We're thrilled to share some great news about your HeatSpring learning experience! We've redesigned the "My Account" page to make your professional development journey even more organized and intuitive.

What's New?

Enhanced Dashboard Experience

Your "My Account" page now features a modern dashboard that puts your learning front and center. The updated interface is designed to help you navigate your courses more efficiently while maintaining the familiar functionality you rely on.

Introducing Learning Paths

The standout new feature is our Learning Path functionality. This powerful tool allows you to organize your courses in a way that makes sense for your career goals and learning style. Whether you're working toward NABCEP certification, building expertise in energy storage, or expanding your knowledge across multiple renewable energy areas, you can now create custom learning sequences that guide your professional development.

What Stays the Same?

While the interface has a fresh new look, we want to assure you that all the core functionality you depend on remains unchanged:

• Access to your enrolled courses works exactly as before
• Course progress tracking continues seamlessly
• Certificates and completion records are all preserved
• Your account settings and preferences remain intact
• Course materials, videos, and resources are accessed the same way

Getting Started with Learning Paths

Creating your personalized Learning Path is simple and intuitive. Once you log into your updated My Account page, you'll be able to:

• Rearrange courses into the order you want to take them
• Archive courses you're no longer interested in
• Visualize your educational journey in renewable energy

Need Help?

As with any update, there might be a brief adjustment period as you get familiar with the new layout. That's completely normal! If you have any questions or need assistance navigating the updated interface, our support team is here to help.

Remember, this redesign was created with your success in mind. The new Learning Path feature reflects our commitment to supporting your professional growth in the renewable energy industry, whether you're just starting out or advancing your expertise.

Moving Forward

We're confident that these improvements will enhance your learning experience and help you achieve your certification and career goals more effectively. The updated My Account page is just one more way HeatSpring is investing in your success.

Thank you for being part of the HeatSpring community. We're excited for you to explore these new features and continue your journey in renewable energy education!

Questions about the new My Account page? Contact our support team at support@heatspring.com or 800-393-2044 x0 - we're here to help you make the most of your HeatSpring experience.

A HeatSpring course is an online learning experience that will expose you to a wealth of new information, challenge you, provide a unique opportunity to learn directly from an expert in your industry, connect you with a network of peers, and, ultimately, transform your career. Your journey begins the moment you enroll and gain access to your online training materials.

Our courses are delivered through our platform and are taught by expert instructors with real-world experience who have a knack for passing their knowledge along to students. Students leave our courses with technical expertise and tools for taking their businesses and careers to the next level.

Students have unlimited access to the course materials for one year (365 days) after enrollment in a course. After the one year of access expires, students can extend access to the course materials by joining as a HeatSpring member. A single membership extends access to all past courses and also includes access to any updates made by the instructors, learn more about HeatSpring Membership.

Our online courses maximize flexibility and convenience while providing access to world-class instructors. Courses vary in length from free short courses to paid courses with ten or more modules packed with assignments. The assignments (videos, reading, quizzes, example problems, projects, etc.) and discussion board are organized into modules so you and your fellow students will be on the same general schedule. Aside from that, you are on your own to complete the assignments at your own pace.

There are no prerequisites required for any of our courses, even though most of them go into very advanced topics. We believe people learn in different ways and sometimes being thrown in 'over your head' is the way to go for a person or particular subject.

If you are unsure where to start, just contact us and we'd be happy to give you recommendations on what courses would be good for you based on your individual background and interests.

As explained in our Refund Policy and Terms we do not provide refunds. If you are unhappy with our services for some reason let us know and we will work to make it better. Depending upon our assessment of the circumstances of your dissatisfaction, we may allow you to use some portion of your payment as a credit towards a different course.

If you enroll in the wrong course by mistake please contact us immediately before accessing any course materials.

If you prefer to pay in installments, we provide financing and payment plan options at checkout. Just click the "take this course" button for the course you would like to enroll in and instead of using the credit card option, choose the "Klarna" option for installment payment plans with a simple account setup and instant approval. Once approved you will be redirected back to the checkout session and enrolled in the course.

