HEP is a program of certifications (Energy Auditor, Quality Control Inspector, Retrofit Installer, Crew Leader) defined by BPI to standardize and credential professionals in home energy auditing, retrofit, inspection, and quality-control work. HEP certifications are widely recognized. For instance, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) support some of the HEP credentials — which means they’re often eligible for certain federal/state programs, grants, or energy-efficiency incentives.

The purpose of HEP certifications is to ensure that professionals have the knowledge and skills to evaluate a home’s energy performance (efficiency, health, safety), conduct diagnostic and field testing, verify retrofit quality, and produce actionable scopes-of-work to improve home performance.

BPI’s HEP certifications are not intended to replace its established certification paths. Each HEP credential corresponds to a defined job function, including Energy Auditor, Retrofit Installer Technician, Crew Leader, and Quality Control Inspector, and each requires significant prior work experience.

The Energy Auditor (EA) certification is the next step up on the career ladder from Building Analyst (BA). The BA certification verifies that the worker has a foundation in diagnostic and analytical building science needed for a variety of career paths in the home performance industry, while the EA certification is specifically tailored to the job task of energy auditing.

The EA verifies the diagnostic and analytical skills needed to perform an energy audit, and then goes further. Among other things, the EA also verifies, through prerequisites, that the worker has software modeling skills, previous work history in doing energy audits, and can develop a scope of work to implement home performance measures in homes.

Bonus: As of January 1st, 2023, obtaining the Energy Auditor (EA) certification also allows the opportunity to be granted BPI's Building Analyst Technician (BA-T) and Building Analyst Professional (BA-P) for a certification fee. Once you become EA certified, you will receive an email with instructions on how to take advantage of this benefit. The Building Analyst certification is no longer issued to Energy Auditors.

The Air Leakage Control Installer certification focuses on the fundamental skills needed to install materials specifically used to reduce air leakage in a home.

The HEP Retrofit Installer Technician certification is a more advanced credential for experienced technicians who have been in the field. It covers a broader skill set, including the installation of windows, doors, insulation, and air sealing materials, reflecting the wider range of tasks involved in whole-home retrofit work.

Prices are set by BPI Test Centers - please reach out to them directly to determine pricing.

Prerequisites differ for each of the four (4) HEP certifications, but will generally include education, work experience, training, industry certifications and more. All prerequisites must be submitted with the HEP application to HEPcertification@bpi.org at least two weeks prior to taking the certification exam and, once approved, BPI will send approval letter to candidate to provide to the BPI Test Center. 

To view the prerequisites for each HEP certification, please review the respective scheme handbooks. 

For company employees

BPI accepts a signed certificate or a signed letter, on company letterhead, from current and/or past employers documenting work experience. For the applicant's convenience, a standard template letter is included with all four (4) certification applications. Simply print the template on company letterhead, fill out the requested information and have it signed by a supervisor.

For individuals who are self-employed, BPI accepts a letter containing:

• An Employer Identification Number (EIN) or other documentation showing how long your company has been in business.
• Number of jobs completed over the last year, including customer contact information and a brief description of each job (e.g. energy audit, air sealing, insulation). BPI will randomly contact customers to verify information given.
• For those documenting energy audits completed, include documentation showing us PO of blower door and pictures of equipment, along with some completed examples of the reports issued to the customer for the energy audit.

To administer HEP exams, a BPI Test Center must have approved HEP written and field proctors, either on staff or under contract, and must meet the Energy Auditor minimum lab or home requirements. In addition, prop submissions for the Retrofit Installer Technician and Crew Leader exams must be pre-approved.

For full details on test site requirements for each designation, please refer to Section 7 of the BPI Test Center Policies and Procedures.

To proctor a HEP field exam, individuals must first hold the corresponding HEP certification. Proctors who have not previously administered HEP field exams are also required to attend a mandatory orientation webinar before they can be approved to conduct these exams.

BPI Test Centers or Proctors must submit labeled photos or video showing that all miminum requirements for system or prop criteria for each HEP designation have been met. Once the materials are reviewed and approved, the Test Center will receive a site approval notice and ID number to use on all testing forms. Prop plans and minimum system criteria are available in the Test Center and Proctor accounts.

All photos or videos must be submitted at least two weeks prior to administering any HEP field exam to allow time for review and approval. Online exams may be administered by any BPI-approved online proctor and do not require site approval.

For submissions or questions, contact testcenter@bpi.org.