CIBSE Certification is now offering assessment of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) for certifying competence as a Green Deal Advisor (GDA).
The APEL route to certification, which is accredited by UKAS and already used by CIBSE to certify Energy Assessors, will now allow experienced practitioners who can demonstrate that they already have all the required skills and knowledge to become Green Deal Advisors.

Head of Certification at CIBSE, Andrew Geens, said: 'CIBSE is welcoming the Green Deal initiative as a tool to help make buildings more energy efficient. However it is critical for this initiative to work that all Green Deal Advisors provide the best informed advice on where energy performance improvements can be made.'

Richard Hipkiss, ceo of digitalenergy, which was the first company to be certified by CIBSE and to put its employees through the APEL route, said: 'The complexity of building services in commercial property is immense - heating, cooling, ventilation. These were all designed to match the specific building fabric elements and activity profiles, either at time of construction or refurbishment. Therefore the amount of knowledge and experience needed to be an effective Non-Domestic Advisor is significant.'

CIBSE says that for experienced energy assessors and advisors, particularly those who work within the area of non-domestic energy and advice, the APEL route offers the opportunity to build on their existing experience and expertise, and to quickly build into this the required framework to become a Green Deal Advisor.

By offering certification to building engineers and surveyors with proven skills and competence over a minimum of two years, rather than those who have simply completed a short training course and assessment, CIBSE says it can be confident that businesses and organisations will receive the best possible advice.