From a completely new, revamped professional website to updated logos and granted awards, it’s hard to figure out where to start with a 2017 year in review. But before we dig in, we’d like to start by thanking all of you, our BPI stakeholders, for your input on many changes and your hard work within the home performance industry.

Highlights

  • January: BPI revealed its new logo design! Do you have the new logos? Contact Client Relations at recertification@bpi.org to get a link to download your respective logo version.
     
  • February: BPI supported consumer protections in Residential PACE (R-PACE) financing programs by recommending that contractors participating in these programs be required to follow minimum requirements, such as holding a certification or adhering to industry standards.
     
  • March: BPI staff participated at one of what was called one of the best Home Performance Coalition (HPC) National conferences of all time in Nashville, TN! During the conference, BPI bestowed upon Don MacOdrum the 2017 Tony Woods Award for Excellence in Advancing the Home Performance Industry. BPI also awarded its first annual Jon Siemen Memorial Scholarships to Aandra Jackson and Kanit Jacobs, and covered the costs of BPI online and field exams.
     
  • June: A big month for BPI! After a nine-month process, BPI launched its new industry professionals website with a cleaner look and quicker and easier access to the information you look for on a regular basis.
     
  • July: BPI was invited to Oliver Wolcott Technical High School in Connecticut to discuss how to collaborate with the 17 technical high schools. These high schools will offer the Building Science Principles (BSP) Certificate of Knowledge as an introduction to whole building concepts, as well as, eventually, the Building Analyst, along with possibly Envelope/IDL certification(s), in an effort to develop home performance as a career path for these students.

    The school district is working in conjunction with the utility companies and the CT Department of Labor (DOL). The CT DOL is developing a job classification for an Energy Efficiency Technician to be included in the CT DOL Job Index and will call out the Building Analyst (BA) certification as a requirement, which should drive the need for BA certifications in CT. Each school location has built or will build an efficiency driven house on the school campus that will be used for training and testing.
     
  • August: BPI announced the renaming of the Residential Building Envelope – Whole House Air Leakage Control Installer (RBE-WHALCHI) certification to Air Leakage Control Installers (ALC). Also, we were thrilled to have three new  members join the BPI Board of Directors - Krista Egger (Enterprise Community Partners), Brandon Robinson (Owens Corning), and Ellen R. Tohn (Tohn Environmental Strategies).
     
  • October: We participated with 1,300 other partners and friends on October 5th in the annual international #EnergyEfficiencyDay on social media. Energy Efficiency Day brings together regional and national organizations, businesses, utilities, and individuals working to promote energy efficiency. BPI, and our partners Home Performance Coalition, Efficiency First, and Home Energy Magazine, aimed to educate how we all work together to spread the word about home performance during #HomePerformanceWeek.
     
  • November: BPI staff attended the Connecticut Technical High School Building Science Principle (BSP) course and assessment to the 11th and 12th grade Construction Career instructors (plumbing, carpentry, HVAC, electrical, masonry). Nearly all 200 instructors who teach in the 17 CT Technical High Schools were present with the training provided by John Mitchell of JLC Industries, a BPI Test Center, of West Haven, CT.
     
  • December: BPI became part of the Credential Engine and Credential Finder – a nonprofit that promotes certifications nationwide. To date, over 1,500 credentials have been submitted to the Credential Registry from more than 170 organizations.
     
  • 2017: BPI added 9 total new products from Embertec, Southeast Energy Solutions, Inc., Mercury Excelum, Inc., and Tamarack Technologies, Inc. in the plug load management, attic access barrier, window, and air pressure balancing categories.

Top social posts

We interacted with many different audiences across Facebook, Twitter, Home Energy Pros, our homeowner blog, and LinkedIn this year. Check out fun facts about our interactions on each social outlet below:

On Facebook, we gained nearly 500 new followers (we now have 3,100 total) with over 7,700 total likes, comments, and shares. And everyone really loves blog posts, according to the top three posts of the year:

  1. Guest blog post on two of the worst issues that can occur in attics: http://bit.ly/2y3ztYH.
  2. Blog post from BPI Technical Relations Representative, Jeremy O’Brien, on roof ventilation: http://bit.ly/2uPenuV.
  3. Blog post from BPI’s previous Director of Client Relations, Matt Anderson, on what the R-value of insulation is: http://bit.ly/2jCWuL2.

On Twitter, we gained over 440 new followers (we now have 3,684 total) with 470 tweets with a total reach of 367,100, with the following top three tweets of the year (by total reach):

  1. Join the thousands of people and organizations gathering to celebrate #EEDay2017! Spread the word on the benefits of #energyefficiency.
  2. Retweet about BPI Proctor, John Mitchell, gives a training to high school sophomores using a blower door and infrared camera.
  3. New #BPI Blog Post from BPI’s Senior Communications Associate, @quinnkayy: #TYSK: #Asbestos Use is Still Legal: bit.ly/2qKjB8M.

On our blog for homeowners, we posted 35 blog posts from 24 different authors (quite the variety!). These blog posts brought in over 23,000 page views! This is up 121% over last year’s 10,600 page views. Contractors, homeowners, and others found our blog posts through Google searches, social media, and other websites. The most visited posts in 2017 include:

  1. What to Do if You Smell Gas in Your Home
  2. Things You Should Know: Dryer Vents Can Be a Fire Hazard
  3. Two Worst Mistakes Made in Attics

On LinkedIn, we gained 125 new followers (we now have 1,629 total) with a total reach of 51,770, many of whom came from the following top three posts of the year (by total reach):

  1. Out with the old, in with the new! New BPI pros website announcement
  2. “Two Worst Mistakes Made in Attics” blog post
  3. “Technically Speaking: What the Blower Door Test Tells You” blog post

2018, here we come!

While 2017 was a successful year full of growth and change, 2018 is looking like it could be even more thrilling of a ride! 2018 marks BPI’s 25th year as an operating nonprofit organization! As we begin a new year, we’ve resolved to continue to offer you, our stakeholders, high quality products (certifications, programs, and more) to support your important work.

We also have some surprises in store for you that we can’t wait to share (hint: one is an updated account system that is mobile-friendly!). We are excited about what is to come in 2018.