Think Green: New Commercial Energy Auditing Program on the Horizon

When it comes to improving your skill set, anyone—be it an established contracting business or an independent electrician—can use some additional, value-added training.

With that in mind, we wanted to let everyone in the greater electrical community know about a new commercial energy auditing program that we think will be of particular benefit.

Earlier this year, we worked with the Omaha Journeyman Electrical Apprenticeship and Training Committee (OJEATC) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to develop a new 3-day course for Advanced Building Analyst (ABA) – Electrical certification. During the OJEATC meeting, the team realized the need for a specifically commercial-focused energy auditing program. To add to that, Miller Electric’s president, Ray Bruegman also suggested opening this course up to more than just electricians, but to project managers and contractors. After all, they are the ones who are selling the services, so it’s important that they understand the energy auditing methods and scope of the projects as well.

Through a collaborative effort between OJEATC, UNL, Miller Electric, and funding provided by Nebraska’s State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP) grant project, syNErgy, a new course was developed to address the unique energy requirements of commercial buildings.

Though still in the proposal stage, we’re excited about the offering because the benefits to the community are two-fold: business owners get help in reducing their energy costs and operating more sustainably, while contractors learn new skills to broaden their field of expertise and bring in new project opportunities.

Here’s a brief description of the ABA - Electrical program:

The proposed course will provide the electrical worker the knowledge and tools necessary to perform an audit of commercial building energy systems. Focus areas include lighting, plug loads and energy monitoring systems. Studies have shown these areas provide the highest energy cost savings and retrofits may be performed exclusively by licensed electrical contractors.      
The 3-day program will consist of approximately 20 contact hours, which may in whole or in part, be credited toward continuing education units (CEUs) required for licensure in Nebraska.

The expected delivery of the course will be in December 2011. We encourage anyone who’s interested to enroll, and look forward to working with you, as we’ll most likely be participating in the train-the-trainer sessions alongside fellow industry peers.

To learn more, contact: Dave Peterson at davidp@millerelect.com.