The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project (hereafter the Guidelines) fosters the growth of a high quality residential energy upgrade industry and a skilled and credentialed workforce. The project has three components:
- Guidelines for quality work are standard work specifications for residential energy upgrades. These specifications define the minimum requirements for high quality installation of energy efficiency measures. The project's initial focus is on single-family homes, with specifications for multifamily and manufactured housing to follow.
- Guidelines for effective training are based on four Job Task Analyses, which identify critical tasks and core competencies, and provide a foundation for developing strong curricula. Training programs are encouraged to pursue accreditation by a third party evaluator, such as the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).
- Guidelines for professional certifications are designed for certifying bodies interested in certifying professionals in the weatherization and home energy upgrade industry, in order to encourage the development of nationally recognized certifications based on the four industry-specific Job Task Analyses. The certifying bodies will also be encouraged to seek accreditation for their programs under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17024 standard, which provides a framework for the quality and rigor of a certification program.