VGCC Carpentry instructor completes energy certification
Keith Tunstall of Warrenton, the Carpentry program head/instructor at Vance-Granville Community College, recently completed the requirements for certification by the Building Performance Institute as a Building Analyst/Energy Auditor.
Tunstall received several days of intense training in May at the Everblue Training Institute in New Orleans, and then completed his certification in Raleigh on July 23. This certification insures effective overview of residential energy consumption and options to save money by conserving energy. It is aligned with the Building Performance Institute’s (BPI) Building Analyst Professional Standards for energy auditing and certifies knowledge of energy efficiency analysis using the house-as-a-system approach. A Building Analyst/Energy Auditor can perform comprehensive, whole-home assessments, identify problems at the root cause, and prescribe and prioritize solutions based on building science. BPI, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is a leading developer of technical standards for home performance and weatherization retrofit work that are recognized across North America.
“This is a first step in reassessing traditional construction to reduce long-term costs and lessen the carbon footprint at the same time,” according to VGCC Dean of Business and Applied Technologies Bobby Van Brunt. “Keith’s certification and future planned certifications will insure that Vance-Granville stays at the forefront of education on energy-efficient residential construction, with accompanying systems such as wiring and heating/air conditioning.”
Tunstall, who is also a graduate of the VGCC Carpentry program, has taught at the college since 1995. “Green building technology and conservation are important in the construction field now, and they are going to be increasingly important in the future,” Tunstall said. “Since I will be teaching this subject, I thought it would be beneficial to lead the way by getting this training now. I can incorporate it into my curriculum, to prepare my students for the changes that are coming.”
The VGCC Carpentry program is designed to train students to construct residential structures using standard building materials and hand and power tools. Students develop their skills in part by building actual houses on campus, which are then sold by sealed bid and moved. The college offers a Carpentry diploma and a Residential Foundations & Framing certificate. For more information on the Carpentry program, call Keith Tunstall at (252) 738-3261 or (252) 213-1266.
Above: VGCC Carpentry program head/instructor Keith Tunstall, standing in front of one of the houses built on the college’s main campus by his students. (VGCC Photo)
