Dave, after being in the construction field for 25 years and inspection for 10 and thermal for 3, I took the 3 day BPI course and it was fairly intense. I wish I had gone to the 5 day course. There is more to it than meets the eye and it’s well worth it if you plan to pursue energy audits.
I think either will be good as they both will teach to BPI standards, energy audits unlimited however may have instructors with filed experience where Manchester College may not.
Good luck Dave, very interesting course, you’ll like it.
This video is a great tool to help you visually understand the concept of the field exam. Like Peter has already said, the BPI Certification is actually very difficult.
I felt the written exam, while challenging, was not that difficult. However, the field exam is difficult. It’s not rocket science, but you are required to go through all the steps and BPI standards just like you would during a real Home Performance Audit.
I would not advise taking shortcuts. I would suggest purchasing a copy of the Krigger Book and study for a week or two before taking the 3 or 5 day course.