8. Vapor barriers/retarders
- 9. Radiant Barrier Principles and Installations
- 10. Understand Fenestration Types and Efficiencies
- 11. Understand Issues Involved With Basements, Crawlspaces, Slabs, Attics, Attached Garages, Interstitial Cavities, and Bypasses
- 12. Understand Issues Involved With Ventilation Equipment
- Understand Basic Heating / Cooling Equipment Components Controls and Operation
- Understand Basic DHW Equipment Components Controls and Operation
- Identify Common Mechanical Safety Controls
- Identify Insulation Types and R-Values
- Understand Various Mechanical Ventilation Equipment and Strategies: Spot, ERV, HRV
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Conservation Strategies
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- Appropriate Insulation Applications and Installation Based On Existing Conditions
- Opportunity for ENERGY STAR Lighting and Appliances
- Identify Duct Sealing Opportunities and Applications
- Understand Importance of Air Leakage Control and Remediation Procedures
- Blower Door-Guided Air Sealing Techniques
- Water Conservation Devices and Strategies
- Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Conservation Strategies
- Heating & Cooling Efficiency Applications
- Proper Use of Modeling to Determine Heating and Cooling Equipment Sizing and Appropriate Energy
- Understand the Use of Utility History Analysis in Conservation Strategies
- Appropriate Applications For Sealed Crawlspaces Basements and Attics
- Identify / Understand High Density Cellulose
- Appropriate Applications for Fenestration Upgrades Including Modification or Replacement
- Comprehensive Building Assessment Process >
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Design Considerations
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- Appropriate Insulation Applications Based On Existing Conditions
- Understand Fire Codes as Necessary to Apply Home Performance in a Code-Approved Manner
- Understand / Recognize Building Locations Where Opportunities for Retrofit Materials
- Understand Climate Specific Concerns
- Understand Indoor Environment Considerations for the Environmentally Sensitive
- Understand Impact of Building Orientation, Landscape Drainage, and Grading
- Opportunity Potential Renewable Energy Applications: Geothermal, Photovoltaic, Wind
- Understand Impact of Shading on Heating / Cooling Loads
- Awareness for Solar Gain Reduction / Solar Gain Opportunities
- Understand Need for Modeling Various Options For Efficiency Upgrades
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2a. Building Components
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Measurement & Verification of Building Performance
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Measurement & Verification of Building Performance
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- Air Leakage Test Results
- Understand Building Shell / Envelope Leakage
- Apply Fundamental Construction Mathematics and Unit Conversions
- Calculate Building Tightness Levels (Minimum Ventilation Requirements)
- Calculate Heating Degree Days and Cooling Degree Days
- Identify Proper Appliance and Combustion Appliance Venting
- Ventilation calculations and strategies
- Proper methods for identifying / testing fuel leaks
- Blower door setup, accurate measurement and interpretation of results
- Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ): depressurization, spillage, draft, Carbon Monoxide (ambient and flue)
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) evaluation: ambient
- Proper applications and use of temperature measuring devices
- Pressure pan and room to room pressure diagnostics
- Recognize contributing factors to comfort problems
- Inspect for areas containing moisture or bulk water in undesirable locations
- Understand and inspect for basic electric safety (e.g. frayed wires, open boxes, etc)
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Measurement & Verification of Building Performance
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RESNET HERS RATER National Standards & Project Specifications
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- Understand applicability content and intent of BPI National Standards – Do no harm, make buildings more healthy, comfortable, durable and energy efficient
- Recognize need for a professional local/state/national codes evaluation
- Be able to specify appropriate materials and processes needed for building performance projects
- Analyzing Buildings Systems >
- Conduct and Communications >
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Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals
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- HERS RATER FIELD EXAM >
- BLOWER DOOR TEST >
- RESNET STANDARDS >
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HERS RATER WRITTEN EXAM
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- ESSENTIALS
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