Ensuring Sustainability: Energy Efficient Buildings & Technician Education
The impacts of the climate crisis are everywhere around us with severe droughts, wildfires and floods without precedent, severe water shortages, famine, drying rivers, and increasing numbers of climate refugees. However, global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are still growing. COP 27 has refocused attention on the urgency of international cooperation and stronger effort aimed at GHG reductions in the advanced countries while boosting financial support and adaptation measures for the most vulnerable countries. Moreover, emissions reduction targets agreed upon in the Paris Accords are not being met by many countries, and it appears increasingly unlikely that global temperature increase can be held to 1.5ºC.
To avert the worst effects of global climate change, quick action must be taken to reduce carbon emissions. Because the construction and operation of buildings contribute almost 40% of global atmospheric carbon, reducing emissions attributable to buildings is critically important through improved energy efficiency, onsite generation of renewable energy, and other measures. In the U.S. the federal government and a growing number of state and local agencies are creating policies and setting standards for more energy efficient building operations, stimulating the adoption of new technologies and building control strategies, and promoting the growth of renewable energy. In response to these initiatives and the larger goal of reducing reliance on fossil fuels, numerous technical innovations are visible in the application of Building Automation Systems (BAS) to improve sequences of operations, building de-carbonization strategies including widespread adoption of heat pump technology, on-site renewable energy generation and storage, grid interactive energy management (GEB), and more. As the building sector pursues a more sustainable future, the role, importance, and advanced skill requirements of building technicians will increase proportionately, along with the relevance and scope of advanced technical education.
The BEST Center 2-day National Institute will focus on new policies and standards impacting building design and operations, de-carbonization strategies and technologies, and the instructional methods, content, and lab activities needed to prepare students and technicians for the demands of advanced building operations. We will highlight legislative and international efforts to promote de-carbonization; explore innovations and challenges in energy efficiency, electrification, and Building Automation Systems; and identify strategies and opportunities for educators and industry.