CWEB.046/OCTOBER.28.1999

# Learning by Doing

### New Performance-Based Energy Management
Certification Program Set for Oregon Debut

A new regional energy management certification program combining classroom education and an on-the-job project will debut next spring.

This program, developed by the Eugene-based Northwest Energy Education Institute, includes two weeks of energy management training in Oregon, followed by a workplace initiative to demonstrate capability in the field. It is designed for professionals in energy-related professions.

"To receive this certificate you need to have implemented a project," said NEEI's Roger Ebbage. "That's what makes us different." So different, in fact, "No one else in the country has delivered this curriculum to date, that we know of," said Andy Ekman of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, which provides funding to NEEI.

The performance-based element is "the thing I believe is missing from a lot of training," Ebbage said at the Up Periscope conference in Eugene in mid-August. "You can actually do what you're being trained on and you're able to measure outcomes.

"Graduates will be able to identify and implement a broad range of energy management initiatives which cost-effectively reduce energy use and utility costs," he continued. "Employers receive a maximum return on their investments . . . We're really looking at this as being revolutionary."

The required workplace initiative "can be as little as developing an energy management team for the company and implementing an energy accounting strategy, all the way through to replacing old chillers with brand-new energy-efficient merchandise," Ebbage told Con.WEB. "The curriculum will cover everything between those two degrees of implementation."

NEEI's target audience for the certification program includes engineers, technicians, architects, facility, property, maintenance and energy managers, administrators, and representatives of utilities, governments and schools--anyone with "some need to have some energy efficiency understanding" in their professional lives, according to Ebbage, who sees increasing demand for energy management certification.

Ebbage said program marketing will focus on the Northwest, including on utilities "that can benefit from quantifying some energy savings through investments with their clients."

Program Details

The inaugural energy management certification program will begin April 17 at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, between Corvallis and Salem. Over a two-week period students will get 11 days of training, covering electric industry and energy management overview; energy use in the built environment; lighting and electrical fundamentals; glazing, insulation and building envelope; heating and cooling; secondary HVAC systems; controls; industrial fundamentals; plant equipment; energy auditing; conservation methods; and operation and maintenance opportunities.

In addition to technical training, the in-residence portion of the certificate program will delve into presentation techniques, team development and other people-oriented skills needed for effective energy management. "We're finding that's more and more important," said Ebbage.

After completing the classroom training, students will set out to work on their projects. NEEI will offer continuing help with engineering issues, product identification, resource allocations and other needs as they arise over the project duration. "We'll be there with them all the way," Ebbage said.

Certification will become official after the project is finished and the energy savings are monitored and verified.

Program fees will be in the range of $3,000 to $3,500, excluding nominal room and board (if necessary) for the in-residence period. Ebbage anticipates employers will cover some or all of the costs for their employees to take the certification program. This expense includes the two weeks of training, ongoing interaction with NEEI and energy-saving work for the employer through the project, he noted.

The certificate will be comparable to an advanced academic degree, Ebbage believes. "We think the work is detailed enough it will be at a master's degree level." He told Up Periscope the certification process should take about 600 hours.

NEEI has received a grant from Honeywell Controls for the certification program, and may seek other funds from utilities. The Institute will offer continuing education credits for Oregon engineers taking the certification program. And the Alliance will play a role through its financial support of the Institute.

The program represents "unknown territory," said the Alliance's Ekman. "I think that's both exciting and challenging." It remains to be seen how many people will sign up, pay the fees and spend the considerable time and effort needed to gain certification, he noted. "If [NEEI] gets the participants, I think maybe this can be the start of something really very productive and beneficial to the region, to have that caliber of training available to any practitioner who's got the wherewithal to attend."

Ebbage said he got the idea for this program from a similar venture in New Zealand, although he made some modifications. NEEI plans to offer the certification program at least once a year, and perhaps twice a year eventually. "We'll test this first one and see how it works."--Mark Ohrenschall

More Information:

- Northwest Energy Education Institute's Energy Management Certification Program

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