Klarna

Klarna gives customers a range of payment options during checkout. Available payment options vary depending on the customer’s billing address and the transaction amount. In the US, Klarna offers a 4-payment plan as well as a longer term financing option. Klarna is available in the United States and Canada and also in a growing list of other countries.

If the course you want to take is out of reach financially you can also apply for financial aid using this link: https://www.heatspring.com/financial-aid

Financial aid applications are reviewed weekly so you'll receive a response pretty quickly. Heads up that we don't approve requests for full tuition.

1. Video length. HeatSpring courses use asynchronous video to deliver most of the lessons. You can see the exact number of minutes of video contained in each course. This number is the biggest factor in determining the number of CEUs a course gets approved for, and the estimated time to complete. This is easy to calculate.
2. Number and complexity of other assignment types. This is much harder to calculate because everybody learns differently. Some people are reviewing the material and fly through it quickly. We don’t want to slow them down and waste their time. Others are new to a topic and might review things multiple times. This is especially true in exam prep courses where they are preparing for a high-stakes exam. We want to encourage these learners to take as much time as they need. Non-video assignments fall into these general categories:
   1. Formative and summative assessments, like practice tests and quizzes.
   2. Reading assignments. Most reading assignments are optional and recommended, but in some courses there is substantial recommended reading.
   3. File submissions, including excel files and other homework assignments.
   4. Links and test assignments.

Yes! All HeatSpring videos have autogenerated English language captions on them.

Additionally, we are in the process of adding Spanish lanuage captions to our courses. If there is a course where you need Spanish language captions and we haven't updated it yet, please let us know at support@heatspring.com, so we can expedite the caption process.

While we love to help our students get skilled up, HeatSpring does not provide job placement services. Still, there are tons of great career resources at your disposal. Check out the following job board links if you are looking to get into a new climate action job:

Renewable Energy and Climate Jobs

• Climate Change Jobs
• Green Jobs Board
• ZeroHero
• My Climate Journey

Solar Jobs

• Solar Energy Industry Association
• NABCEP Career Center
• Solar Power Europe - SolarWorks Platform

Home Energy 

• Building Performance Institute
• Green Workforce Connect
• Building Performance Association

Yes! HeatSpring has a new iPhone app for enrolled students. You can scan this QR code to download it and log into your HeatSpring account with Google or your username and password. We built it for people already taking HeatSpring courses. It minimizes the number of clicks it takes to do your next assignment. It’s a nice alternative to Facebook or ESPN or whatever apps you reach for in those free moments. We figure if it’s easy to keep learning, you’ll be more likely to finish the course, pass your exam, and get where you want to go. 

The app isn’t for finding new courses - it really just does that one thing. This is a totally optional tool that nobody is require to use. But if you try it, let us know what you think!

Download the app, sign into your account, and you’ll see all of your courses. Pick one and get started. The app is the quickest way to complete your assignments, so you’ll finish courses more quickly.

Download the HeatSpring iOS app to:

• Access all of your course learning content

• Stream videos, take quizzes, and view resources while on the go

• Pick up where you left off: your course progress is automatically synced between the iPhone app and your web browser

• Easily jump from lecture to lecture and between courses

• Track your progress on a course-by-course basis

Using the HeatSpring iOS app is completely free. Once you’re enrolled in a course on HeatSpring, you get full access to the content by downloading the app.

It’s important to note that you can’t sign up for new courses in the app. There are no in-app purchases. It’s really just a tool for current students to access their learning content. You can sign up for new courses and access all of the HeatSpring functionality from any web browser.

Why release a mobile app now?

One-third of HeatSpring’s users arrive on their phone. So we’ve been thinking about building a HeatSpring app for fifteen years, but we could never satisfy these two criteria:

1. It can’t be super expensive to create and maintain. 

2. It can’t suck.

It was only in the past year that William (our lead developer) presented a simple approach that would be easy to maintain but also useful for customers. Importantly, the app is only built for students that are already enrolled in courses. The experience is simple and straightforward for them. Everybody else should continue using web version.

By constraining the users and purpose-building the app for them, we can be more focused and do less. That’s how we’ve finally arrived at a solution is affordable and doesn’t suck.

Why iOS? When will there be an Android version?

60% of our mobile users are on iPhones. The other 40% are on Android. So we started with the bigger audience and will move next to the Android app. 

