ONTARIO, CALIF. -- The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has hired Les Nelson as director of its Solar Heating & Cooling Programs.
A resident of Orange County, Calif., Nelson comes to IAPMO with extensive prior experience in the solar heating industry. As President of Western Renewables Group since 1992, he has provided consulting services to federal, state and private clients. His involvement in solar heating dates to 1972, and includes solar thermal manufacturing and contracting, regulatory and policy development, and solar energy advocacy at the state and federal levels.
Nelson is a director of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and chair of its Solar Heating & Cooling Division, a director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CAL SEIA), and a director of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). He also serves as operating agent for the International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Program's Task 43: Solar Rating and Certification Harmonization.
“Les’s considerable experience in solar will be a perfect fit for IAPMO in its efforts to develop products and services for the solar heating industry and its end-users, as well as for educators, regulators and policymakers,” IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney said. “Solar heating is poised for significant growth in the United States, and IAPMO’s existing businesses and affiliations with the plumbing and efficiency industries are logical pathways for IAPMO’s further expansion in solar heating activities.”
The IAPMO Group provides ANSI- and SCC-accredited product certification for solar water heating systems through IAPMO Research & Testing (R&T), and is nearing completion of work on the 2012 Uniform Solar Energy Code (USEC). With the launch of its solar heating and cooling program development effort, IAPMO will focus on the integration of solar heating-related continuing education and training programs with its existing Accredited Green Plumbers Training Program. Through IAPMO Standards, participation in solar heating-related codes and standards development work will continue, adding structure to the effort to bring solar heating and cooling technologies into the mainstream.
For more information on IAPMO, direct your Web browser to www.iapmo.org or contact Nelson at 909/218-8112 or [email protected].
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