The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) offers professionals who work in fields that deal with improving indoor air quality the opportunity to add the credential of Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional (CIAQP) to their name.
In order to qualify for the chance to take the CIAQP exam, professionals must meet the AEE’s specified criteria in education and experience. The higher the level of education, the fewer years of work experience are required. For professionals with an engineering or architect’s degree, only three year’s of experience in indoor air quality is needed, whereas professionals with a two-year technical degree will need to prove eight years' experience in indoor air quality and three additional CEUs (continuing education units) of board-approved training.
Each applicant is not only required to meet these criteria, they are also required to take the AEE’s Fundamentals of Indoor Air Quality seminar prior to taking the CIAQP exam. Additionally, each CIAQP must complete eight credits of continuing education in the field of indoor air quality every three years.
By successfully completing all of these requirements and earning the credential of CIAQP, an indoor air quality professional is deemed highly competent and knowledgeable in air quality assessment, design, management, and problem mitigation.
This is one of 17 credentialing programs currently run by the AEE, and the CIAQP designation seems to be just one rung under the Certified Energy Manager (CEM) credential. The main difference between the two seems to be that indoor air quality has more to do with the home’s HVAC system, building material choices as well as home décor choices, whereas an energy manager will be more concerned with the design and structure of the home and energy usage. It’s a good idea to have a good balance between these two fields so that your home will be designed to be energy efficient as well as possessing equipment and materials that will produce as little (or no) outgassing as possible.
There may be many differences between a CIAQP and anyone else in their profession. It’s possible that the only difference is just the credentialing, but it’s also possible that other indoor air quality professionals aren’t keeping up with their continuing education to stay abreast of current trends, discoveries, products, and materials. While there are certainly many qualified IAQ professionals out there without the AEE’s credential, it’s certain that a CIAQP is highly educated and qualified.