About Us

The Building Performance Center was founded in 1997 as a new division of The Opportunity Council, a non-profit community action agency serving Whatcom, Island and San Juan counties of Washington State. The Building Performance Center leverages the strengths of a nationally recognized weatherization program with lessons learned from working with other weatherization assistance program agencies, private contractors, and utility conservation programs.

We approach the house as a system of interrelated components. The building shell, the heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and the occupants all operate and have consequences for each other. Using pressure measurements as a diagnostic tool and integrating these measurements with a DOE approved energy audit while applying basic building science principles, ultimately culminates in a very comprehensive methodology for delivering weatherization/energy efficiency services.

The Building Performance Center's experience in providing training and services to non-low-income customers has strengthened and broadened our technical expertise. The competitive demands of working in the private sector have made us a better low income service provider. The techniques and perspectives gained from our experience are shared with those companies and agencies we provide training services to, emphasizing efficiency and customer service. Our training sessions are extremely effective, largely because we are not just a training institution, we are also practitioners.

The Building Performance Center has expanded its range; providing training, consulting and retrofit services through the region. The Building Performance Center staff has delivered hundreds of days of technical training since 1997 to agencies, utilities and private contractors in WA, OR, ID, AK and the province of British Columbia.

The five guiding principles of the Building Performance Center are:

• Health and safety
• Building durability
• Occupant comfort
• Sustainablity