HS TV Ep 3. How to Study for the NABCEP Certification

HeatSpring TV is coming along nicely. We’re planning on having a combination of interviews and conversations with other industry experts, myself presenting news stories and how it affect contractors, or Brian and I discussing a specific topic. In this episode, Brian Hayden and I discuss how I’m studying for the NABCEP Exam on September 24th and we also discuss the development of credentialing in the solar and geothermal industry in general. Read more to continue and join HeatSpring’s facebook community to get more HS TV episodes.

If you’re studying for the NABCEP, you can download my free NABCEP Exam Study Guide Cliff notes here. 

The whole discuss took 30 minutes and here’s an outline, so you can jump so what’s most interesting to you.

(01:00) Given I have a full time job, how and what am I studying for the NABCEP

(01:50) How I’m using the NABCEP study guide and what articles I’m using to study

(02:43) How I’m studying electric code, given I’m not an electrician

(04:35) How I’m creating a series of “cliff notes” to study and formatting it around the lifecycle of a solar installation

(05:18) Getting really practical, how many hours a week am I studying

(06:00) How you can create your own NABCEP study guide or cheat sheet and the use of specific examples for studying purposes.

(09:00) The purpose of getting the NABCEP even if you’re not working in the field. How and when NABCEP provides you credbility

(10:00) The penetration of the NABCEP brand within the industry and to end users who are purchasing solar projects for their buildings

(10:25) Reflections on the development of the NABCEP sales certification. Why was it created? Will it be useful? What’s the value of it? Is it being to proactive?

(11:27) How training and credentials is used by employers as a perk and how its used to take care of employees and investing in them.

(12:24) The use credentials within companies vs. using them to find a job

(13:00) If you should pay attention to NABCEP qualifications while looking at job postings

(15:00) How solar is getting integrated into the construction industry and how the construction industry is not molding itself to the solar industry

(15:30) How the leverage in the solar industry is shifting and how installation are moving from roof based to more ground mounted system

(18:15) How the certifications in the geothermal industry are developing and is it becoming too much

(19:50) If credentially will start to overlap with licensing

(21:30) What the impact and development of certifications is having on the industry.

(23:50) Manufactures perspective on 3rd party certifications

(24:45) The role of certifications and licensing and how they overlap with applying for state incentives and permits. How states look at credentials for their own use. The difference between NABCEP’s focus on selling states verus IGSHPA being developed by a state university and manufacturers.

(28:15) Why NABCEP is incentized to keep standards very high and how that differs from the IGSHPA certification.