Analyze and reduce building energy use: audits, load fundamentals, HVAC and envelope measures, and savings calculations that hold up.
What you’ll learn
- Read utility bills and benchmark building performance (EUI, ENERGY STAR concepts)
- Conduct walk-through and targeted energy audits
- Identify and quantify envelope, lighting, HVAC, and controls measures
- Calculate savings and simple payback credibly
- Write an energy report that gets measures funded
Lessons
Building Energy Engineer Course — Lesson 1: Building energy fundamentals and benchmarking
Building Energy Engineer Course — Lesson 2: The energy audit: process and field technique
Covers audit levels (walk-through to investment-grade, ASHRAE framing), pre-audit data collection, and field technique: lighting counts and logging, HVAC equipment inventory with nameplate data, schedule verification (does the building run empty at night?), envelope observation, and plug-load sampling. Includes the audit toolkit and the interview questions for operators that surface the biggest findings. The Energy […]
Building Energy Engineer Course — Lesson 3: Envelope and lighting measures
Envelope: insulation and air-sealing opportunity identification, window measure realism (why replacement rarely pays on energy alone), and infiltration findings. Lighting: LED retrofit scoping, fixture vs. lamp strategies, controls (occupancy, daylight, scheduling), and the interaction effect with cooling loads. Each measure covered as: how to spot it, how to size it, typical cost and savings ranges. […]
Building Energy Engineer Course — Lesson 4: HVAC and controls measures
The deepest savings pool. Covers scheduling and setback corrections (often the #1 finding), economizer function checks, VFD opportunities on fans and pumps, setpoint and reset strategies, equipment-replacement timing (efficiency delta vs. remaining life), and the recommissioning mindset — making existing systems run as designed before buying new ones. Includes the controls-review checklist for a BAS […]
Building Energy Engineer Course — Lesson 5: Savings calculations and economics
Numbers that survive scrutiny: lighting savings math (wattage delta x hours x rate), motor/VFD savings with affinity-law awareness, HVAC schedule savings estimation, demand-charge reduction, and interactive-effects honesty. Then economics: simple payback, basic lifecycle framing, utility incentive integration, and the uncertainty ranges that make your numbers credible rather than optimistic. Building a Defensible Savings NumberSix steps […]
Building Energy Engineer Course — Lesson 6: The energy report and implementation support
Covers report structure that gets funded: executive summary with a measure table (cost, savings, payback), measure write-ups, and a phased implementation roadmap (no-cost/low-cost first to fund capital measures). Ends with M&V basics — verifying savings after implementation — and presenting to owners and finance audiences. Certificate of Completion included. From Findings to Verified SavingsSix steps […]