We’re getting a lot of user feedback now. We’ll use that feedback to make the iOS app better over the next couple of months and when it’s at a stable point we will create the Android version.

How will you know if it is working?

The metric we’re watching is ‘engagement’. Two-thirds of our users are on desktop and 54% of their visits are ‘engaged visits’, where they spend time exploring and learning. Among iOS users, only 43% of their visits are engaged visits.

A lot of things could explain that lack of engagement on iPhones, but it would be cool if we could make those visits more valuable. Our business model doesn’t rely completely on eyeballs, but our value is tied to the quality of the learning experience and the outcomes we can help people achieve. So if we make it easier and more fun to learn, it makese sense that those engagement numbers will go up.

If we can improve engagement, we begin to impact downstream metrics like course completions, exam success, career advancement, and ultimately decaronization.

Solar Financial Modeling Courses

Our two most popular courses on solar finance are the Solar Executive MBA Training and Financial Modeling for Solar PV Projects. Both of these courses are taught by finance and legal expert Chris Lord, and the Solar Executive MBA Training is co-taught by solar business expert Keith Cronin.

We get a lot of questions about these courses, and many students want to compare the two. Often students take both of these courses as part of our Solar Finance Professional Certificate program.

First, let's review what both courses have in common:

For both courses:

• Participants get access to all content upon enrollment and for 1 full year after enrollment.
• The instructors answer questions on the discussion board and review required project work
• They are both intensive online courses intended for experienced professionals in the industry.
• An Excel financial model tool is included in the course materials and used for your project work. Each model is quite detailed (breakdown of costs, production, etc), but, more importantly, the models give you the tools and understanding to add any additional details you need.
• International students are welcome! Approximately 20-30% of the content is specific to the United States. The remaining 70-80% would apply to any location internationally. The instructors are very open and supportive of international students and projects.

Next, let's focus on the differences. The content is completely different in both courses, and the financial models used are also different. Other differences include:

Solar Executive MBA Training view detailed outline

• 6 modules
• Co-taught by Chris Lord and Keith Cronin
• Financial model is a little simpler but you get to learn more about the drivers behind tax equity, Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) depreciation, and investment tax credit (ITC). 
• Inputs for the model are geared a bit more toward a commercial-scale project, but the size can be scaled up or down as necessary.
• This is an advanced course, but it does have more introductory content intended for students who may have experience in solar or finance but desire a better understanding of how commercial solar projects are developed, structured, and financed.
• Also includes content related to selling, creating proposals, organizing your team, and increasing the profit margins of your projects.

Financial Modeling for Solar PV Projects view detailed outline

• 5 modules
• Taught by Chris Lord
• Financial model has more detail and is done as a quarterly model (a little more complex) and includes a more complex partnership flip model.
• Inputs for the model are geared a bit more toward a utility-scale project, but the size can be scaled up or down as necessary.
• Content focuses a little less on the technical/legal issues behind the tax equity investment. 
• More advanced content intended for students who already have a good general understanding of how solar projects are developed, structured, and financed.

Solar Finance Professional Certificate view more info

Complete both courses and earn your Solar Finance Masters Series Certificate. If you take both courses, we recommend starting with the Solar Executive MBA Training. Enroll in our series package for additional savings.
 

The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is the industry gold standard for solar certifications and credentials. Many manufacturers, state licensing agencies and solar incentive programs require installers have some level of NABCEP credential.

NABCEP has two levels of PV Credential:

1. NABCEP PV Associate (PVA)
2. NABCEP Board Certifications:
   • PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification
   • PV Design Specialist (PVDS) Certification
   • PV Installer Specialist (PVIS) Certification
   • PV Commissioning & Maintenance Specialist (PVCMS) Certification
   • PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Certification
   • PV System Inspector (PVSI) Certification
   • Energy Storage Installation Professional (ESIP) Certification

Learn About NABCEP Credentials

Read more about each of these credentials on our NABCEP page or watch the video below to learn about each one and their requirements.

HeatSpring is a NABCEP Registered Provider and many of our courses qualify for Accredited Advanced PV Training hours required to sit for NABCEP Certification exams and are also approved for continuing education hours (CEU hours) to maintain your credential and recertify. HeatSpring is also a NABCEP PV Associate Provider.

