ATLANTA — ASHRAE recently approved job task analyses for the Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP) and High Performance Building Design Professional (HBDP) certification exams to support building decarbonization efforts. The new and updated job tasks resulted from a job task analysis study, which included an industry-wide survey in which respondents were asked to rate how important and frequently the job tasks are performed. 

The HBDP exam outline will include the addition of a subdomain entitled “Carbon Emissions Compliance,” along with several carbon emissions-related updates to existing job tasks. The BEMP exam outline will include a new “Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Analyses” subdomain. There will be a redistribution of exam questions across both programs.

“Completing Job Task Analyses on our certification exams ensures they maintain relevancy as the design industry changes and adapts for new skills required by design professionals to show competency in the field,” Kimberly R. Cowman, P.E. HFDP, LEED AP, 2022-23 ASHRAE certification committee chair. “The subject matter experts [SMEs] on our BEMP and HBDP exam subcommittees acknowledged that a change in the knowledge and skills required to perform their respective jobs was shifting with an increased focus on building decarbonization. Industrywide job task analysis surveys validated this shift in the industry, which led to updating these two certification programs to address the changing industry needs.”

ASHRAE is experiencing a growing demand for certification, with 65% more applications received through February 2023 over the same time last year. The demand is driven by employers who recognize the importance of workforce development both for retention and for the verifiable expertise needed to tackle the challenges of designing high performance buildings.

“The updated and new building decarbonization-related job tasks will serve as a roadmap for the professional development hours needed for recertification by those holding certificates,” said Cowman. “Thanks to these job task analyses and applicants as well as employers, customers and the public can be assured that the job tasks tested on the respective BEMP and HBDP certification exams will validate competency against the knowledge and skills needed for competent job practice.”

Exam development and form creation will begin in the summer 2023 and updated exams will launch in the first quarter of 2024. For more information about ASHRAE Certification, visit ashrae.org/certification.