ASHRAE certifications recognized by DOE as meeting Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines

Two ASHRAE certification programs, the Building Commissioning Professional (BCxP) and Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP), have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as meeting the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines.

The certifications achieved DOE recognition for aligning with Better Buildings Workforce specifications for the building commissioning professional and energy auditor jobs, and for being ANSI-Accredited Personnel Certification Programs under ISO/IEC 17024 – Accreditation #1139. Of the six programs DOE has recognized for aligning with Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines to date, two are ASHRAE certifications.

“DOE recognition of these two ASHRAE certification programs positions the employers of BCxPs and BEAPs to compete for federal, state and local government body contracts calling for the services provided by these certified professionals,” says ASHRAE Certification Committee Chair Cameron R. Labunski, P.E., CPMP, HBDP, HFDP.

The ASHRAE Building Commissioning Professional (BCxP) certification is for individuals who lead, plan, coordinate and manage a commissioning team to implement commissioning processes in new and existing buildings. The ASHRAE Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP) certification is for individuals who assess building systems and site conditions, analyze and evaluate equipment and energy usage and recommend strategies to optimize building resource utilization.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.