nrcert

redefining affordable housing
through energy efficiency

CHP Energy Solutions Research and Training Center (formerly known as NRCERT) was established in 1999 and provides training in state-of-the-art residential energy conservation techniques, home performance testing, and heating and cooling equipment diagnostics, repair and replacement. Since its establishment over a decade ago, the Center has trained over 30,000 participants across 30 states and Canada. We are the first in the nation to become an IREC ISPQ Accredited Training Program™ for our Retrofit Installer Technician course. Our expert trainers are certified by RESNET, EarthCraft, and the Building Performance Institute (BPI).

training

CHP Energy Solutions Research and Training Center (formerly known as NRCERT) focuses on home performance as a whole house approach, with the goal of creating homes that are good for people, good for the environment, and good for business. Technicians are taught practices and techniques that reduce energy consumption, address health and safety concerns, and determine how the building shell, appliances and occupants interact with one another. Detailed curricula and innovative models support these training efforts.

Our 12,600 square feet Christiansburg, Virginia facility, which includes hands-on diagnostic cabins and a full-sized manufactured (mobile) home, allows us to better serve the training needs of the weatherization and energy conservation industry work force. The comprehensive learning campus uses the center’s systems and components as real-time training tools for trainees to observe and study. The trainings are complemented and instructed by a diverse team of more than 30 staff and trainers to deliver courses at its main campus.

research

Our Research and Training Center consistently performs research that has resulted in advancements in the field. The Center's innovative techniques were demonstrated in 1999 when it contracted with Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to field- test monitoring instrumentation, download monitoring data, and perform advanced sealing retrofits on duct systems. The Center's methods were so successful that Carrier Corporation purchased the process and equipment before the results of the project could be formally reported. Using U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program funds, the Center also performed work in 2002 for the Mid-Atlantic Region Weatherization Directors Association that has greatly improved the use of computerized energy audits for garden-style multifamily buildings.

house of pressure

CHP Energy Solutions Research and Training Center (formerly known as NRCERT) developed the House of Pressure to complement its training activities. Featured in the March/April 2010 issue of Home Energy Magazine, this unique training aide is used to visually demonstrate pressure and air flow dynamics within a residence. The model has the ability to create and control airflow with working scaled reproductions of mechanical air distribution systems that are found in most residential homes. The use of the House of Pressure can greatly reduce the amount of lecture time required to describe the information presented, and can be purchased by others to be used for educational purposes.

For more information on the House of Pressure, view the product presentation here or contact Kim Hunt at our Research and Training Center.