Online Energy Auditor Certification Training Course
  • HOME
  • PRACTICE EXAMS
    • BPI PRACTICE EXAMS
    • FREE BPI EXAM QUESTIONS
    • HERS PRACTICE EXAMS
  • NEWBIES
    • WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
    • HOW DO I DO...?
    • HOW TO CHOOSE A BPI TRAINING CENTER
    • STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
  • STUDY GUIDES
    • 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
    • HELP, I HATE MATH!
    • AUDITOR TO CREW COMMUNICATION
    • COMMON AUDITOR / CREW MISTAKES
    • RUN LIKE HELL
    • CONTACT
  • AFTER THE EXAM
    • START A HOME PERFORMANCE BUSINESS
    • FREE ENERGY AUDITOR MINI COURSE
    • RESOURCES
  • NEWSLETTER
  • BLOG

Passing the BPI Exam With Energy Auditor Training

FREE BPI PRACTICE EXAM

Picture

PUT YOUR HOME PERFORMANCE BUSINESS ON ROCKET FUEL

Picture

ENERGY AUDITOR NEWSLETTER

Get the only Energy Auditor Marketing Newsletter with monthly strategies and tactics to grow your home performance business.

BPI Written Exam - Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals

2. Carbon Monoxide (CO) Testing of Combustion Appliances

Carbon monoxide is always measured under worst-case conditions first, then if the draft/spillage/CO limits are above BPI standards, measure CO again under natural conditions (with all the fans off).

Carbon monoxide needs to be measured from all gas appliances including the:

  1. Furnace - if power vented and/or there is no throat to measure undiluted CO, MEASURE CO AT THE FLUE TERMINAL (on the roof or side of the house) by turning the appliance on and getting a measurement
  2. Water heater
  3. Oven

If the appliance is atmospherically vented, you can measure undiluted CO right in the throat of the flue.
Picture
Picture

CO testing for an atmospherically furnace and water heater

You will find more atmospherically vented water heaters than furnaces, but you may run into one every 100 audits or so.  The order of your CO test for an atmospherically vented furnace (old ones) and atmospherically vented water heater goes like this:

  1. Check the appliance for signs of flame rollout, used matches, flammables and hazards around the area
  2. Inspect the flue that there are no more than 2 x 45 degree bends and no horizontal flue pipes IF ATMOSPHERICALLY VENTED. If power vented, horizontal pipes are OK.
  3. Check that the flue pipe and diverter plate are connected and secure (a solid jiggle will do)
  4. Put the house under worst case conditions
  5. Get a CAZ reading for each combustion appliance in its own CAZ
  6. If furnace and water heater are in the same room or jointly vented,  start by testing the smallest BTU rated appliance first.
  7. If two furnaces are in the same room or jointly vented, start with the smallest BTU rated furnace first.
  8. Drill a hole 1-2 feet above the diverter for draft test and rest the pitot tube inside for a quick reading
  9. Turn the appliance on. For a water heater turn it on by cranking up the temperature setting (use a Sharpe to mark where it was first at).  For a furnace, just turn up the thermostat so it kicks on and stays on.
  10. Perform a draft and smoke test (together and within the first minute of appliance start-up)
  11. Let your appliance come to a stead state and check the flame color for a nice blue color and as little orange as possible.  Blue color indicates a clean burn, orange color indicates there is not enough oxygen for combustion
  12. Take a CO reading once at steady state.  For a water heater, you will get 2 CO readings, one on each side of the diverter
  13. If both the draft/spillage test and the CO test pass BPI standards...
  14. Turn the appliance off and set the temperature at the thermostat or WH back to its original setting
  15. If both the draft/spillage test and the CO test DO NOT PASS BPI standards...
  16. Take the house out of worst case and test the appliance under natural conditions

CO testing for a power vented furnace or water heater

A power vented furnace or water heater will have a small fan you can identify to push the CO and combustion gases out of the flue.  There is no smoke or draft tests on these appliances because there is no diverter... the appliance does not use the ambient air to help carry combustion gases outside, it forces the combustion gases outside.  

You can still do a CO test on a power vented appliance, but it is at the flue terminal.  In Arizona, energy auditors do not have to risk going on the roof of a two story home or potentially crack a tiled roof house to get a CO reading. However, if the flue terminal is on a flat or shingled roof or on a side wall, a CO reading is expected.  

