CoSEIA Certification Policy

Fees: Application fees are non-refundable	CoSEIA Members	Non-Members
Application Fee ( covers review & validation of experience and initial exam)	$100	$200
Retake of Exam Fee (may retake after 4 months)	$50	$100
Re-certification Exam Fee	$50	$100

The certification application is good for one year with the understanding that if an applicant needs to Retake the Exam - new jobs need to be submited for review if the current application has jobs on it that are over one year old.

NABCEP Certificants:
After paying an application fee and showing proof of ownership of up-to-date CPR and First Aid cards and NABCEP certification, NABCEP Certificants shall be deemed to meet all the requirements herein and shall carry CoSEIA certification as long as they remain in good standing with CoSEIA's policies and standards. CoSEIA membership is not required for certified NABCEP Certificants to become CoSEIA certified.

Prerequisites to Apply for Contractor Certification:
The candidate must demonstrate that he/she meets the minimum of at least one (1) year in any combination of the following entry requirement tracks:
•  Experience installing PV or Solar Heating systems, or
•  Education in a board recognized training program

For purposes of the application process, experience installing PV or Solar Heating systems requires being in an active decision making role (Job Foreman) of installation on the job. This year must include installation of at least two board approved PV or Solar Heating systems.

Qualifying Systems
Photovoltaic systems must have the following characteristics:
•  Minimum of two (2) systems totaling 1KW; each system must have an inverter, one of which must have a 2KW inverter minimum
•  Both systems must have been completed within the past year.
• Two (2) PV upgrades totaling 1KW can be applied and count as One (1) system;
• Each system must be permitted, documentation must be provided;

Solar Heating systems must have the following characteristics:
• One (1) new domestic hot water system and one (1) new heating and domestic hot water system.
•  Both systems must have been completed within the past year.
• Four (4) maintenance and repair jobs of hot water systems can be applied and count as One (1) hot water system; and Four (4) maintenance and repair jobs of heating and hot water systems can be applied and count as One (1) heating and hot water system; no count of system removal.

In some cases the supervisor may be called upon to make a judgment as to the role of the worker in the process of documenting experience. Candidates who are self-employed will need to provide references and contact information. In order to document the minimum installation(s) required, candidates are asked to provide a concise description of work performed at the job site, location of the job site, system owner contact information, and any permits (applicant pulled, required) and any inspection certificates involved. We reserve the right to contact these references. 

Be WELL prepared. Applicants should prepare well for the exam. The PV exam covers both grid-tied and off-grid system installation and design. There is a PV study guide available (PVStudyGuide.html) and a PV task analysis (MembersPVTaskAnalysis.html). The Solar Heating exam covers both new installations and servicing of old systems. A Solar Heating study guide is available (Solar Heating Study Guide) and a Solar Heating task analysis is available (MembersThermalTaskAnalysis.html) and further preparation can be obtained by following the education links starting on the Consumer Center Thermal Education (ConsumerCtrThermalEd.html) and Consumer Center (ConsumerCenter.html) pages and by attending training sessions. In addition, passing the test typically requires attendance at multiple training sessions and widespread reading on a variety of topics related to either PV or Solar Heating system design, installation and maintenance. Many of the questions require substantial field experience in order to answer correctly. The following education standards should also indicate to you those areas with which you need to be intimately familiar.

Educational Standards
Active Solar Heating Certification	Photovoltaic Certification
A demonstrated proficiency in the following subjects is required in order to obtain a CoSEIA Active Solar Heating Certification: · Basic electric principles · Proper solar system site selection · Correct system sizing · Correct interpretation of absorber panel, heat exchanger, heat transfer fluids, and pump and fan performance specifications and characteristics with the ability to properly apply the data to the system sizing and design · System size/components/cost tradeoffs · Uniform Solar Energy Code compliant installations · Appropriate Solar Heating panel mounting systems · Appropriate controller and sensor selection and installation · Solve system design and operational problems · Proper pipe, valve, duct, and damper sizing · Control system operation and troubleshooting · Appropriate expansion tank, drain back tank, thermal storage tank/bin selection · Appropriate over temperature and pressure protection device selection · Appropriate insulation selection · Those persons applying for first time or renewal certification in Solar Heating will be required to show that they possess up-to-date CPR and First Aid cards issued by either the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross	A demonstrated proficiency in the following subjects is required in order to obtain a CoSEIA Photovoltaics Certification: · Basic electric principles · Proper solar system site selection · Correct system sizing · Correct interpretation of PV module performance specifications with the ability to properly apply the data to the system sizing and design · Proper battery selection and maintenance procedures · Phantom loads and their impacts upon system performance · System size/components/cost tradeoffs · NEC code compliant installations · Appropriate PV module mounting systems · Appropriate charge controller selection · Appropriate inverter selections · Fuse, circuit breaker, and disconnect requirements and selection · Proper grounding techniques · Solve system design problems · Proper wire sizing · Those persons applying for first time or renewal certification in Photovoltaics will be required to show that they possess up-to-date CPR and First Aid cards issued by either the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross

