The Clean Energy Learning Center

Transcription

1 Clean Energy Program Proposal The Clean Energy Learning Center Submitted By: The NJIT Center for Building Knowledge Submitted On: March 2, 2015

2 Executive Summary The NJIT Center for Building Knowledge (CBK) proposes to develop, launch and maintain over the course of three years - the New Jersey Clean Energy Learning Center (the Learning Center ) to provide high quality education and training on select aspects of New Jersey s Clean Energy Program. During Year 1, the Learning Center will primarily focus on providing online educational resources - available on-demand, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as a means to build stakeholder awareness of the Learning Center and its programs. In future phases and with input from CEP personnel and the Advisory Group established for the program (see below) the program can expand to include in-person trainings and, potentially, an annual educational conference. The Learning Center will provide educational offerings across the full range of stakeholder groups engaged with the Clean Energy Program building owners and managers; design professionals; energy and other professionals; contractors; code officials; and CEP program representatives at a variety of scales: from short, 1-5 minute tutorials to full-length courses that provide comprehensive training on a particular topic or procedure. The offerings will also be provided in a variety of formats, including: short tutorials (for example, what is a home energy audit ); longer, multimedia lectures on a specific topic (for example, the impacts of the 2015 IECC on single family home construction); and/or in-field demonstrations of how to actually implement a specific upgrade that qualifies for a rebate or incentive. It is anticipated that a key focus during Year 1 will be on energy code issues, both in terms of addressing upcoming changes to the code (specifically, New Jersey s potential adoption of ASHRAE or 2013 and/or IECC 2015) and in terms of helping code officials better understand how to evaluate new or unfamiliar EE technologies and design strategies for compliance. A corollary will be to inform facility designers and contractors as to how they can better explain these technologies/strategies to code officials to avoid costly and time-consuming compliance delays. Rationale Training both online and in-person has become an increasingly critical component of local and state energy efficiency programs across the country. In California, for example, investor-owned utilities currently spend over $1 billion per year on EE programs of which roughly $30 million is dedicated to training and education 1. Closer to home, MassSave in cooperation with its seven participating utility companies offers an ongoing series of training programs covering specific EE technologies as well as general building design strategies 2. MassSave also has a distinct, separate program focused on Energy Code Technical Support. Finally, just across the border, NYSERDA also coordinates an ongoing series of online, classroom and hands-on trainings focused on both individual technologies and wholebuilding performance. And, like MassSave, NYSERDA also has a distinct and one of the most robust training programs in the country focused on the energy code. The program began in 2010 in close cooperation with the NY Department of State s Division of Building Codes and Standards - with the launch of the NYSERDA Energy Code Training 1

3 Website and its accompanying suite of online and in-person training offerings. It is now expanding to include: the creation and delivery of a completely new collection of online and in-person trainings; the development and deployment of a range of new energy code tools, resources and support services; the redesign and expansion of the NYSERDA Energy Code Training Website; and the creation of an annual energy code education conference. By the end of 2017, when these new initiatives are fully developed and deployed, NYSERDA will have spent close to $10 million on energy code training for the State of New York. All these programs, and others across the country, recognize the value and efficiency of providing high quality education and training both in-person and online as a means to better inform key stakeholders, enhance program utilization, and develop a betterinformed, more competent energy efficiency workforce. The Clean Energy Program could reap similar benefits by developing and deploying a Clean Energy Learning Center that provides education on the core program together with specific training on emerging issues all in the service of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the CEP as a whole. The proposed project will test the effectiveness of such a strategy by creating, launching and evaluating the Clean Energy Program Online Learning Center in FY 2016, and then expanding its educational offerings in 2017 and Experience The NJIT Center for Building Knowledge has substantial experience developing, launching and maintaining training programs focused on buildings and energy efficiency. Some relevant examples include: NJ ZERH training The Center is currently creating online training for the Zero Energy Ready Home program for the New Jersey Clean Energy Program. The completed training, including video tutorials and quizzes, will be available to builders that want to participate in the program and, with support from the Honeywell team, eliminates the need for in-person training from the Department of Energy. US Department of Energy: Certificate of Proficiency in Benchmarking CBK developed and launched in cooperation with USDOE, the USEPA, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Building Energy Innovation the national Certificate of Proficiency in Benchmarking program. The program consists of a comprehensive online training curriculum focused on effectively using the EPA s Portfolio Manager tool and an online test. A participant who successfully 2

