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    • BPI WRITTEN EXAM >
      • Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals >
        • 1a. Basic Terms & Definitions >
          • 1. Airflow in Buildings
          • 2. Equipment Efficiencies
          • 3. Power and Energy
          • 4. Effective Leakage Area
          • 5. Area Weighted R-Value
          • 6. Baseload / Seasonal Energy Use
          • 7. Driving Forces (Including Natural and Mechanical)
          • 8. Behavior of Radiation
          • 9. Thermal Resistance / Transmittance: R and U Values
          • 10. Latent / Sensible Heat
          • 11. Total Equivalent Length
          • 12. Dehumidification / Humidification
          • 13. Convert Pressure Units
          • 14. Thermal Bridges
          • 15. Pressure Boundary
          • 16. Stack Effect
          • 17. Exfiltration and Infiltration
          • 18. Natural / Mechanical Ventilation
          • 19. Net Free Area
          • 20. Input & Output Capacity
          • 21. Peak Electrical Demand
          • 22. Permeability and Perm Rating
          • 23. Standby Loss
          • 24. IAQ (indoor air quality): Moisture, CO, Dust
        • 1b. Principals of Energy, Air & Moisture Thermodynamics >
          • 1. Thermodynamics: Conduction, Convection, Radiation, ΔT
          • 2. Factors That Affect Insulation Performance
          • 3. BPI certification online with BPI practice exams and study guides.
          • 4. Heat Gain / Loss
          • 5. Power and Energy
          • 6. Moisture Transport Mechanisms
          • 7. Identify Areas of Highest Relative Humidity
          • 8. Principles of Combustion
        • 1c. Combustion Safety >
          • 1. Combustion Analysis
          • 2. Carbon Monoxide (CO) Testing
          • 3. Combustion Appliance Venting, Draft, Combustion Air & Sizing
          • 4. Understand Combustion Safety Issues
      • Section 2 Buildings and Their Systems >
        • 2a. Building Components >
          • 1. Identify basic duct configurations and components
          • 2. Identify Basic Hydronic Distribution Configurations and Components
          • 3. Identify Basic Structural Components of Residential Construction
          • 4. Thermal Boundaries and Insulation Applications
          • 5. Basic Electrical Components and Safety Considerations
          • 6. Basic Fuel Delivery Systems and Safety Considerations
          • 7. Basic bulk water management components (drainage plumbing gutters sumps etc)
          • 8. Vapor barriers/retarders
          • 9. Radiant Barrier Principles and Installations
          • 10. Understand Fenestration Types and Efficiencies
          • 11. Understand Issues Involved With Basements, Crawlspaces, Slabs, Attics, Attached Garages, Interstitial Cavities, and Bypasses
          • 12. Understand Issues Involved With Ventilation Equipment
          • 13. Understand Basic Heating / Cooling Equipment Components Controls and Operation
          • 14. Understand Basic DHW Equipment Components Controls and Operation
          • 15. Identify Common Mechanical Safety Controls
          • 16. Identify Insulation Types and R-Values
          • 17. Understand Various Mechanical Ventilation Equipment and Strategies: Spot, ERV, HRV
        • 2b. Conservation Strategies >
          • 1. Appropriate Insulation Applications and Installation Based On Existing Conditions
          • 2. Opportunity for ENERGY STAR Lighting and Appliances
          • 3. Identify Duct Sealing Opportunities and Applications
          • 4. Understand Importance of Air Leakage Control and Remediation Procedures
          • 5. Blower Door-Guided Air Sealing Techniques
          • 6. Water Conservation Devices and Strategies
          • 7. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Conservation Strategies
          • 8. Heating & Cooling Efficiency Applications
          • 9. Proper Use of Modeling to Determine Heating and Cooling Equipment Sizing and Appropriate Energy
          • 10. Understand the Use of Utility History Analysis in Conservation Strategies
          • 11. Appropriate Applications For Sealed Crawlspaces Basements and Attics
          • 12. Identify / Understand High Density Cellulose
          • 13. Appropriate Applications for Fenestration Upgrades Including Modification or Replacement
        • 2c. Comprehensive Building Assessment Process >
          • 1. Determine Areas of Customer Complaints / Concerns in Interview
          • 2. Understand / Recognize Need For Conducting Appropriate Diagnostic Procedures
