IGSHPA Credentials

IGSHPA Installer Workshops are designed for GSHP installers, contractors, dealers, home builders, manufacturers, distributors, architects, heating cooling mechanical engineers, trenching/water well drilling contractors, and anyone who desires a working knowledge of this innovative technology.

Representatives from public utilities, private utilities, and rural electric cooperatives can also benefit from training. Information gathered from the workshops can help utility representatives serve as a source of information regarding money-saving concepts.

• Design and Material Options
• System Layout
• Pipe Joining Techniques – Hands-on for butt, socket, saddle and electro fusion
• Trenching/Drilling Processes
• Air and Debris Purging
• Pressure Drop Calculations
• Pump and Fluid Selection
• Thermal Conductivity
• Start-up, Performance Checking & Troubleshooting

The IGSHPA exam package costs $350. It includes fees for the IGSHPA exam, IGSHPA membership for 3 years, and an individual license for the CSA standards. It is paid when the student is ready to take their exam after they complete the IGSHPA Geothermal Installer Accreditation course.

The exam is open book, with 100 multiple-choice questions. To pass the exam, candidates must score 80% or above.

The AI exam is not proctored and test takers may use any device to access the exam.

Continuing education is required every three years for certification renewal.

During the 3-year period, 8 points must be accumulated to renew your certification and an IGSHPA Continuing Education Form must be submitted. The points can be accumulated three ways:

• Employment
  • You may accumulate up to 4 points by remaining continually employed for 3 years in the combined geothermal heat pump and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning field.
  • Total points = (number of years x 1.33)
• Membership in an approved organization
  • Approved organizations include IGSHPA, the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and similar organizations
  • 1 point = each year of membership
  • Membership in more than one organization will apply toward accumulation of multiple points per year.
• Education
  • Points can be accumulated by participating in continuing education or professional activities in the combined geothermal heat pump or HVAC field.
  • 2 points can be accumulated for each 20 contact hours in seminars or training.
    • Total contact hours x 0.1 = CEU credit points
  • 2 points can also be accumulated for each college credit hour, if that applies.

IGSHPA memberships & certification can be purchased for 1 or 3 years at a time. IGSHPA members receive a discount on certification renewal (your membership term must match certification renewal term). An annual IGSHPA individual membership is $125/year. Member certification renewal is $75/year, while non-member certification renewal is $225/year.

You can learn more about IGSHPA certification renewal requirements here.

This was the very first HeatSpring class we ever offered. Dr. Charles Remund, author of the IGSHPA manual, taught the first class in May 2007 on the campus of Babson College in Wellesley, MA. The course was a huge success, we had such an amazing time that we decided to do more of it. 100,000+ course enrollments later, we're still going.