|
|
HVAC Industry Valued Credentials
Click a link below to view the corresponding certifications/accreditations/journey status.
 |
In the Fall of 2015, the ACHR News published an eBook
titled Solving the HVACR Certification Puzzle in order
to "…introduce readers to the multiple certification
organizations within the industry as well as spell out the
advantages of getting technicians certified."
|
|
The credentials developed by the organizations listed on this page are considered by many to be "prestigious" and "hard to earn." They are "respected," even by credentialing bodies who directly compete with one another for clients. Increasingly, certifications, accreditations, journey status, and specialty certificates of the types listed here are being referred to as "Industry Valued Credentials."
The purpose of this listing is not to identify which Industry Valued Credentials are good, better, or best, but to draw your attention to their availability and to encourage you to earn them, or if you are a customer, to encourage you to hire firms who are committed to best in class service. Which credentials are good, better, and best are decisions best made by the individuals and organizations who will capitalize on the prestige, value, and return on investment that best fits their own needs.
It is widely presumed that individuals and companies who earn these credentials are more likely to deliver high-quality products and services into the marketplace, including the energy efficiency aspects of those projects. While these credentials do not absolutely guarantee better work, those vendors and their employees who have earned them have demonstrated/documented knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that those who have not earned them have not demonstrated. Training and years of experience should count when customers are making buying decisions, but hiring certified, accredited, and/or journey-level service providers is a much better bet than awarding contracts based on a brochure and the lowest price. This is one of many reasons California's investor owned utilities (IOUs) increasingly are requiring that their HVAC program vendors have either already have earned and can document these credentials or tangibly demonstrate a commitment and progress toward earning them.
In this latest update of this directory, we thought it important to list not only the credentialing bodies, but also the many specialty credentials that can be earned. At this point, the links for each specialty will direct you to the same page at the credentialing bodies website. If this listing proves to be of use, over time, we will attempt linking to the specific page dealing with the specialty credential
Another feature of this update are links to certifiers' verification search tools. This addition was inspired by the 2013 "Certification Working Group Gap Report" which recommended that HVAC personnel certification bodies provide links to their online search tools/forms to an "appropriate body"—which was to be identified at a later date—so that those who needed to could verify that technicians being represented as credentialed could do so. Those who might need to verify credentials could include customers, contractors, utility program administrators, and perhaps even government agencies such as the California Contractors State License Board. Because many of the certification bodies now have search forms at their websites, we have added them in left column of the table. Look for ">>SEARCH for…." At this point in history, the search criteria vary from credentialing body to credentialing body, some providing information on technicians themselves and others providing links to contractors who employ credentialed techs
While the WHPA strives to provide accurate and comprehensive information, we make no claims or warranty as to the accuracy of the information provided or applicability to your situation. If you are aware of updated or additional information that should be considered for this table, please send the information to WHPA Staff (wendy@performancealliance.org).
|
|
|
|
|