Piloting an Energy Specialist Training Program: Lessons Learned

Engineering undergraduate students at the junior and senior level are exposed to many technical electives that are related to topics in energy. Traditionally, these classes have been limited to classroom instruction, however, making it difficult for students to obtain experiences that are closer to real world situations. Instructors have found it difficult as well to include outside of the classroom experiences for students. This paper describes the implementation of a state funded project to provide an outside of the classroom opportunity for students to receive training on calculating building energy efficiency through exposure to Energy Star, Portfolio Manager and brief content on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Students studied the energy consumption of several buildings in the vicinity both on and off campus and calculated their respective energy efficiency ratings, which they reported back to the building facility managers. Through this training, students received real world exposure to building operations and maintenance activities. Assessment of student experiences through this project was conducted through surveys which revealed that the students had an overall positive experience, including an increased interest in the energy efficiency field. As a pilot program this project demonstrates how such a building energy efficiency training program could be continued in the future on a periodic basis, and provides directions for further expansion of this type of training program so that engineering students who are interested in continuing their careers as energy specialists have the opportunity to expand on their classroom instruction to real world applications. Lessons learned during the organization and delivery of the Energy Specialist Training Program, in addition to the lessons learned about student needs and interests in such a program and the impact to the students are presented. I. Background of the Program Buildings are a major consumer of energy in the United States. For 2009, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates a total of 41% of total energy consumption in the U.S. went to residential and commercial sectors whereas only 29% went to transportation. To help address issues related with building energy consumption the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was formed in 1993 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. One of the group’s first tasks was to develop metrics for sustainability in buildings and to identify “green buildings”. This undertaking resulted in the release of the now familiar Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. However, only a portion of LEED credits are associated with energy. An alternative that offers more emphasis on energy use and conservation, particularly for smaller buildings, is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star rating system. This metric benchmarks a building’s energy use against itself and other similar buildings. There are several benefits including energy/cost savings and demonstration of energy awareness. Ratings are determined by entering information for buildings into the online Portfolio Manager system. However, at the current time many building owners, facility managers, and engineers often do not have the time and/or experience to determine the required information, input it to Portfolio Manager, and interpret the results. With access to a trained and low cost assistance program, many buildings could benefit from the Energy Star rating system. In the current economic climate this would be particularly beneficial to entities such as schools and other non-profits. A project was proposed to pilot an Energy Specialist Training program for university students at the upper class undergraduate and graduate levels. Following the lessons of the well-known U.S. Department of Energy Industrial Assessment Centers ) and a similar training program in Florida ), the project would develop procedures for recruiting students, providing training on Energy Star and Portfolio Manager, facilitate the study of several regional buildings, and provide feedback to the building owners. The intent was to develop a program with demonstrated benefit to students and local businesses that could be continued and integrated as part of the educational programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Funding was awarded with a Low-Income Energy Training – ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) Grant through the State of Minnesota. II. Student Recruitment and Training To assist with student recruitment the grant budget included small scholarships. Due to the lowincome restrictions on the grant, students were only able to receive a scholarship if they qualified for student financial aid. The availability of the scholarships was publicized through several programs on campus by sending information to key contacts in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, Urban Studies, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, the College of Business, and the Renewable Energy Institute. The College Student Advising Center served as the collector of all applications. The Advising Center also handled all checks with the Financial Aid Office to determine applicant’s low-income qualifications through the FAFSA process. The initial hope was to recruit students from several programs, including in the business area, to make more diverse groups. However, despite wide dissemination, applications were only received from mechanical and civil engineering students. A total of nine scholarship recipients were identified. In addition, there were four undergraduates and two graduate students interested in the program who did not qualify per the low-income requirements. An In-Service course option was established so that the undergraduate students could still participate (on a non-grant supported basis) and so that the scholarship students would have a permanent record of their participation. These students were divided into two project groups. At the start of the grant a graduate student was identified to serve as a Graduate Research Assistant in support of the grant. This turned out to be one of the most important aspects of the project. The selected student was a graduate of the mechanical engineering B.S. program and was completing a M.B.A. at the time. This student was tasked with helping to identify possible training materials, helping to assemble student notebooks, and working with the students on a one-on-one basis. Training materials were organized on the topics of energy benchmarking, Energy Star, and Energy Portfolio Manager. In addition, it seemed likely that students would be exposed to the State of Minnesota’s B3 (Buildings, Benchmarks and Beyond) Benchmarking system so review material on this topic was also included. Ring binders of pertinent instructional material and reference information were created for each student. In addition, numerous instructional videos provided by the U.S. Department of Energy on Energy Star, and the State of Minnesota on B3, were reviewed. The most relevant were assembled into a list of assigned viewing for the students. The graduate assistant worked with the student’s schedules to determine meeting times. Students were given short presentations on topics then given assignments to complete before the next week. These assignments then led into group discussions the following week. While the graduate student ostensibly ran these meetings, at least one of the investigators attempted to be present at each meeting. Students were assigned to create Portfolio Manager accounts for themselves and to practice using the online instructional videos. III. Real World Training Site (Butler Square) Following the basic introduction to energy benchmarking it was desired to give the students some real world exposure. Through industry relations, contact was first made with EnergyPrint. This company does benchmarking and dashboard energy analysis for companies and buildings. They agreed to help provide the students with data on an existing building as a training tool. Figure 1: Butler Square building ). Through them contact was made with the Butler Square building (Figure 1), a warehouse that has been converted to an office building located in the warehouse district of Minneapolis, and its facilities management company McGough (which maintains the building’s LEED documentation). Butler Square is the first building of its kind to receive LEED certification in the EB O&M category (Existing Building, Operation and Maintenance). As part of energy conservation awareness efforts the building has also earned the Energy Star certification. A tour (Figure 2) of the Butler Square building was arranged through McGough. The students were able to learn about the building, visit the boiler and facility rooms, and discuss the challenges of maintaining such a building with the facilities staff. An engineer from the Sebesta Blomberg firm was also present. This firm does energy design work for the building and suggests energy improvements. The students were able to get a good perspective from all sides through this visit. The Butler Square building served as a test case for the students to study. Utility data was provided and the currently determined Energy Star rating. Multiple smaller student groups (2-3 students) entered data into Portfolio Manager for the Butler Square building. This allowed them to practice on a building with a known value for comparison. Students found that there was ambiguity in the space usage values and in the occupancy times that they could not verify. After making appropriate assumptions Energy Star ratings ranging from 83-88 were determined.