In order to become a certified home energy auditor under the Building Performance Institute (BPI) technical guidelines, you must pass a series of BPI Certification exams administered by an approved BPI Test Center, such as Everblue.

• For the BPI Building Analyst Certification – a written exam and a field exam
• For the BPI Envelope Professional Certification – a written exam and a field exam
• For the BPI Infiltration & Duct Leakage Certification – a field exam ONLY

For more information about BPI Certification and the designations available to pursue, take a moment to review our BPI Energy Auditor Overview series.

Some home performance professionals may see it necessary to their business to earn multiple BPI certifications. This is perfectly acceptable to do. Several of BPI’s designations share the same building science principles, with only a few degrees of variance. It’s wise for contractors considering this path to bundle certifications, since the classroom theory training is the same. However, note that bundling training does not mean that you can bundle exams. The certification exams for each designation are unique and separate. Therefore, if a candidate pursues BPI Building Analyst and BPI Infiltration & Duct Leakage, he/she would take one written exam and two field exams. Then, he/she would walk away with two unique BPI credentials.

Now let’s take a deeper dive into what the testing process looks like.

When do candidates take their BPI Certification exams?

Because Everblue is an approved BPI Test Center, we are able to administer the written and field certification exams at the conclusion of our training courses. Therefore, our course fees include the cost of both exams.

Candidates participate in classroom knowledge and field training throughout most of the week; then, on the last two days of class, our staff proctors the written exam in a group setting at our training venue and schedules one-on-one appointments with each course participant for his/her field exam the following day.

How are the BPI Certification exams formatted?

Written Exam

The so-called “written” exam is actually taken on a computer. The exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions. Candidates are given 2 hours to complete the exam and must score at least a 70% or higher to pass this portion.

Passing the written exam alone does not mean that a candidate has earned BPI certification. Candidates must pass both exams for their desired credential.

What to Bring:

• A wireless, Internet-ready laptop (PC or Mac)
• BPI Technical Standards
• A non-graphing calculator

Since this is an important exam, we do not advise candidates to bring tablets or mobile devices as their testing platform.

Field Exam

The field exams take place at a real house, so candidates can experience the true nature of offering a home energy audit. Everblue will provide all diagnostic equipment for the field exam.

Candidates are given 2 hours per credential (1.5 for BPI IDL) to demonstrate their competency with the home energy auditing process. This time is one-on-one with the proctor. Per BPI’s field testing procedure, the proctor is required to videotape the field exam for quality assurance purposes. The proctor will also take the candidate’s photo (which will later be used on the individual’s BPI ID card).

Candidates are expected to walk through and narrate all stages of the energy audit process. The proctor cannot provide any feedback during or after the exam. The proctor’s role is to record a candidate’s actions on a checklist that will be sent to BPI for review.

BPI will make the final determination of whether to award certification. These results may take a few weeks. Candidates can log into their BPI candidate portal to review their results. BPI will mail out an official certificate, patch, ID card, and award letter to those who have satisfactorily met the written and field exam requirements.

An individual must score a 70% or higher on the field exam to pass. Please note: candidates must score at least an 85% or higher on the combustion safety portion alone.

What to Bring:

• BPI Technical Standards
• A prepared and positive attitude!

Candidate Tips & Best Practices

Written Exam

Your proctor will set you up in the BPI testing portal. You should take note of your BPI Candidate ID number at this time, as you may need to refer to it later.

Field Exam

At Everblue, we schedule the one-on-one field exam appointments in order of course registration. In light of this first-come, first-served process, we recommend that candidates allow for one extra day in their travel plans to accommodate for potential overflow of the field testing. We also recommend that candidates register early for best chances of an earlier field exam slot.

For more information about the BPI Certification testing process, please give us a call at (800) 460-2575.

If you’re ready to enroll in BPI training, browse through the BPI Energy Auditor Courses we have available. You can register online or by phone!