NABCEP again (was opportunity to address pumbing code issues) [RE-wrenches]

Thu Nov 15 08:33:10 PST 2007

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Hiya Joel,
NABCEP certification is and will continue to be voluntary, but then  
there is reality.
NABCEP has absolutely no say in "allowing" a jurisdiction to require  
a certification in order to qualify for incentive money or whatever  
they have in mind.
I can certainly understand the desire to have the jurisdiction's  
money well spent on a well designed quality installation.  
Certification, of course, doesn't guarantee that, but -all things  
being equal- it would certainly go a long way towards that goal.
To date, the NABCEP BoD (on which I sit as the Certificant advocate)  
has written letters to jurisdictions requesting this, stating that we  
would prefer they not make a NEBCEP certification a requirement.  
However, it is becoming more obvious all the time that we may be  
fighting high tide there. Governments do what governments do and if  
they can do it cheaper and better by farming it out, well....
IMO, and NOT as a NABCEP BoD member or Certificant, I think that it  
is not necessarily a bad idea for jurisdictions to require proven  
expertise AND training in the RE field as a pre-requisite to playing  
in their sandbox. Toward that end, I feel the NABCEP "Entry Level"  
test rather than the full Certification (which requires both deep  
knowledge of PV AND experience) would be an appropriate yardstick of  
an electrician's knowledge of PV. One of my main justifications for  
getting involved in NABCEP some five years ago now, was my personal  
thoughts that 1) RE is going mainstream and 2) unless the industry  
and existing RE Wrenches set up their "own" testable levels of  
competence, the government or the IBEW was going to do it "for" us.  
We all know what THAT means....
Frankly, I'd rather steer the ship then get run over by it.
Cheers, Bob-O

On Nov 14, 2007, at 10:16 AM, Joel Davidson wrote:

>
> Since 2001, NABCEP said that certification is voluntary, yet NABCEP  
> certification requirements keep popping up. Does NABCEP actively  
> refuse to allow jurisdictions to require certification?
> Joel Davidson
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dan Rice" <danrice at scinternet.net>
> To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 10:21 PM
> Subject: Re: opportunity to address pumbing code issues [RE-wrenches]
>
>
>>
>> Conrad,
>>
>> The question of single wall vs. double wall heat exchangers is an  
>> issue in
>> some jurisdictions. The fact that boiler systems can heat sidearm  
>> tanks with
>> single wall heat exchangers, but solar thermal systems using non- 
>> toxic
>> propylene glycol working fluid require double wall heat exchangers  
>> is an
>> impediment to solar where they're required, IMO. You may want to  
>> address
>> this with the inspectors there.
>>
>> I'm licensed in Utah. There's an existing solar license  
>> classification that
>> lists "solar energy equipment" (a vestige of the 70's and 80's)  
>> that some of
>> us have used for PV as well as Thermal. Utah has recently put  
>> together a PV
>> specialty contractor's license classification. Those of us with  
>> the old
>> license doing both PV and Thermal will qualify for the new PV  
>> license. The
>> old solar license will be reassigned to Thermal only. Thermal allows
>> plumbing up to the point of interconnection (allows the installer  
>> to do the
>> tie-in), but the new PV license forbids work on AC systems and  
>> equipment
>> (though it specifically permits work with inverters, which are AC  
>> equipment,
>> last I checked! And NABCEP certification is REQUIRED by the State  
>> for the PV
>> license -it's the de-facto license exam and qualification program - 
>> I'm not
>> in favor). So a PV license holder is required to have a licensed  
>> electrician
>> do all of the AC work.
>>
>> Dan Rice
>> Abundant Sun, LLC.
>> NABCEP PV certified -yes
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Conrad Geyser" <conradg at cape.com>
>> To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 5:28 AM
>> Subject: opportunity to address pumbing code issues [RE-wrenches]
>>
>>
>> |
>> | Wrenches!
>> | Please give me any input you can think of  for a presentation  
>> that I am
>> | slated to give tomorrow night at a state plumbing and gas  
>> inspectors
>> | association.
>> | I'm considering this a pretty important opportunity at least for my
>> | state(Massachusetts) if not everyone.
>> |
>> | Relevant topics in order of priority that I can imagine are:
>> |
>> | -IPC (International Plumbing Code) adoption and any issues with  
>> that
>> | document.
>> |
>> | -Licensing diversification as done in California and ?  Please  
>> write and
>> | tell me:
>> |     1)What state you are from.
>> |     2)What variety of licenses are available.  I.E., can a RE  
>> person pull
>> a
>> | permit and do a tie in under their license?
>> |
>> | -Anything else you can think of.
>> |
>> | thanks,
>> | Conrad Geyser
>> | Cotuit Solar
>> | NABCEP thermal TM certified
>> | 508-428-8442
>> |
>>
>>
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>
>
> - - - -
> Hosted by Home Power magazine
>
> To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com
>
> Archive of previous messages: http://lists.topica.com/lists/RE- 
> wrenches/read
>
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> wrenches/etiquette.php
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>
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>
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