          • 3. Interaction Between Mechanical Systems, Envelope Systems and Occupant Behavior
        • 2d. Design Considerations >
          • 1. Appropriate Insulation Applications Based On Existing Conditions
          • 2. Understand Fire Codes as Necessary to Apply Home Performance in a Code-Approved Manner
          • 3. Understand / Recognize Building Locations Where Opportunities for Retrofit Materials
          • 4. Understand Climate Specific Concerns
          • 5. Understand Indoor Environment Considerations for the Environmentally Sensitive
          • 6. Understand Impact of Building Orientation, Landscape Drainage, and Grading
          • 7. Opportunity Potential Renewable Energy Applications: Geothermal, Photovoltaic, Wind
          • 8. Understand Impact of Shading on Heating / Cooling Loads
          • 9. Awareness for Solar Gain Reduction / Solar Gain Opportunities
          • 10. Understand Need for Modeling Various Options For Efficiency Upgrades
      • Section 3 Measurement & Verification of Building Performance >
        • Section 3a Measurement & Verification of Building Performance >
          • 1. Air Leakage Test Results
          • 2. Understand Building Shell / Envelope Leakage
          • 3. Apply Fundamental Construction Mathematics and Unit Conversions
          • 4. Calculate Building Tightness Levels (Minimum Ventilation Requirements)
          • 5. Calculate Heating Degree Days and Cooling Degree Days
          • 6. Identify Proper Appliance and Combustion Appliance Venting
          • 7. Ventilation calculations and strategies
          • 8. Proper methods for identifying / testing fuel leaks
          • 9. Blower door setup, accurate measurement and interpretation of results
          • 10. Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ): depressurization, spillage, draft, Carbon Monoxide (ambient and flue)
          • 11. Carbon Monoxide (CO) evaluation: ambient
          • 12. Proper applications and use of temperature measuring devices
          • 13. Pressure pan and room to room pressure diagnostics
          • 14. Recognize contributing factors to comfort problems
          • 15. Inspect for areas containing moisture or bulk water in undesirable locations
          • 16. Understand and inspect for basic electric safety (e.g. frayed wires, open boxes, etc)
      • Section 4 BPI National Standards & Project Specifications >
        • 1. Understand applicability content and intent of BPI National Standards – Do no harm, make buildings more healthy, comfortable, durable and energy efficient
        • 2. Recognize need for a professional local/state/national codes evaluation
        • 3. Be able to specify appropriate materials and processes needed for building performance projects
      • Section 5 Analyzing Buildings Systems >
        • 1. Recognize need for air sealing measures and their impact on other building systems
        • 2. Recognize need for mechanical equipment improvements
        • 3. Understand blower door use for identifying critical air sealing areas
        • 4. Apply blower door test results and Building Tightness Limit (minimum ventilation requirements) in development of improvement strategies
        • 5. Using combustion analysis and safety testing results to develop appropriate recommendations
        • 6. Determine appropriate method for assessing wall insulation levels
        • 7. Equipment control strategies for maximizing occupant comfort and minimizing energy consumption
      • Section 6 Conduct and Communications >
        • 6a. Conservation strategies
        • 6b. Personal Safety & Work Practices >
          • 1. Locations in which to identify indoor air quality issues
          • 2. Material Safety Data Sheets
          • 3. Isolation procedures for household pollutants
          • 4. Practice building science within your limits of professional competency
          • 5. Precautions when working around chemical biological and other potential hazards
          • 6. Understand role and responsibilities of the building analyst professional
    • BPI FIELD EXAM >
      • How To Put The House Under Worst Case & CAZ
      • What's What? Pa, CFM, CFM50, CAZ, Draft, Room Pressure
      • What To Know In The Attic
      • What To Know In The House
    • BLOWER DOOR TEST >
      • Manometer Setup
    • BPI BUILDING ANALYST STANDARDS >
      • BPI Standards Decoded
  • ESSENTIALS
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    • COMMON AUDITOR / CREW MISTAKES
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1. BPI Written Exam
2. BPI Field Exam

