Why Choose CBPCA for Home Performance and HERS Training?

The CBPCA introduced building science and home performance contracting to California almost a decade ago. Now, it seems, home performance has become a movement and many providers of training have developed programs in home performance and HERS rating. So, why should you choose CBPCA?

To begin with, the CBPCA is unique among California training organizations having achieved the following distinctions:

• The CBPCA was the second company in the whole country to be approved as a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® partner. No other training providers in California have achieved this distinction.
• The CBPCA is the only home performance training organization on the California Energy Commission’s list of Preferred Providers.
• The CBPCA is one of only three HERS Providers in California that can provide California State Certifications for the five levels of energy professionals described by the California Energy Commission including Field Verification and Diagnostic Testing Rater, Whole-House Home Energy Rater (HERS II) and Building Performance Contractor. Most other training organizations cannot provide state certifications to their graduates.
• The CBPCA is the only training organization that has collaborated on home performance training for many years with all major California utility companies such as Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

While such recognition as described above is welcome, we believe that our core values and our mission are what really set us apart from the other training programs that have sprouted up in the last few years. The founders of the CBPCA saw the whole-house systems approach to energy efficient building as the most cost-effective way to reduce energy needs in California while improving the safety and comfort of the state’s homeowners.

Our mission is to train a new generation of building professionals to be not only qualified technicians, but to understand the need and the value of promoting true and lasting energy conservation in our state. This is why all of our classes go beyond the simple state-mandated curriculums and teach theory as well as practice.

Your Success is Our Goal

When CBPCA provides home performance training, we see it as the start of a long, successful partnership between us and the contractors who train with us. The mentoring, information resources, and business guidance we offer beyond the training period supports your ability to get clients, conduct pre-testing, manage whole-house retrofits, and perform post-retrofit testing to quantify energy savings. Ongoing training and seminars help you expand your business, tap into stimulus funding, and get key advice from other contractors in the field.

Financial Assistance to Students

CBPCA is qualified as a training organization with the EDD.  See our Tuition Assistance to find out if you qualify for financial assistance.

Training from Experts Throughout California

CBPCA has conducted classes since 1992. We have trained over 1000 people including most of the home performance contractors working in California today. We’ve earned our reputation through an insistence on high-quality classroom and field training from experts active in the building performance industry—contractors who encounter the same issues as their students. As a result, they know the latest materials and techniques to use to deliver successful home performance projects.

The Curriculum

Our proven curriculum, fine-tuned over many years of training, is the only one designed to address the 16 climate zones of California, which helps to ensure you’ll be able to address whatever home performance issues you encounter, no matter the climate. And CBPCA courses are designed for working professionals, to provide the most comprehensive information in a timeframe that gets you back on the job using your new skills as quickly as possible.

The CBPCA’s Building Science Academy offers both basic and advanced trainings. Our foundation home performance contracting course is Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. This 9-day, three-level intensive training series teaches whole-house energy efficiency and building performance testing, evaluation, and contracting with homeowners. Upon completion, participants have the knowledge necessary to upgrade existing homes to improve their comfort, safety, health, durability, and energy efficiency. Other basic courses include:

• Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Business Development.
• Business Opportunities in the Emerging Building Performance Industry
• Energy-Wise Renovation of Foreclosed Properties – Learn how to Renovate Foreclosed Homes for Fun and Profit and Save the Planet at the same time!
• Basic HERS Rating

For those contractors already acquainted with the basics and ready to build on those skills, we also offer advanced courses including the following:

• Building Performance Institute (BPI) Certification in California
• BPI Field Mentoring
• Basic Home Performance Assessment
• Advanced Home Performance Assessment
• Field Training
• Private Field Training and BPI Proctoring

Continuing education credits are available for advanced training courses.

Sponsorship Programs

Our sponsorship program makes it possible for groups and organizations around the state to bring premium training opportunities to their communities. Our strategic partners can help organize training classes and share in the proceeds or reduce the cost to their students.

Stimulus Partners

As stimulus programs begin to emerge throughout California’s cities and counties, many of those projects will address home performance issues specific to that area. The CBPCA can design training programs to meet the needs of stimulus partners, and can design and provide individualized training as well.

Our commitment to Our Students

We believe that our job goes beyond just providing training to satisfy specific job requirements. Our job is to help our students and our members build long lasting careers and become leaders in twenty-first century construction industry. To this end, we promise not only the most comprehensive and valuable home performance and HERS training available in California today, but an enduring commitment to our students as members of the CBPCA and to their future careers.