4 completes the courses in the curriculum and passes the test will receive a certificate of proficiency and will be registered in a national database of certified benchmarkers. The program is designed to provide baseline training for service providers, building operators and other interested professionals in how to benchmark their buildings, assure the quality of their data and measure/monitor their progress. California Energy Commission: Energy Standards Online Learning Center CBK staff assisted in the development and launch of California s first comprehensive educational program focused on its Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (2008 edition). The program primarily targets the needs of enforcement agency/building department professionals to comply with the Standards; however, consumers, builders, contractors, certified energy plans examiners and others also access the information. US Department of Energy: EA/Cx Online Training Under a grant from the National Energy Technology Laboratory, CBK developed the first, national online training program focused on commercial building energy auditors and commissioning authorities. The program consists of 67 individual online lessons organized into 16 courses and four, overarching modules: Commissioning Fundamentals, Energy Auditing Fundamentals, Advanced Commissioning and Advanced Energy Auditing. The curriculum is currently being administered by Portland Energy Conservation Inc., CBK s partner for the project. Panasonic Ventilation University CBK staff developed a comprehensive online training curriculum for Panasonic Corporation focused on the systems and basic science of good residential ventilation. The program developed customized training portals for four key audiences: Design Professionals, Sales Professionals, Installation Professionals and Panasonic Professionals. Using the 80/20 rule roughly 80% of the training was similar across all four audiences, with the remaining 20% customized to the specific needs of each individual audience segment. Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Weatherization Assistant Online Training Center CBK staff developed the first and currently only - national online training program on how to use the Weatherization Assistant software developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Weatherization Assistant is an energy audit tool developed for use 3

5 within the DOE Weatherization Assistance program. It is an umbrella program for two separate energy audits: the National Energy Audit Tool (NEAT) for site-built homes; and the Manufactured Home Energy Audit (MHEA) for mobile homes. The Training Center provides online instruction on how to successfully use both tools. Center for Building Energy Innovation: Saving Energy in Leased Space CBK developed and launched an online training and resource program focused on actions that tenants in leased office space can take to reduce energy use at three stages of the lease process: during an existing lease; during the tenant improvement process; and during negotiations for a new lease. The program is available through the CBEI website and the tenant improvement online course was also successfully incorporated into Architectural Record s Continuing Education Center, the nation s largest source of online training courses for architects and engineers. Affordable Green Academy With support from a private foundation, CBK staff created the Affordable Green Academy, an online training program to help developers, designers and builders of affordable housing incorporate green strategies into their every day practices. While there are many useful green building programs, specific, detailed guidance on the how-to of implementing green practices within the severely cost-constrained world of affordable housing is less common. This is what the Academy strives to provide. NYSERDA: High Performance Schools Online Academy CBK staff created a 25-module online training program for architects and engineers on the fundamentals of designing and operating energy-efficient, high performance K-12 schools. The project was funded by the US Department of Energy and implemented by NYSERDA in their role as the State Energy Office for New York. The result was one of the first, fully online training programs in the country focused on improving the energy efficiency of buildings, in this case K-12 schools. NJ Clean Energy Program: EnergySmart Urban Schools Program CBK staff worked with national experts to develop a series of online training programs focused on improving the performance of K-12 schools in urban settings. The project was funded by the US Department of Energy s Rebuild America program and implemented by CEP in their role as the State Energy Office. The program built on the NYSERDA High Performance Schools Online Academy experience and went deeper into specific topics, particularly daylighting in schools and commissioning. 4