The main topics of the BPI BA exam are listed out below.  Click on a link that interests you, or you need some brushing up on to learn more on each subject.

1. Building Science Fundamentals
1a. Basic terms and definitions
1b. Principals of energy, air & moisture
1c. Combustion science

2. Buildings and Their Systems
2a. Building components
2b. Conservation strategies
2c. Comprehensive building assessment process
2d. Design considerations

3. Measurement and Verification of Building Performance
3a. Applied diagnostics and troubleshooting

4. BPI National Standards and Project Specifications
4a. Comprehensive building assessment

5. Analyzing Buildings Systems
5a. Comprehensive building assessment
5b. Appliances and lighting

6. Conduct and communications
6a. Conservation strategies

BPI Written Exam - Section 2 Buildings and Their Systems

    1. 16. Identify Insulation Types and R-Values

Insulation is rated by it's R-value, which tells us its ability to resist (slow) heat transfer. It is impossible to stop the transfer heat from a hot or cold attic into the house, but we can slow it down and the higher the R-value, the more effective it is at slowing the transfer of heat down.  The higher the R-value, the better.  Below is BPI's rating for insulation if the manufacturer's R-value rating is not available.  The BPI standard says if the manufacturer's rated R-value is not available, use the chart below.  So for existing homes you would use this table to find the R-value per inch.  If you are blowing new insulation in, you could use the manufacturer's R-rated R-value but I would offer a word of caution.  If you are in a home performance with energy star's program, I would use BPI standards for the R-value.  I think that manufacturer's over-state their product's R-value and you may get in trouble or at least a call back if your Home Performance Program's Administrator calls you on it.  Another helpful hint is if you are ever called out by the Administrator, you need to refer back to your BPI standards and the Department of Energy's Home Performance Installation Guide.  If what they call you for cannot be found in either standard, you are in the clear and you should reference the hell out of it to get your company out of trouble.

Don't forget the U value is the inverse of R-values and R-values are the inverse of U-values.
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Insulation can be grouped into:

  1. Loose fill
  2. Rolled batts
  3. Spray foam

Loose fill insulation is our friend, it is able to get under electrical wire, in cavities and around canned lights with no problem, and therefore (in theory) leaves no misaligned areas.  There are 4 types of loose fill insulation are listed below from most common to least:

  1. Cellulose
  2. Fiberglass
  3. Rock wool
  4. Wood chips (crazy, isn't it)

Just because insulation is old, doesn't mean it has lost its thermal properties or has to be removed.  Only if it is water damaged or rodent infested should it be recommended to be removed.  Some homeowners will prefer it be removed because of allergen sensitivity, superstitions or for whatever reason and that is OK if they willing to pay, but it is not essential.  

Cellulose Insulation 

Cellulose is the greenest type of insulation because it is made from recycled newspaper and cardboard.  It is fire treated with Boron chemicals which is what you taste in your mouth if you have ever blown cellulose without a dust mask on.  Of the loose fill insulation, it has the highest R-value per inch (3.2 R-value per BPI standards). The plus side of cellulose is it's high R-value, ease of installation and inexpensive cost.  The down side of cellulose is that is it more dusty when installed (so your crews need to be more cautious), it becomes ruined if wet, and it settles.  

Loose Fill Fiberglass Insulation

Loose fill fiberglass or blown-in fiberglass insulation is the same fiberglass insulation as the rolled batts (see below), but this is much better because it is ground up and blown in like cellulose.  Loose fill fiberglass is not dusty, you can see where you are blowing in tight areas and it is water resistant BUT it has a lower R-value per inch than cellulose so you need to add more to get to the desired R-value, costing you and your customers more money.  I have also noticed loose fill fiberglass's prices increase from my 3 distributors much more than cellulose (about 2-3 times per year compared to cellulose's' 1 time every 2 years).  Older (1970's) loose fill fiberglass is thicker, and very itchy and dusty.

Rock Wool Insulation

Rock wool is becoming less and less common for new applications but you will likely find it in attics with homes built in the 1970's.  Rock wool is itchy and an irritant, has a lower R-value than cellulose but higher than loose-fill fiberglass.  You can still buy and install rock wool, but you need to make sure your insulation machine can handle the thicker material.  Someones insulation distributors will have deals on rock wool because they can't get rid of it.

Wood Chip Insulation

Believe it or not, using wood chips for insulation is still practiced, but should not be.  Wood chips were sometimes put in attics before cellulose or fiberglass was used, and just after period where no insulation was used in homes at all.  Wood chips are bad because they are a fire hazard, attract termites, and have a low R-value.

