AppleBlossom Insulators is an affiliate of the Building Performance Institute, Inc., an organization that provides nationally recognized BPI training for certification, accreditation and quality-assurance programs within the building industry. BPI affiliates are experts in their field that help raise the bar in home performance contracting, making homes healthier, safer, more comfortable and more energy efficient.

AppleBlossom Insulators is dedicated to advancing the BPI mission.

We now offer BPI Training in the following specialties:

• Building Analyst
• Shell Specialist
• Mobile Home Specialist
• Multi-Family Building Specialist

Through this training, our experts will offer specific education and administer written and field examinations.

BPI Training is Currently Offered at the Concord, NC Location.

We have with plans for continuing education opportunities at our new Asheville location. Please contact us for more information.

Building Performance Institute Courses Include:

Home Energy Auditing
This is a 5 day training session to provide students with a understanding of building science principles. The student will learn to determine what energy saving measures need to be installed in a home using building science principles, infiltration theory, diagnostic techniques, and auditing techniques. The student will have hands on experience auditing a complex house and will leave this training with the knowledge and skills to audit a home using diagnostic and field techniques that will assist them with applying appropriate energy savings measures which will give homeowners a savings investment from weatherization.

Prerequisite: None. All skills levels are accepted

BPI Analyst Training and Testing
This a a 4 day training session which will lead to lead to certification as a Building Performance Institute (BPI) Building Analyst I. On days 5 and 6 students will be offered the option to take the written and field test for BPI Building Analyst I. This course will help students have a full understanding of building science principles, health and safety issues, BPI requirements and guidelines, envelope and duct leakage testing, insulation evaluation, and combustion safety testing. At the end of the Building Analyst I training students interested in certification will be given a written exam and will be tested in the field to show they have the knoowledge and skills required by BPI to obtain certification.

Prerequisite: Home Energy Auditing Course and/or experience in Home Inspections, Building Science or Weatherization fields.

Instructors are also availiable to test at a later date for those interested, certain fees will apply.

BPI Mobile Home Certification
This is a 4 day training session which will lead to certification as a Building Performance Institue (BPI) Mobile Certification. On Days 5-6 students will be offered the option to to take the written and field test for BPI Mobile Home Certification. Students will have a full understanding of theory and practice applied by BPI standards for mobile homes.

Prerequisite: Mobile Home Training and/or experience in Mobile Home Inspections

Diagnostic Approaches and Equipment for Infiltration Reduction
This is a 4 day course students will learn the principals of air leakage and how air tightness, mechanical devices, and occupants affect the house as a system. Students will also learn to use diagnostic equipment including the blower door, pressure pans, thermal imaging camera, and the duct blaster. This session will cover techniques for air sealing, calculating minimum ventilation rates, mechanical ventilation, and client health.

Prerequisite: Energy Auditng and/or experience using blower door guided air sealing

Mold And Moisture Basics
This is a 2 day training session that covers a brief history of mold, theory, types of mold, various items to look for when completing audits, what to tell client, and what measures can be taken to try to insure that the work being performed will not cause a moisture problem. Participants should have a better understanding of mold and moisture and what steps they should take to insure clients health and safety is primary focus when performing work in the home.

Prerequisite: None

Weatherization Crew Training and Tactics
This is a 5 day course that includes hands on training. The class will cover approaches of whole house weatherization and installation techniques. Students will receive hands on training that will focus on areas of health and safety on the job site, air sealing, insulation placement, sealing ductwork, and uising blower door guided air sealing techniques to effectively weatherize a dwelling. Students will also learn organization techniques including crew management, organization on the job, and effectively organizing trucks to improve quality and quanity.

Prerequisite: None

Mobile Home Inspection and Weatherization Training
This is a 5 day training session that will prepare students to complete energy audits on mobile homes and techniques of installing weatherization measures. Students will receive training on installing materials and the specific problems and concerns that are encountered with Mobile Homes. This is a classroom and hands on training:

Prerequisite: None

When I found out that someone local was installing cellulose insulation in existing houses I admit I as a little shocked. I was sure I could find someone to install the pink stuff. I can rent a machine from The Home Depot and blow it myself but I was looking for a better isolative product. I wanted something that would work better and I found it with Apple Blossom Insulators.

I knew cellulose was superior to fiberglass but until I met John Meeks I didn't know just how superior it really was. When John cranked up his "birdhouse" display and started to explain how much better cellulous is in comparison to fiberglass I was shocked. I know what you're thinking, I've already used the "shocked" twice in the first two paragraphs of this description of our experience with Apple Blossom but brace yourself because I'll probably use it a couple more times.

John and his crew came and did an assessment of our home. Wait let me back up. When I met John my wife was six months pregnant with our second child. John and his crew went to great lengths to make the process of insulating our house a great experience despite the fact that we were experiencing a time of great transition in our lives. Ok so John came out and looked over our situation and did a blower door test. This involved temporarily installing a special "door" in one of our exterior doorways. It then pumps air out of the house and the resulting negative pressure made it easy to calculate the amount of air flowing into our home. We live in an 80-year-old house so as you can imagine, there was a lot of air flowing in. His crew set out to seal leaks which were easy to find with the blower door running. Even before any insulation was added to the house was much more efficient because our heating and cooling system could re-circulate more air from inside our own home and mix it with less air from outside- air that in the winter is much colder and in the summer is much hotter.

Then John's crew took to the task of blowing insulation into our attic and into our walls (which previously had NO insulation!). They finished by adding insulation between the floor joists beneath our house. What was the result? Well get ready because I'm going to use the word "shocking" again. We were shocked. Our heating and cooling costs during the last year are down between 25 percent and 75 percent depending on the month. I can't even get home from work on the first day of the month without hearing about our latest bill. My wife calls me at work when she receives our bill electronically on the Internet. "Guess how much we're down this month?" she'll ask me. The tax rebate we got for energy efficiency coupled with the reduction in the cost of heating and cooling means this insulation pays for itself very quickly.

Let me mention two other advantages. We've noticed a significant reduction in noise from outside. It was strange actually because we were used to some noise from the street in front of our home and after the insulation installation was complete, it almost completely went away. It's also nice to know that the burn rate of our insulation is much slower than typical insulation. It's nice to know that if we were to ever have a fire that our walls would burn more slowly.

John Meeks and Apple Blossom Insulators provided my family with an excellent service, and did so in a timely manner, exceeding all. This country can be more energy efficient and companies like Apple Blossom can lead the way. I highly recommend them.

~ Aaron Newton, Concord, NC