Credentials DO Matter- Marks of Quality in a Growing Industry

Just a few weeks ago, I was on the exhibit floor of the Solar Power International Conference (SPI) in Chicago speaking to an assembled group about why IREC credentials matter to everyone involved in the clean energy industry.  Here are a few of the thoughts I shared.

Three pillars of support for a growing industry are quality products, quality workmanship and quality training. The definition of quality here includes the expectation that the product or service delivers as promised and that it meets or exceeds industry standards for quality, safety and efficiency. 

The challenge for consumers, businesses, investors, workers and energy program managers is to be able to identify the products and services that meet this bar for excellence. 

This is where credentialing comes in.  A credentialing framework rooted in industry standards, with a robust assessment process, provides a clearly recognizable label that identifies quality and value.

Fortunately for the field of clean energy, the industry has established clear standards for people, products and programs and the credentialing frameworks around these standards are well established. 

Enter the Clean Energy Credentialing Coalition (CECC), a new alliance of well-established, nationally accredited credentialing organizations, announced at SPI.

CECC was created to demonstrate and promote the importance of third-party quality assessment, and the value it brings to building strong and competent renewable energy and energy efficiency markets. The group will work to provide a collective view of the clean energy industry credentials that signify quality for products, people and training.

Founding members include the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Building Performance Institute (BPI), Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC), North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), and the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC).  have formed the CECC

The establishment of the CECC speaks to the robust foundation of standards and credentials, which currently support the growing clean energy industry. Learn more about the CECC and how to recognize value in the products and services that support your clean energy interests at:  www.cleanenergycredentials.org.

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The Multifamily Job Task Analyses (JTAs) provide the foundation necessary to develop coursework that can be verified and accredited by third-party organizations and promote a higher level of consistency and quality within the multifamily energy upgrade sector.  The development of JTAs is the first step in creating training program accreditations and worker certifications as needed within the multifamily industry. More