On Jan. 28, the Building Performance Institute (BPI) released a proposed new standard (BSR/BPI 101-201x, Home Energy Auditing Standard) for a 45-day public comment period.

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) reviewed BPI’s proposed standard and believes that a number of significant flaws need to be addressed and a number of passages need to be improved. Due to the way the standard is constructed and presented, ACCA is concerned that considerable confusion will ensue in the marketplace if the document is adopted as a home performance standard.

It is to be noted that ACCA has disagreed with BPI on several fronts regarding the process of energy audits as they have been previously described in the Home Star program. The industry is encouraged to review the BPI document and to make others aware (as appropriate) on the contents.

As of press time, it is expected that ACCA will propose its own similar standard, Existing Residential Building Performance Improvement; soon to be downloadable from www.acca.org/ansi. It will be released by ANSI for a 45-day public review commencing March 4.

Comments on the proposed BPI standard are to be submitted by March 14, 2011.

For additional information on the proposed BPI 101-201x Standard, and to review, go to: http://www.bpi.org/standards_review.aspx. Submit comments by March 14, to BPI’s Ralph Justus, 202-223-9512, rjustus@bpi.org with a copy submitted to ANSI at BSR@ansi.org.

Publication date: 03/07/2011