THE SKINNY
Let’s be real here. I’m “certified.” Lots of people are certified. So what? Who certifies them?
I let some old certifications go because back in the day, for much of my career doing this work, a certain kind of “certification” was required. Then I moved to Hawai’i and the Building Performance Institute, who used to manage my certifications, has no presence here. When I moved to the islands in 2017, there were three BPI-certified practitioners here. Now there are none.
I was the last one in Hawai’i to let my certifications expire. Continuing to pay BPI would increase my costs and if my costs go up, your costs go up. There’s already enough of a Paradise Tax, living here, without having to add a Continental Tax on top of that.
You’re probably here because you’re shopping for someone. You need an energy audit, or some insulation, or your air conditioner can’t keep up even though it’s working fine, or your electricity bill is high, or you have questions, or you’re sneezing a lot and don’t know why, and you don’t know who to call.
Well, you found me. I traded my BPI certifications for a contractor’s license. The DCCA is a great place to check on the people you hire.
I’m also a Clean Energy Ally registered with Hawai’i Energy.
Does your contractor have what you need?
Here’s a dirty secret: if you call a company, any company, you might get the new hire. Or the salesman. You deserve better.
With Terrawatt, you get me. You get my degree in physics, my decades of experience (I’ve been in more than a thousand houses), my four expired BPI certifications, and my contractor’s license. That might not mean a lot to you. But it means something to me.
The skinny: The Building Performance Institute is the nation’s leading building science accreditation organization. The “house as a system” philosophy looks at a building’s various components (building envelope, attic, basement, combustion equipment, ventilation sources) and the relationship between them to make your house more well-behaved. This approach leads to greater energy efficiency and to buildings that simply work better. A home that has been analyzed and upgraded from a whole-house standpoint is healthier, more comfortable, and more energy efficient. I still follow these principles.
