The Building Performance Institute's (BPI) new standard is designed to establish and define which entities can issue a BPI-2101-compliant certificate that documents the completion of whole-house energy upgrade (HEU) or individual energy conservation measures (ECMs).
The goal of this standard is to provide documentation of a homeowner’s investment in an HEU or ECMs, enhance the status and value of homes that have received an HEU or ECMs, and standardize data about a home’s energy efficient features that is presented to real estate agents, appraisers and underwriters. The energy-efficient features of that home become part of the real estate chain.
Owners of HEU or ECMs homes are issued a certificate that complies with the requirements of the BPI-2101 standard. This certificate is issued by home energy upgrade programs or third-party quality assurance programs.
Anne Evens, CEO of CNT Energy, an organization involved in the development of the standard, says most of the data is already captured by energy-efficiency programs. "Standardizing and communicating this information makes upgrades visible and accessible at the time of a home sale, and encourages homeowners to invest in energy efficiency improvements,” she said in a press release. “This helps efficiency programs meet goals, and benefits the real estate industry, home buyers and sellers, and the environment."
The full name of the standard is BPI-2101-S-2013: Standard Requirements for a Certificate of Completion for Residential Energy Efficiency Upgrades. BPI-2101 is also currently in process to become an American National Standard. Once approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), it will be republished as an ANSI/BPI standard. —Nina Patel is a senior editor at REMODELING. Find her on Twitter at @SilverNina or@RemodelingMag.
