A couple of years ago I start growing my own hot pepper plants after our local source for unusual plants went out of business. With a little investigation a have managed to come up with methods to quickly germinate and grow peppers. Here's what I've found. I hope it will answer some of the questions and solve some of the problems I've been reading from other members.
Seed starter trays work very well. Use the clear plastic dome until the most of the seeds have come up then remove it. Do not use peat pellets or peat to germinate. Pepper seeds don't like the pH. I use a starter plug called Rapid Rooter. It is made from recycled bark. They look funny but work great. Use distllled water to moisten the seeds until they germinate then it's ok to switch to tap water if you like. At this point you should start adding a fertilizer to the water. Use a seedling heating mat. They aren't too expensive and they help speed up germination. I also use grow lights. To prevent seedlings from being wimpy. Apply a gentle breeze from a fan for about 30 minutes a day. The wiggling stimulates the stems to strengthen. If you don't have a fan you can gently run your hand over the tops of the plants to get the same effect. You just have to do it more often. I've had impressive luck following these tips. The tepin seeds I bought said they can take up to 100 days to germinate. Mine were up in 7 days!
Good luck pepper lovers.