One third of the energy consumed by buildings in the United States has the potential to be conserved. To equip engineers with the knowledge to stop this energy loss, a new full-day professional-development seminar (PDS), “Energy Management in New and Existing Buildings: A Sustainable Activity,” will be offered as part of the ASHRAE Learning Institute at the 2010 Winter Conference.
“Sustained energy management is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to expand our world's energy supplies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Dick Pearson, PE, ASHRAE Fellow, co-developer and instructor of the PDS, said.
The seminar is an expansion of the popular short course on energy management guided by Technical Committee 7.6 and weaves together energy-management principles of the ASHRAE Handbook, Energy Star guidelines, and the practical experience of successful energy managers.
“Energy Management in New and Existing Buildings” relies on case-example exercises that use energy data and facilities information to reinforce presentation material. The hands-on approach allows attendees to gain skills in analyzing the state of energy management at their own organizations and plan steps to enhance it. According to Kevin Little, PhD, co-developer of the course, these exercises prepare participants to apply what they learn immediately following the conference.
The Energy Star management flow chart will play a crucial role in guiding the presentation. The flow chart will help participants gain skills in extracting information from energy data and knowledge of basic tools, such as Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager.
Becoming familiar with the most up-to-date resources in energy management will encourage participants to seek out and use the information available in modern building-automation systems with confidence.
“Facilities managers and their consulting engineers need a foundation of energy-management skills in order to take advantage of advanced developments, like ASHRAE’s new Building (Energy Quotient) program and related initiatives to achieve net-zero-energy buildings,” Little said.
In addition to helping participants manage the energy use of their respective organizations, the seminar will offer the opportunity to earn six professional-development credits/American Institute of Architects learning units or 0.6 continuing education units.
The ASHRAE Learning Institute also will feature the PDSs “Complying with ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007,” “Complying with ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007,” “Data Center Energy Efficiency,” and “The Commissioning Process in New & Existing Buildings,” as well as 17 half-day short courses. Registration information for the 2010 Winter Conference and the ASHRAE Learning Institute can be found at www.ashrae.org/orlando.