Southface Partners with Building Performance Institute

The Southface Energy Institute, a green-building nonprofit in Atlanta, has announced its new role as an affiliate of the Building Performance Institute (BPI), a growing third-party certifier for building-industry professionals. In this role, Southface will offer training as well as field and written exams for contractors and others hoping to become certified BPI Building Analysts. This certification allows a contractor to examine a home under the Home Performance with Energy Star program, managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. BPI also offers certifications for contractors specializing in building envelopes, heating, and air conditioning; the program grew from nine affiliates to 24 in 2007, and hopes to add at least 12 more affiliates in 2008, according to CEO Larry Zarker. More information is available at www.southfacehomeperformance.com and at www.bpi.org.