Application Review
A CoSEIA Application Review Committee will review all applications and decide whether the candidates meet the spirit of CoSEIA qualifications to sit for the certification examination. This committee will be made up of experienced, CoSEIA Certified PV and Solar Heating installers with an understanding of the different types of situations and constraints experienced by installers within the field. Every effort will be made to ensure the objectivity of the reviewers. Should an applicant be rejected, the reason(s) for rejection will be produced and the applicant will be either able to resubmit their application with additional information or make an appeal for their application to be reconsidered by the CoSEIA Appeals Committee.  

Examination
Each candidate must pass a written examination to qualify for certification. There is a different examination for each certification category. The Certification Tests are based on CoSEIA's Education Standards. The examinations will be based on real-life scenarios and situations, knowledge of the relevant National Electric Code sections or the relevant Study Guide referenced materials (Solar Heating certification only), knowledge of safety practices, system sizing, system assessments, and installation requirements. The test will be closed book with an allotted time of no more than two (2) hours for candidates to complete the examination. The PV certification test study guide may be accessed either as a .doc or .pdf file.  The Solar Heating certification test study guide may be accessed either as a .DOC or .PDF file.

Code of Ethics and Arbitration
As part of the application process, candidates will sign the CoSEIA Code of Ethics indicating that they will maintain professional and ethical business practices. A Code of Ethics serves the purpose of protecting consumers and quality installers from the degradation of the value of the certification if unethical certificants do not perform up to the standards the credential was developed to encourage. Violation of the Code of Ethics may be grounds for disciplinary action (possibly suspension or removal of an installer's certification status). Certificants against whom complaints are brought will be notified and will have the opportunity to refute the complaints against them. If a review process finds the certificant in violation of the Code of Ethics or if he/she is consistently performing work that does not reflect the skills and experience required for certification, certification status may be revoked. This process will include testimony and appeals opportunities.

Maintaining Certification
PV Certification is valid for three (3) years from the date of issuance. Solar Heating Certification is valid for five (5) years from the date of issuance. To maintain certification, the certified contractor must document the following:

Photovoltaics: The certificant must have installed PV watts counting as 1 point per watt and inverter watts counting as 1/10 point that must add up to 4000 points over the 3-year certification period. Installation points must be from permitted installations. Service work may also contribute toward the 4000 point requirement. Each service job with an invoiced value of $500 or more during the 3-year period will be counted as 100 points. Reporting of service work will be via the CoSEIA Certification Service Work Verification Form.

Solar Heating: The certificant must have installed at least five Solar Heating (DHW or space heating) systems with a total of at least 400 square feet of collector surface over the 5-year certification period with each square foot equaling 10 points. Service work may also contribute toward the 4000 point requirement. Each service job with an invoiced value of $300 or more during the 5-year period will be counted as 100 points toward the 4000 point requirement. Installation points must be from applicant permitted installations. Reporting of service work will be via the CoSEIA Certification Service Work Verification Form.

Completion of a minimum of 12 contact hours of CoSEIA sponsored, or CoSEIA approved training per year, where the year is marked at the anniversary of your passed certification test, and reporting this annually to CoSEIA on the Continuing Education Documentation Form. For those holding certification in any two categories, 16 hours of approved training per year is required. Although it is desired that such training be in the Certification Category, this is not a requirement. If more training hours are accumulated during any year than are required for that year, any excess, up to the yearly requirement, may be applied to the succeeding year. Excess training hours may not be accumulated during one year and applied to any previous year. If the continuing education requirement is not met within the 12 months allotted, the applicant will have a 30 day grace period to complete and submit evidence of completion. If it is still not met after the grace period, the applicant will lose certification status and will have to re-apply, filling out all forms and paying all fees as required of a new applicant. The CoSEIA board may extend the 30-day grace period if appropriate training has not been offered by the Association. It is up to the certified person to keep a record of their continuing education records and annually report these hours to the CoSEIA office on the Continuing Education Form (See the link to this form below).  Refresher CPR and First Aid training hours will be considered as continuing education hours applicable towards certification maintenance.

Re-Certification
Re-certify in your Category at least once every five (5) years for the Solar Heating Certification and at least once every three (3) years for the Photovoltaics Certification by taking the appropriate examination. If any Certification is allowed to lapse, either through not completing the required training hours, or through not taking the appropriate examination within 30 days after expiration, then a new application must be submitted and the application fee and test fee must be paid prior to sitting for the examination.

For additional certification information click on the appropriate link below.

Members Page	Application for Certification	Application for Re-certification
Continuing Ed. Form	Thermal Task Analysis	PV Task Analysis

 

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