6 MassSave: Advanced Buildings Core Performance Training Program CBK staff, in collaboration with National Grid and NSTAR staff, analyzed the Advanced Buildings Core Performance program. Based on the results of this analysis, CBK staff developed and delivered a marketing strategy, curricular materials, and training program on Core Performance for design professionals throughout the State of Massachusetts, including the annual BuildBoston event. Based on this past and current experience, NJIT is confident that it can, in cooperation with the Advisory Group discussed below, deliver a unique and highly effective suite of online educational offerings through the Clean Energy Program Online Learning Center. Scope of Work The proposed project will undertake the following series of interrelated tasks. Task 1. Establish Advisory Group At the outset of the project an Advisory Group of key stakeholders OCE and market manager personnel, program representatives and target audience stakeholders, including code officials - will be assembled to provide guidance and input to the project as it goes forward. Task 2. Identify Training Topics and Formats During this task NJIT, working closely with the Advisory Group, will identify the key training topics to be developed and deployed over the course of Year 1 of the program. It is anticipated that multiple content offerings will be developed for each of the CEP s main program areas: Residential; Commercial, Industrial, Local Government; Renewable Energy; and the CEP program as a whole. In addition, a special focus will be placed on the significant changes to the energy code in New Jersey anticipated for CY These changes will impact several of OCE s energy efficiency programs and will probably deserve a special educational initiative as a consequence. The following represent examples of topic areas around which targeted training and educational resources could be developed by the Learning Center in Year 1. Although promising educational opportunities could be found in virtually all the current CEP program areas, only a limited number are highlighted here as examples of the range of educational offers the Learning Center could provide. Energy Codes As noted earlier in this proposal, New Jersey is on the cusp of significantly upgrading its energy codes for residential and commercial buildings, moving from the 2009 IECC to 2015, and from ASHRAE to or These are substantial upgrades and will impact several CEP programs, in particular Residential New Construction and Pay for Performance. In addition, these changes will impact architects, engineers and contractors across New Jersey, driving them to design and build more energy efficiently. Understanding how to meet these new codes efficiently and cost-effectively will require training across five key stakeholder groups: building owners and managers; design professionals; energy and other professionals; contractors; and code officials. The Learning Center could establish a special Energy Code College that would specifically focus on the needs of these groups. As noted earlier, NYSERDA, 5

7 MassSave and other EE programs across the country already maintain robust education programs targeting energy codes. The CEP Energy Code College could draw on their experience to craft a series of specific courses and tutorials designed to help New Jersey stakeholders understand and comply with the upgraded codes. Residential HPwES If, as proposed by the market managers, the Home Performance with Energy Star program increases its focus on duct sealing and, specifically, on using the pressure pan test instead of the previously required Duct Blaster test as part of the sealing process, short video tutorials could be created explaining the advantages of this approach and demonstrating the correct methods for implementing it. All contractors in the program could be provided access to these tutorials and, if desired by the program, could even be assessed, via an online quiz, in terms of their competency in implementing the pressure pan test. More broadly, an online presentation providing an overview of the Home Performance with Energy Star program potentially based on the substantial FAQ section already associated with this program - could be created. Contractors could use this educational collateral as part of their discussions with potential HPwES customers and/or as a virtual leave-behind for customers to review on their own. Once established, this HPwES academy could also serve as a platform for additional educational offerings and updates pertaining to the program. RNC As noted by the Market Manager during the Program Planning process, there is a need in the Residential New Construction program for rater and builder education about QA/QC field procedures to ensure standards are being met in the field. A short course on these procedures including in-field examples could be created and implemented through the Learning Center. If desirable, an assessment and some form of certificate of completion could also be implemented to ensure that all raters and builders in the program have a firm understanding of the key QA/QC procedures required by the program as a means to increase quality and cost-effectiveness. In addition, substantial training will be required for all aspects of the RNC program when, as anticipated, New Jersey adopts IECC 2015 (see Energy Codes discussion above). HVAC The HVAC program already implements a robust training program on the design, selection, installation and maintenance efficient HVAC equipment. Announcements and scheduling for these programs could be incorporated into the Learning Center to provide a single source for such information. In addition, key elements of the current in-person trainings could be captured and eenhanced (re-organized and reformatted for online delivery) so that they can serve as online textbooks that provide as-needed, in-field refresher lessons based on what was learned in class. This approach would not substitute for in- 6

