Contractors training for energy efficiency work at Cincinnati State |

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - The Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance awarded a $500,000 grant to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to fund a new center that will train contractors to perform energy efficiency upgrades for homeowners.

The Building Performance Training Center, which will incorporate national standards into its curriculum, is designed to provide employers with a pool of credentialed workers for jobs involving energy efficiency analysis and improvements to existing buildings. It will be run by Cincinnati State's Workforce Development Center in Evendale.

"Industry leaders and contractors have been telling us there is a shortage of skilled and credentialed workforce,'' said Energy Alliance Executive Director Andy Holzhauser. "The creation of standard guidelines to train and certify contractors helps homeowners have the confidence and assurance to hire a home performance contractor to perform a home energy upgrade."

An Energy Alliance Contractor 101 Training programhappening this week is orienting new home performance contractors and installers into the Home Performance with Energy Star program.

Jim Tenhundfeld, Project and Workforce Assurance Manager at Cincinnati State, said the Building Performance Training Center's training modules will include such topics as air sealing/insulation, combustion safety, building analysis, and contractor screening and approval    

Each of these areas will involve intensive training on specialized subtopics. For example, in one class contractors will learn how to lower energy loss from air leakage, as well as reduce pollutants and allergens through air migration.

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