Here are the steps for a power vented appliance:

  1. Check the appliance for signs of flame rollout, used matches, flammables and hazards around the area
  2. Inspect the flue that there are no more than 2 x 45 degree bends and no horizontal flue pipes IF ATMOSPHERICALLY VENTED. If power vented, horizontal pipes are OK.
  3. Check that the flue pipe and diverter plate are connected and secure (a solid jiggle will do)
  4. Put the house under worst case conditions
  5. Get a CAZ reading for each combustion appliance in its own CAZ
  6. Turn the appliance on. For a water heater turn it on by cranking up the temperature setting (use a Sharpe to mark where it was first at).  For a furnace, just turn up the thermostat so it kicks on and stays on.
  7. Let your appliance come to a stead state and check the flame color for a nice blue color and as little orange as possible.  Blue color indicates a clean burn, orange color indicates there is not enough oxygen for combustion
  8. Take a CO reading once at steady state at the flue terminal.
  9. If the CO test passes BPI standards...
  10. Turn the appliance off and set the temperature at the thermostat or WH back to its original setting
  11. If the CO test DO NOT PASS BPI standards...
  12. Take the house out of worst case and test the appliance under natural conditions

CO testing for an oven

Kitchens are not required to have an exhaust fan so don't be alarmed if your microwave does not exhaust outside when you open the cabinet.  

  1. Follow steps 1-5 for CO testing for a fan assisted appliance
  2. Remove pots, pans and whatever else is in and in the drawer under the oven
  3. Turn the oven on and set to 500 degrees
  4. It will take 10-15 minutes for it to ready a steady state
  5. Make sure you monitor the ambient CO reading close to the oven.  Why?  Because 7 out of 10 times I have found CO readings go well above 100 ppm CO JUST WHILE REACHING STEADY STATE.  When the appliance starts to heat up, it burns CO much cleaner and the CO levels have always done way down to 3 to 20 ppm.  
  6. Once the oven reaches 500 degrees, it will beep and is a steady state
  7. Take 2 or 3 (depending on how many access points there are) CO readings in the throat of the oven
  8. Turn off the oven, let it cool and replace the pots and pans

If you get a high CO reading

  1. Check and adjust the oxygen intake to let more O2 in by raising the feet of an oven or removing restrictions around the appliance
  2. Check the flue terminal to see if it is blocked or clogged inside the line.  Sometimes one CO reading will be higher than another for a water heater, this may be caused by blockage
  3. Calculate the room size requirements from the BTU input of the appliance (see next section on sizing)

Next Section

1a. Basic terms and definitions
  1. Understand airflow in buildings / ducts: CFM, CFM50, CFM25, ACHn, ACH50, FPM
  2. Understand equipment efficiencies: AFUE, SSE, SEER, EER, HSPF
  3. Understand power and energy: watts, BTU/hr, ton of refrigeration  watt-hours, BTU, therm, decatherm
  4. Understand effective leakage area
  5. Understand area weighted R-Value
  6. Understand baseload / seasonal energy use
  7. Understand driving forces (including natural and mechanical: Pressure, temperature, moisture differential
  8. Understand behavior of radiation: emissivity, reflectivity, absorbtivity
  9. Understand thermal resistance / transmittance: R and U Values; including conversions
  10. Understand latent / Sensible heat: evaporation, condensation / specific heat, heat capacity
  11. Understand total equivalent length
  12. Understand basics of dehumidification / Humidification as well as measurement equipment
  13. Understand and convert Pressure units: Inches of Water Column (iwc), Pascal (Pa)
  14. Understand, identify thermal bridges
  15. Understand pressure boundary 
  16. Understand/define stack effect 
  17. Understand and define exfiltration and infiltration 
  18. Natural / mechanical ventilation 
  19. Understand net free area 
  20. Understand input / output capacity 
  21. Understand peak electrical demand 
  22. Understand permeability and perm rating 
  23. Understand standby loss 
  24. IAQ (indoor air quality): moisture, CO, dust
1b. Principals of energy, air & moisture
  1. Thermodynamics: conduction, convection, radiation, ΔT including air movement due to temperature gradients
  2. Factors that affect insulation performance: density, installation, moisture
  3. House pressurization/depressurization by various forces
  4. Heat gain / loss: internal, solar, heat transmission, air leakage 
  5. Power and energy: BTU content of fuels, capacity of combustion appliances and electrical appliances 
  6. Moisture transport mechanisms: bulk water, air leakage, diffusion, capillary action 
  7. Identify areas of highest relative humidity 
  8. Principles of combustion: combustion analysis, CO 
1c. Combustion science
  1. Combustion analysis: oxygen, flue-gas temperature, carbon monoxide 
  2. Carbon Monoxide (CO) testing of combustion appliances 
  3. Basics of: Combustion appliance venting, draft, and combustion air including identification of proper sizing/vent tables 
  4. Understand combustion safety issues: Combustion air, draft, worst case / baseline depressurization, spillage, backdrafting, unvented combustion appliances 
Copyright 2021 Building Science Training Center LLC
For Trainers - License BPI Course Material & Slides
Terms and Conditions