8 person training, but would take advantage of online tools to extend the impact and effectiveness of this training. Commercial, Industrial and Local Government LGEA The Learning Center could create an online educational walk-through of the LGEA program. The program could draw on resources like the current FAQ section of the CEP site, supplemented by new, more market-focused information from the Sustainable Jersey/NJIT analysis of the LGEA that is currently nearing completion. The goal would be to educate local government entities and school districts on the basics of the program and, more importantly, on how to use results from the audits to implement EE upgrades in their jurisdictions. The program would also place a strong emphasis on interviews with program participants who actually went forward with EE upgrades, focusing on why they moved forward, what they did, and how they did it as a means to generate peer-to-peer enthusiasm and motivation to take action. Equipment/Technologies Another promising area for online training in the C&I program could be to create a special section on Equipment and Technologies. Any of the equipment types currently covered on the website Lighting, HVAC, Motors, Drives, Refrigeration, etc. could have their own, robust set of courses and tutorials that clearly describe the technologies themselves, the CEP program areas where they are covered and how the technologies must be implemented to receive the incentives. This section could be particularly appropriate for explaining and providing training on any new technologies or types of equipment that might be added to the CEP over time, specifically in the SmartStart and Direct Install program areas. Target audiences would include consumers as well as program representatives and installation contractors P4P A third opportunity could be in the P4P program. The market manager has indicated a potential need for additional equest training for program participants as a means to increase program efficiency and accuracy. A series of online or in-person training courses could be developed to walk through the process of modeling a building in equest. Whether this is a basics course for people with little or no experience with the tool or a more advanced training to improve accuracy and quality- or both would be determined in cooperation with the Advisory Group. If a test component were also included, the courses could be used to certify P4P participants on the correct use of the equest tool as a further means to ensure quality modeling outputs. Renewable Energy SREC In the Renewable Energy section, the entire SREC program could be explained through a series of online lectures and tutorials. The courses could even explore a variety of role-playing scenarios which could explain how SRECs can be obtained, marketed and sold all presented from a variety of stakeholder viewpoints. The current SREC section of the website could serve as the content basis for these courses. 7

9 Metering and Interconnection Alternatively or in addition a separate mini-learning Center could be created for the Metering and Interconnection section of the web site. There is already a great deal of print information in this section that could easily be reformatted and e-enhanced into an online course and then combined with a series of how to tutorials again with the purpose of making the content material both more engaging and more accessible. Please note that these are only examples of the types of online educational offerings that might be developed as part of the Learning Center. The content and format of actual offerings and a timetable for their roll-out over the course of three years - will be developed, in direct collaboration with the Advisory Group each year as part of this task. At the conclusion of the task, the topic areas to be covered in Year 1 of the Learning Center will have been identified. It is anticipated that the following number and types of offerings will be created, spread roughly evenly across the four key program areas - Residential, Commercial & Industrial, Renewable Energy, and the Energy Code College unless the Advisory Group recommends more targeted focus in one or more specific areas Full-Scale Courses Online video lectures-plus-powerpoints, minutes long. Could include some in-field video, if appropriate. Could also include online quizzes to test comprehension and/or online tests to evaluate knowledge. Quizzes and tests are corrected immediately with feedback provided to the user in real time. If there is a minimum number of right answers required (will depend on the purpose and structure of the course), the test will refer the user to where to find the correct answer and allow re-taking the test until the user passes. All the fullscale courses will also be appropriate for in-person delivery and some of them could be designed to capture components of existing in-person programs supported by CEP as a means to create online text books that can be used as references after in-person training is completed. All will also be designed to qualify for professional continuing education credit Tutorials Short, online multimedia tutorials on specific topics, 2-10 minutes long, potentially in the form of interviews, presentations, or short lectures-with-powerpoints. The purpose will be to provide quick, easy-to-access explanations of particular topics or issues. Topics could range from What is a Home Energy Audit? to The Benefits of Direct Install. As appropriate, these tutorials could be developed in multiple languages (at a minimum English and Spanish) and could be used as standalone tutorials on the CEP web site or be used as highlights for in-person trainings. Some could also be formatted as electronic leave-behinds for contractors to use with potential customers In-Field Demonstrations Live action online videos on how to undertake specific actions recommended by the program, from caulking and weatherstripping to what a code-compliant installation of a technology or piece of equipment might look like. Such demos will typically be 2-5 minutes long and could take the form of simple installation videos with voice-over narration, to interviews with installers, code officials or 8