If you have completed your course and are ready to fill out an application for your exam with NABCEP then the following may be helpful.

NABCEP PV Associate Exam

If you are planning to sit for the NABCEP PV Associate exam then you do not need to follow the instructions below. Instead navigate to your classroom for the Solar PV Boot Camp + NABCEP PV Associate Exam Prep course and fill out the application provided in the course. You will then submit the application and exam fee directly to HeatSpring within the course. Then HeatSpring will submit the application and fee on your behalf to NABCEP to verify you have completed the required course.

NABCEP Board Certification Exams

• PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification
• PV Design Specialist (PVDS) Certification
• PV Installer Specialist (PVIS) Certification
• PV Commissioning & Maintenance Specialist (PVCMS) Certification
• PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Certification
• PV System Inspector (PVSI) Certification
• Energy Storage Installation Professional (ESIP) Certification 

Step 1: Complete the Required Advanced Training Hours for the credential you wish to obtain and earning your certificate(s) of completion from HeatSpring.

Step 2: Fill out an application starting on NABCEP's website at https://www.nabcep.org/enroll-now/ and pay the exam fee directly to NABCEP. When filling out the application the following information may be helpful:

Accredited Training Hours

When you are filing out your application you may see a question like this (example from the PVDS application):  

A minimum of twenty-four (24) hours of training of accredited, advanced PV design principles and practices as outlined in the NABCEP PV Design Specialist Job Task Analysis. All advanced PV training must be offered by one of the following providers

Followed by a list of ways the institution or training course qualifies. For documenting hours from HeatSpring certificates of completion, choose the option titled: "Training institutions approved by State Contractor Licensing Boards or Canadian Provincial equivalents".

Multiple Records for NEC hours and Advanced Hours

For some certification exam applications, NABCEP requires that the JTA hours and NEC hours be reported separately under multiple records even if a single course fulfills all requirements. You may see a requirement on your application that looks like this:

You must have at least two (2) Records listed, one for each Course Type (JTA hours & NEC hours). If the course covers both Course Types, you may split course(s) into two records

If so, you can split the hours approved for a single course certificate of completion between JTA hours and NEC hours. To do this, just submit two copies of the same certificate, one for the JTA hours the course qualifies for and one for the NEC hours.

Approved NABCEP Hours by Course

If you need to review how many hours are approved for your course you can do so be either clicking the "verified certificate" link provided on your certificate of completion, or find your course using our NABCEP Credential Course Finder Tool.

The answer is now yes with NABCEP's new Board Eligible Program! 

NABCEP has introduced a new "Board Eligible Status" program that allows candidates to complete their PV Installation Professional (PVIP) certification requirements in a more flexible order, separating the process into two main steps: education/examination first, followed by field experience.

Candidates must complete 58 hours of approved classroom learning and pass the PVIP examination to receive temporary "Board Eligible" status, after which they have 3 years to gain the required solar installation experience in a decision-making capacity.

The program maintains the same rigorous standards while addressing a common industry challenge by allowing professionals to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge before acquiring hands-on experience.

The total NABCEP cost includes a $125 application fee and $375 exam fee, with no additional charges when converting from Board Eligible to Board Certified status.

If the Applicant was named on the permit and inspection document(s), typically no additional documentation is needed.

If the Applicant was not named on the permit and inspection document(s), they must submit a letter documenting their role and decision-making autority they had related to each installation for the system design, project management, installation, and/or commissioning/quality assurance process.

This physically signed letter on company letterhead must be from either

• the person who is named on the permit/inspection documents; OR
• a member of senior management from the company

Here is a template that you can customize for your NABCEP documentation.

NABCEP requires documentation of 58 Advanced PV Training Hours in sit for the PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification exam. At least 40 of these hours must come from a NABCEP Accredited Provider (HeatSpring courses qualify). HeatSpring is a NABCEP Registered Provider and our Provider Number is: 0255.

