SkillCat Brings Building Science Certification to HVAC Technicians
Key Facts
- The course is approximately six hours long and available on iOS and Android devices, making it accessible for busy professionals.
- Participants can take a 100-question exam for $120 after completing the course to earn the BPI Building Science Principles Certificate.
- The certification provides six BPI Continuing Education Units and serves as a prerequisite for the Building Analyst Technician certification.
SAN FRANCISCO — SkillCat has partnered with the Building Performance Institute (BPI) to offer the BPI Building Science Principles (BSP) Certificate through the SkillCat app.
The training is available on iOS and Android for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, insulation, and weatherization professionals. It focuses on how homes function as complete systems.
The approximately six-hour, self-paced course covers house-as-a-system concepts, building science fundamentals, construction basics, indoor air quality, occupant health and safety, and energy efficiency improvements.
The course also addresses the relationship between HVAC systems, insulation, ventilation, and the building envelope.
Students can take a 100-question BPI certification exam after completing the course. The exam costs $120.
“Building science and healthy homes are one of the fastest growing areas in this industry, and it was a real gap on SkillCat,” said Brendan Arsenault, head of partnerships at SkillCat. “Now the BPI Building Science Principles certification sits right in the app alongside everything else we offer.”
Arsenault said the partnership gives contractors another option for upskilling their teams and expanding into home performance services.
Amanda Hatherly, CEO of the Building Performance Institute, said the partnership will expand access to foundational building science education for skilled trades professionals.
The BPI Building Science Principles training is included with a SkillCat subscription. After completing the course, users can choose to take the certification exam.
Professionals who pass the exam earn the BPI Building Science Principles Certificate. The certificate does not expire and provides six BPI Continuing Education Units for BPI Certified Professionals.
The certificate also serves as a prerequisite for the Building Analyst Technician certification.
For contractors, the training provides an opportunity to develop technicians’ understanding of whole-home performance. SkillCat said that knowledge can help technicians identify performance issues, energy improvement opportunities and issues that involve multiple trades.