10 other experts, to some combination of both. A variety of potential field sites could be used as sets for these demos including, for example, the recently renovated Duke Farms Orientation Center. As with the short tutorials, these demos will also be designed so that they can be used as highlights within more in-depth online or in-person training courses. Task 3. Develop Course and Tutorial Curriculum Roadmaps Once the topics and formats have been identified in Task 2, NJIT will develop the curriculum content roadmap for each course/tutorial/in-field demonstration. It is anticipated that this task will draw in part on content already created in print form by the Clean Energy Program, but will adapt it for online, e-enhanced presentation. As needed and specifically for the Energy Code College - NJIT will also develop additional content not covered by current CEP sources. Task 4. Create Courses During this task, NJIT personnel will develop all the courses/tutorials/in-field demonstrations identified in Task 3, including quizzes and/or tests as needed, and then post the Learning Center online as a special section of the Clean Energy Program website. The Center will be database driven and interactive, incorporating online registration, streaming video based instruction, testing (as appropriate) and registrant tracking, allowing robust user monitoring and evaluation. Task 5. Deploy, Monitor and Evaluate During this task, NJIT staff will work closely with OCE, the market managers and the Advisory Group to launch the Learning Center. Because each of the courses, tutorials and/or in-field demonstrations will be developed with a particular target audience(s) in mind, it is anticipated that a variety of strategies for reaching these audiences will also be developed as the content and format of each course evolves. It is anticipated that implementing these pre-identified outreach strategies will be the primary focus of this task. In addition, NJIT staff will monitor and evaluate awareness and use of the Learning Center. OCE and the market managers have a great deal of experience in monitoring and evaluating various aspects of the Clean Energy Program, and NJIT will draw on their expertise to create monitoring/evaluation protocols to be implemented during this task. It is anticipated that these protocols will actually be developed as the content and formats for individual courses are being created during Tasks 2 and 3. These previously established protocols will then be implemented during this task. Because the Learning Center will primarily be a web-based service of the CEP, monitoring amounts and patterns of usage will be relatively straightforward. Task 6. Annual Report At the conclusion of Year 1, NJIT staff will develop a comprehensive report summarizing the work undertaken and the results achieved, including recommendations on curriculum targets and deployment strategies for Years 2 and 3 of the program. 9

11 Budget and Timeline It is anticipated that the budget for Year 1 of the project will be $375,000, including the creation of the courses, tutorials and in-field demonstration outlined in Task 2, together with development of the online structure and architecture for the Learning Center. In Years 2 and 3, the budget will drop to $300,000 to cover additional courses, tutorials and in-field demonstration. Year Tasks Budget 1 Establish Advisory Group $375,000 Identify Training Topics and Formats Develop Course and Tutorial Curriculum Roadmaps Create Courses 8-12 Full-Scale Courses Tutorials In-Field Demonstrations Deploy, Monitor and Evaluate (ongoing) Annual Report 2 Identify Training Topics $300,000 Create Courses* 8-12 Full-Scale Courses Tutorials In-Field Demonstrations Annual Report 3 Identify Training Topics Create Courses* $300, Full-Scale Courses Tutorials In-Field Demonstrations Annual Report 10