A vital component of the development of an energy efficient, sustainable building stock is the availability of highly skilled professionals to assist in its development. As energy efficient technologies and strategies become more advanced it is imperative to have a workforce that is capable of optimizing these advances to actualize efficiency. The Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines are a national framework designed to facilitate the development of credentialing and certification schemes that are exceptional and nationally recognized as addressing consistency, quality and scalability of the energy workforce. You can learn more on our website.
The Building Commissioning Certification Board (BCCB) recently received ANSI accreditation, as well as recognition by the Department of Energy as being in alignment with the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines for its Certified Commissioning Professional (CCP) credential. Seen as leaders in their field, CCPs are individuals who lead, plan, coordinate and manage commissioning for new and existing buildings. Building commissioning is essential when working towards energy related goals as it manages expectations of building owners, as well as the measurement and verification of operational systems that can have a significant impact on energy consumption. Buildings that are properly commissioned tend to be more efficient and have lower operational and maintenance costs, so contracting an experienced and credentialed certification professional is in an owner’s best interest.
Candidates for BCCB’s Certified Commissioning Professional certification are required to meet certain eligibility requirements, which include both educational and experiential standards, must be willing to abide by BCCB’s Code of Ethics, and must pass a written examination. The CCP certification must also be renewed every three years, necessitating that all credential holders to show continued competence for commissioning and associated tasks through work experience, continued education, and other related professional development activities as required. All of these facets of the CCP certification sets the individuals who acquire it apart from industry peers fitting in well with the Better Buildings Workforce’s goal of improving the performance of the nation’s buildings through a well-trained and qualified workforce.
The Better Buildings Workforce initiative works towards alleviating the confusion and uncertainty in the market by providing a clear set of industry guidelines for credentialing programs to be built upon. Clarity provided through the initiative also allows new and experience professionals to better understand their training and certification options, as well as learn of opportunities to improve their technical skills. Improving the operational performance of the nation’s offices, schools, hospitals, and other commercial buildings will lead to substantial energy savings. As technology in the buildings sector becomes progressively advanced, it will be imperative that a highly skilled and qualified workforce exists in order to properly apply it to efforts related to improving energy efficiency.