We provide 4 main pathways for earning the 58-hours:

1. PV Associate Pathway 
   • Course Bundle: 58-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training + PV Associate Exam Prep
   • Enables you to sit for the NABCEP PV Associate Exam - You have to take and pass the PV Associate exam for the full 58-hours to count
2. Energy Storage Pathway
   • Course Bundle:  58-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training + Energy Storage Associate
   • Includes an Energy Storage focused Boot Camp, does not include PV Associate exam or credential
3. PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification Prep
   • Course Bundle: NABCEP PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification Exam Prep
   • The easiest way to get 58-hours, does not include PV Associate exam or credential
4. Build your own Pathway
   • Courses: PVIP Course Finder
   • Choose any combination of courses which add up to at least 58 Advanced Hours

PVIP Recertification Continuing Education (CEU) Requirements

NABCEP has requirements for continuing education hours within specific subcategories in order to maintain your PVIP certification. Visit our NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification detail page to see the latest continuing education requirements, and corresponding courses to maintain your PVIP Certification.

NABCEP credentials can be valuable for many different reasons. Depending on your state, they may help with licensing, incentives or being on a list of qualified professionals. NABCEP credentials can also be a valuable marketing tool and differentiator for your business to establish trust with customers. In addition, some manufacturers and distributors require some level of NABCEP credential.

The first thing to clarify is the difference between certification and licensing.

Certification

The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is a well recongnized independent certification program for photovoltaic (PV) professionals, with various certifications and credentials for PV professionals. To become NABCEP certified, professionals must have a certain amount of work experience and must document all training and installations. Professionals must also pass a rigorous exam, sign a code of ethics, and take continuing education courses for re-certification every three years.

HeatSpring is an approved, accredited provider and certificates of completion from our approved NABCEP courses can be used as documentation with NABCEP to qualfy for PV Certfication exams. In addition to full PV Certification exams, NABCEP also offers the PV Associate Credential and our Solar PV Boot Camp + NABCEP PV Associate Exam Prep course is an approved prerequisite to sit for that exam.

Licensing

State regulation and licensing of solar contractors continues to evolve as the industry grows. The contractor licensing requirements described here refer to solar-specific licensing requirements, rather than general electrical contractor licenses. Most states require a licensed electrical contractor for PV installation.

Some states require solar installers to obtain a separate, specialized solar contractor’s license. In most cases, solar is a specialty classification under the general electrical licenses and all appropriately licensed contractors can install solar systems without the solar specialty license. However, contractors may be able to obtain a solar specialty license and install systems without having the full electrical license. This reduces the cost of licensure for contractors who only install solar systems.

In addition, NABCEP credentials can help you qualify for state incentive programs or to be added to a list of qualified solar professionals.

For the most accurate understanding of licensing requirements, it is best to talk to your local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) or building department.

Yes.

All NABCEP Exam fees are approved in the WEAMS system, so you can use your VA education benefits to pay the exam fees.

HeatSpring's NABCEP PV Associate course is an approved prep course for the exam, so you can get reimbursed for the full cost of that training.

Prep courses for the other NABCEP exams haven't been approved yet. We're working on it, but for now the only course you can definitely get reimbursed for is the NABCEP PV Associate course.

The short answer is, yes. 

Here is a link to download the NABCEP special accommodations form: NABCEP Special Accommodations Request Form

If you need special accomodations for NABCEP PV Exams, including the PV Associate Exam and all PV Board Certifications you can fill out the NABCEP Special Accommodations Request Form and submit it to NABCEP using the instructions on the form. After submitting the NABCEP request form you will also still need to fill out the standard NABCEP exam application for the exam you intend to take.

The introduction to the NABCEP Special Accomodation Request Form follows:

To ensure equal opportunities for all qualified persons and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, Inc®. (NABCEP®) will make reasonable accommodations for candidates when possible. The information you provide and any documentation regarding your disability and your need or accommodation will be treated with strict confidentiality. Review of requests for accommodations can take 3-4 weeks or more and should be submitted as far in advanced as possible.

HeatSpring is a Registered NABCEP PV Associate Provider. We specialize in preparing students for the NABCEP PV Associate exam and our 88% student success rate shows how effective our courses are in helping our students to pass NABCEP Credential exams and NABCEP Certification exams. Learn more about our NABCEP PV Associate Exam course.

