MALTA, N.Y — The Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI), a standards development and credentialing organization for residential energy efficiency upgrade work, and Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) announced they will begin exploring opportunities for collaboration.

"BPI welcomes this new process and looks forward to a constructive dialogue with ACCA and hopefully more exciting announcements to come,” said David Hepinstall, BPI chairman. “The heart of home performance is the house-as-a-system, and HVAC is the critical component that keeps that heart beating efficiently, safely and affordably.”

The two groups plan to begin their combined efforts this fall.

"While ACCA and BPI are different organizations with different missions, it is clear that both of us share many common goals for improving the efficiency of our country's buildings," said Bobby Ring, ACCA 2013-2014 chairman. "We have agreed to spend the next few months identifying ways in which our two organizations might be able to work together to make those goals a reality. On behalf of ACCA, we look forward to productive conversations and meaningful collaboration with BPI."

For more information visit www.bpi.org or www.acca.org.