Fiberglass Batt Insulation

The R-value of fiberglass is highly dependent on how it was installed.  To achieve the best R-value, the batts should be in continuous contact with the drywall and cut exactly to length.  However, all too often we find they are too long, bunched up, thrown on top of recessed canned lights, falling off or simply laying on top of the studs which reduces the R-value and creates air pockets that can increase convection and heat gain into the home.

Denim Batt Insulation

Denim batt insulation is a green alternative to fiberglass batts. Denim insulation is made from recycled blue jeans and has a high R-value and it is not itchy (yah!).  Denim insulation is ideal for wall insulation because just like fiberglass batts, they are so easy to install wrong and we always have to worry about misaligned insulation when dealing with batts of any kind. 

Spray Foam

Spray foam is a great insulation product because it also serves as an air barrier, so the entire attic becomes conditioned space.  The temperature difference reaches about 20 degrees from the inside of the home in the summer in Phoenix, which is pretty impressive.  Spray foam can be either open cell or closed cell foam. Closed cell spray foam is more dense and does not expand as much as open cell foam, so it is ideal for tight areas like walls or under belly crawlspaces.  Open cell spray foam expands much more than closed cell foam, so it is ideal for attics or places where you don't have to worry about space restrictions.  The down side of spray foam is the cost, about 4 times more expensive than loose fill or batt insulation.

Next Section

2a. Building Components
  1. Identify basic duct configurations and components
  2. Identify basic hydronic distribution configurations and components
  3. Identify basic structural components of residential construction 
  4. Thermal boundaries and insulation applications 
  5. Basic electrical components and safety considerations 
  6. Basic fuel delivery systems and safety considerations
  7. Basic bulk water management components (drainage plumbing gutters sumps etc) 
  8. Vapor barriers/retarders 
  9. Radiant barrier principles and installations 
  10. Understand fenestration types and efficiencies 
  11. Understand issues involved with basements, crawlspaces, slabs, attics, attached garages, interstitial cavities, and bypasses 
  12. Understand issues involved with ventilation equipment 
  13. Understand basic heating / cooling equipment components controls and operation 
  14. Understand basic DHW equipment components controls and operation 
  15. Identify common mechanical safety controls 
  16. Identify insulation types and R-Values 
  17. Understand various mechanical ventilation equipment and strategies: spot, ERV, HRV 
2b. Conservation Strategies
  1. Appropriate insulation applications and installation based on existing conditions 
  2. Opportunity for ENERGY STAR lighting and appliances 
  3. Identify duct sealing opportunities and applications 
  4. Understand importance of air leakage control and remediation procedures 
  5. Blower door-guided air sealing techniques 
  6. Water conservation devices and strategies 
  7. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) conservation strategies 
  8. Heating & cooling efficiency applications 
  9. Proper use of modeling to determine heating and cooling equipment sizing and appropriate energy use
  10. Understand the use of utility history analysis in conservation strategies 
  11. Appropriate applications for sealed crawlspaces basements and attics 
  12. Identify/understand high density cellulose 
  13. Appropriate applications for fenestration upgrades including modification or replacement 
2c. Comprehensive Building Assessment Process
  1. Determine areas of customer complaints/concerns in interview
  2. Understand / recognize need for conducting appropriate diagnostic procedures including when to refer to a specialist for further investigation
  3. Interaction between mechanical systems, envelope systems and occupant behavior
2d. Design considerations
  1. Appropriate insulation applications based on existing conditions
  2. Understand fire codes as necessary to apply home performance in a code-approved manner.
  3. Understand/recognize building locations where opportunities for retrofit materials and processes are needed to correct problems and/or enhance performance
  4. Understand climate specific concerns
  5. Understand indoor environment considerations for the environmentally sensitive
  6. Understand impact of building orientation, landscape drainage, and grading
  7. Opportunity potential renewable energy applications: geothermal , photovoltaic, wind
  8. Understand impact of shading on heating / cooling loads
  9. Awareness for solar gain reduction in cooling climate/solar gain opportunities in heating climates
  10. Understand need for modeling various options for heating, cooling and DHW applications, as well as other efficiency upgrades
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