1) Complete this course https://www.heatspring.com/courses/solar-pv-boot-camp-nabcep-pv-associate-exam-prep, sign the honor code and request a certificate of completion at the end of the course.

2) Download the Candidate Eligibility Form and fill it out by typing into the PDF then save it to your computer. You can choose to take your exam at a Meazure Testing center OR at home on your own computer with Live Online Proctoring (if you computer meets the technical requirements). NABCEP has not yet updated the form, so for either option just check the "CBT with Scantron" box when you're filling out the form. When NABCEP contacts you to schedule the exam, you can then pick how you want to take the exam. When the form asks for a signature, you can either just type in your name or print the form and sign it.

3) Visit the assignment titled "Submit Your NABCEP PV Associate Application and Schedule Your Exam" to complete the online application, upload your saved pdf Candidate Eligibility Form, and pay the exam fee.

4) Once Step 3 is complete, HeatSpring will receive your application and register you in the NABCEP system.

5) You'll receive an email with instructions for setting up your account in Certemy to complete your application and manage your NABCEP credentials. Once you complete the setup process in Certemy you will receive another email for scheduling your exam via Live Online Proctoring from your own computer at home or at any Meazure Learning Testing Center near to you.

Need Help Scheduling Your Exam?

If you have completed all of the steps but have not received an email to schedule your exam or set up your Certemy account, please follow this guide: How to Complete Your NABCEP PV Associate Application on Certemy and Schedule Your Exam

Our PVA exam guarantee is for any student who has enrolled on their own or with their company to the Solar PV Boot Camp + NABCEP PV Associate Exam Prep course and completed the course wholly on the HeatSpring platform. The PVA exam guarantee is not available when a student has enrolled through workforce partnership programs or has been enrolled at no cost after completing an in-person PVA cohort.

If you meet the requirements listed above and don't pass the NABCEP PV Associate Exam on your first try, HeatSpring will refund $125 for your re-take fee. Our students have a 88% pass rate on the exam, so we think you're going to pass!

Note that "Guaranteed Pass" is only available on the PV Associate, not on any other NABCEP exams.

First make sure you have followed all the steps to submit your NABCEP PV Associate Application.

Accept Certemy Account Invitation and Complete the Exam Registration

Once you submit your application to HeatSpring and recieve confirmation that the application was accepted, you will receive a welcome email titled "Welcome to Certemy" from the email address "support@nabcep.certemy.email" to the email address on the application form. You may need to check your junk/spam box or add this email address to your contacts or safe sender list. The email will look something like this:

Click on the "Complete Registration" button to set up a password for your account and accept the terms and conditions then log into the account. Once you are logged in click the "My Testing" tab at the top of the page and then complete the "Exam Registration" step. You will just need to check the checkbox that says "please confirm your authorization to register for examination" and click the submit button. No additional payment is required at this step. For more information you can view this Certemy support video about the My Testing page.

Schedule Your Exam with Meazure Learning

Once you set up your Certemy account and complete the exam registration step, you will then receive another email from Meazure Learning (formerly Scantron) called a "Notice to Schedule" to schedule your exam date. The email will come from the email address "candidatsupport@meazurelearning.com", please make sure you check junk/spam for this email or add this email address to your contacts or safe sender list. You will be able to schedule your exam via Live Online Proctoring from your own computer at home or at any Meazure Learning Testing Center near to you. For Meazure Learning support, please call (855) 772-8678 or visit https://www.meazurelearning.com/contact-us

Remember your Certemy Login Information

You will be using this Certemy account to manage your testing as well as your credential moving forward for recertification and also manage additional NABCEP credentials in the future if you sit for more exams. Visit https://nabcep.certemy.com and log in with this account information to check on the status of your exam or credentials and renew your credentials in the future. If you have any issues you can visit the Certemy user guide page.

Haven't Received a Welcome Email from Certemy?

If you are unable to find welcome email inviting you to set up a Certemy account let us know at support@heatspring.com and we can manually activate the account for you. Once your account has been manually activated you can use the reset password function here to set a password https://nabcep.certemy.com and log into the Certemy account.

It varies! But it's usually pretty fast. Lately they have been sending email responses within two working days.

