Building Retuning

Catalog description

Building Retuning focuses on the identification and implementation of energy-efficient retuning measures for commercial buildings to detect energy savings opportunities and implement improvements. This class introduces the topics of energy efficiency management through no-cost and low-cost operational measures in the following major focus areas: lighting, building envelope, hot water/steam systems, HVAC, compressed air, indoor environmental quality, and plug loads. This course builds upon prerequisite knowledge in building energy systems and is intended to support careers in the energy services industry. Students will learn how data is acquired through several on-site building surveys and walkdowns, analyze them, convert them to graphical formats, and interpret them for operational diagnosis and write a report on their recommendations. Students will also gain experience to interact with building occupants and operators and practice how to effectively work as a team. By the end of the course, students will: understand the roles of various technologies, methods, and analytical tools designed to evaluate building energy systems, envelope, and occupancy; be proficient in the use of analytical tools used for energy modeling of existing buildings and the development of energy efficiency recommendations; be capable of synthesizing multiple sets of criteria in the design of energy efficiency measures and packages that are unique and responsive to situational conditions; and be experienced in communication with facility owners and managers in a manner that encourages actionable steps toward energy efficient systems.