ATLANTA — The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) announced that it is launching a Commissioning Process Management Professional certification program in June at its 2009 Annual Conference in Louisville, Ky.

ASHRAE stated that, just as the commissioning process helps buildings and their systems operate optimally, its newest certification will recognize those with optimal knowledge of the entire building commissioning process. The program is said to be ideal for individuals given a commissioning role who may not have a building HVACR background.

The certification program is designed to help building owners, developers, operators, and others recognize individuals capable of assuring that building systems and equipment are designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained according to their operational needs.

“As the standard setter for sustainable building performance, ASHRAE’s certification program recognizes that people who manage the commissioning process need to have people- and project-management skills in addition to a level of understanding of building design, construction, operations, and maintenance,” said Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president. “This is what distinguishes the commissioning program from other HVAC commissioning certifications.”

Developed with input from APPA, Building Commissioning Association (BCA), Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB), Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the program is the fourth ASHRAE certification offering. The others focus on healthcare design, high-performance building design, and operation and maintenance.

Individuals must meet certain eligibility qualifications to take the exam. For more information, an exam content outline, and available resources for exam preparation, visit www.ashrae.org/certification. The fee for the exam is $207.50 before June 5 ($147, ASHRAE members).

Publication date: 03/30/2009