NABCEP requires documentation of 58 advanced PV training hours in sit for the PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Certification exam. At least 40 of these hours must come from a NABCEP Accredited Provider (HeatSpring courses qualify). HeatSpring is a NABCEP Registered Provider and our Provider Number is: 0255.

We provide 4 different pathways for earning the 58 hours:

1. Codes & Standards Focus
   • Course Bundle: NABCEP PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Certification Prep: Codes & Standards Focus
   • Includes foundations of solar, codes and standards related to solar installations in the National Electrical Code and other relevant standards, and technical sales principles exam prep
   • Does not include PV Associate exam or credential
2. Commercial & Industrial Sales + Energy Storage Focus
   • Course Bundle: NABCEP PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Certification Prep: C&I + Energy Storage Focus
   • Includes foundation of solar and energy storage, the commercial solar sales process, and technical sales principles exam prep
   • Does not include PV Associate exam or credential
3. PV Associate Pathway 
   • Course Bundle: NABCEP PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Certification Prep: PV Associate Exam Pathway
   • Enables you to sit for the NABCEP PV Associate Exam - You have to take and pass the PV Associate exam for the full 58-hours to count
   • Includes foundations of solar, codes and standards related to solar installations in the National Electrical Code and other relevant standards, and technical sales principles exam prep
4. Build your own Pathway
   • Courses: PVTS Course Finder
   • Choose any combination of courses which add up to at least 58 "advanced hours for exam"

PVTS Recertification Continuing Education (CEU) Requirements

NABCEP has requirements for continuing education hours within specific subcategories in order to maintain your PVTS certification. Visit our NABCEP PV Technical Sales Certification detail page to see the latest continuing education requirements, and corresponding courses to maintain your PVTS Certification.

Illinois Solar for All has qualified HeatSpring as an Other Qualifying Program (OQP), because completing our coursework would lead an eligible trainee to become a Qualified Person under the Illinois Adm. Code 468.20 as listed in the Illinois Solar for All Approved Vender Manual. Please note that this was updated in 2024 to include getting the NABCEP PV Associate Credential as a pathway to become an Eligible Job Trainee. 

To be considered an eligible trainee, there are now two options that HeatSpring offers.

#1 - Students complete the Solar PV Boot Camp + NABCEP PV Associate Exam Prep course. Upon completion, students must take and pass the NABCEP PV Associate Exam. 

#2 - Students must complete at least 50% of our 58-Hour Advanced PV Certification Training Series, which prepares students to take the NABCEP PV Associate (PVA) exam and the PV Installation Professional (PVIP) exam. This series includes the Solar PV Boot Camp + NABCEP PV Associate Exam Prep and the 40-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUs.

To be 50% complete through this pathway, students must fully complete the Solar PV Boot Camp + NABCEP PV Associate Exam Prep course, take and pass the NABCEP PV Associate Exam, and complete all the way through to the end of Module 1 of the 40-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUs course.

Note: HeatSpring will not issue any specific IL Solar for All credentials. Instead, students will receive Certificates of Completeion when an entire course is completed and we will verify a trainee has completed coursework of partial courses (as outlined in option #2 above). 

If you have any questions about what qualifies within the Illinois Solar for All program, reach out to us at support@heatspring.com.

It depends.

The PV Installation Professional (PVIP), PV Design Specialist (PVDS), PV Installer Specialist (PVIS), PV Commissioning & Maintenance Specialist (PVCMS) and PV System Inspector (PVSI) certification exams are all using the 2017 NEC.

The new Energy Storage Installation Professional (ESIP) certification exam is using the 2020 NEC.

The NEC stays mostly the same as far as the exams go. There are probably one to zero questions where the version of the NEC would make a difference. The exam committees do not try and trick people based on versions of the exam.

In our NABCEP prep courses, we typically keep 2 versions of the NEC, so students can balance the version being used on their NABCEP exam as well as what may be adopted in their local areas. It is real life that there are so many different versions of the NEC that we are dealing with. It is helpful to remember that the NEC is mostly the same year to year, decade to decade. Most of the changes do not change the way we do things, it is primarily organizational, such as moving something to a different place or renumbering something.