Training for Building Technicians: Energy Efficiency & Sustainability (BEST) Program Seminar Outline & Sample BEST Exam Questions Buildings in the United State consume a significant amount of energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings consume approximately 40% of U.S. total energy use. 18 percent is consumed in commercial buildings and 22% is consumed in residential buildings. Building energy use has continued to trend up along with increased U.S. energy use. Between 1980 and 2008, U.S. building energy use increased by 50%. The majority of the energy use was consumed in space heating and water heating. Energy costs are manageable through targeted investments in energy efficient equipment and the proper implementation of best practices for operations and maintenance. The Wall Street Journal recently reported how a 1980s vintage commercial building in Denver was able to reduce their energy costs by over 35% through the installation of energy efficient lighting and building air conditioning controls. Commercial firms can begin the process of developing an energy management plan by training key technicians through the Training for Building Technicians: Energy Efficiency & Sustainability (BEST) program. Proper implementation of energy management strategies requires an understanding of the major energy consuming equipment and the best practice approaches to reducing energy consumption in those systems. The U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies program partnered with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the American Institute of Architect (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to develop energy savings design guides for various building sectors such as highway lodging buildings. Elements from these guides along with material developed by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) as part of the Certified Energy Manager program and the Certified Sustainable Development Technician program have been selected to develop an intensive twenty eight (28) hour class. The course will provide the necessary instruction to elevate the knowledge base in energy management for electrical and mechanical building technicians. Workbook material will cover the basic theory behind building energy systems and programmed activities will include hands on exercises to support the theory. An examination will be held on the afternoon of the fourth day of the class to allow participants to demonstrate comprehension of the core topics. Program Educational Objectives: To train building operators, maintenance personnel and technicians working in commercial buildings on best practices for improving energy efficiency through enhanced operations and maintenance To train building operators, maintenance personnel and technicians how to meet building codes and apply principles of high performance buildings. To train building operators, maintenance personnel and technicians on the principles of sustainability and energy efficiency to create a more skilled, greener workforce that fosters opportunities for internal advancement and job growth. Page 1 Association of Energy Engineers 2010
Class Outline A. Introduction and Class Overview a. The Case for Energy Management in commercial buildings b. The Role of the Certified Building Energy and Sustainability Technician B. Building Utilities (includes energy bills and local building codes) a. Electricity and Gas Bill Structures b. Water and Sewer Rate Structures c. Utility Meters d. Peak Shaving Opportunities e. Local Building Statutes Relating to Utilities (Take aways: participants will learn how to read facility meters, utility bills and what each component means with regard to operation costs. Examples will include sample bills from local venues.) 1. The monthly electric bill for your facility includes a demand charge of $12,000. You could reduce this charge by: a. Installing capacitors at the building entrance. b. Modify payment practices to pay utility bills the first day of the month. c. Charging battery operated floor cleaning machines only during late night hours. d. Installing compact fluorescent bulbs. C. Financial Considerations for Equipment Purchases a. Simple Payback Calculations (Take aways: participants will learn the basic calculations necessary to justify the purchase of new energy efficient equipment.) 1. A lighting vendor proposes to replace the bulb and ballasts for twenty T-12 lights in a conference room with newer T-8 bulbs with electronic ballasts. The replacement cost is $4,500 and the new bulbs are expected to save $1,500/year. The simple payback for the project is closest to: a. 2 years b. 3 years c. 4 years d. 5 years D. Energy Audits and Instrumentation a. Role/Types of Energy Audits b. Common Energy Audit Deficiencies c. Analysis of Operations and Maintenance d. Audit Equipment Standard Tools Classroom exercise using tools such as light meter, infrared camera, digital thermometer, air flow meter, ballast checker to take measurements. Page 2 Association of Energy Engineers 2010
(Take aways: participants will gain hands on experience with basic energy tools such as a light meter, digital thermometer, clamp-on ammeter, ballast checker, Fluke infrared camera.) 1. An infrared camera can be used to identify: a. Areas where insulation is lacking. b. Poor electrical connections. c. Surface temperature of pipes. d. All of the above. e. None of the above. E. Lighting a. Basics (lumens, foot candles, efficacy, CRI, Color Temp, CU) b. Types of Lamps c. Interior Lighting d. Exterior Lighting e. *High-rise Lighting f. *Marquee sign Lighting g. Technology changes phaseout of old technologies h. Proper disposal of bulbs and ballasts Code requirements (Take aways participants will understand the need for scheduling group relamping in large spaces, the benefits of various lighting technologies, the need for lighting maintenance activities, and items that effect light quality) 1. Your elevators tend to get very warm during the day due to the halogen accent lamps installed in the ceilings of the cars. A good technology to consider for replacement of the lamps is: a. Metal Halide b. High Pressure Sodium c. Incandescent d. LED F. Large Office/Room Energy Savings a. Thermostats a. Pros/Cons of fully automated solution b. Cycling fan and auto-temperature set-back c. Low-cost solutions (e.g. digital T-stat with setback feature) b. Maintaining and Upgrading: a. Room Lighting b. Room A/C and Heat units (if non-central) c. Reducing water usage (toilets, shower heads, faucet aerators, towels) (Take aways participants will learn the most common ways to reduce energy and water usage in large spaces.) 1. Maintenance checks for energy savings on central air handling equipment should include: a. Check pressure drops across filters. b. Check tension on fan belts. Page 3 Association of Energy Engineers 2010
c. Check the room humidity. d. Both a and b. G. Savings Opportunities in Kitchens a. Energy Star Restaurant Equipment b. Kitchen Equipment Maintenance (i.e. cleaning, changing air filters, checking seals and gaskets, etc.) c. Monitoring the Air: maintaining hoods, kitchen A/C, employing programmable thermostats to turn off air when it is not needed.) d. Establishing start-up and shut-down schedules for equipment to eliminate idle time. (i.e. only turn on cooking equipment 20 minutes before needed. Turning off lights, hoods, ranges, signs and fan when not necessary.) e. Conserving kitchen hot water. f. Retrofitting old equipment such as refrigerator strip curtains, employing high-efficiency evaporative fan motors, variable speed hood fans, low-flow pre-rinse spray valves, etc. g. Optimizing equipment arrangement: The McDLT approach separating cooling equipment from cooking quipment, grouping broilers, steamers and burners under the same vents, etc.) (Take aways: Participants will learn the most common areas for energy conservation in commercial kitchens.) 1. Infrared broilers can save energy because: a. They can store unused energy in their coils b. They re-heat quickly. c. Accurately detect internal food temperature. d. They use electric resistance heating. 2. You can save energy in dishwashing by: a. Placing hot water boosters within five feet of dishwashers. b. Using a wetting agent instead of a power dryer. c. Employing pressure reducing valves to control water pressure. d. Calibrating the water temperature sensor e. All of the above. H. HVAC Systems a. System Types and Thermal Zoning b. Building HVAC Operating Schedules and Setpoints What should you consider? c. HVAC Equipment Sizing, Efficiency and Fan power d. Ventilation Rates and Schedules e. Economizers Maximizing free cooling, proper maintenance f. Advanced Thermostat Control g. Lower Static Pressure Ductwork When to call in the Test & Balance firm h. Motorized Damper Control i. Energy Recovery Ventilator (Take aways: Participants will learn the key variables to monitor to minimize energy usage) Page 4 Association of Energy Engineers 2010
1. A measurement of the temperature of the water flow out to the cooling tower and the water flow back from the cooling towers shows that the temperatures are exactly the same. This may be due to: a. Excellent tuning by the HVAC contractor b. Balanced ph in the water c. Blockage in the water line d. High efficiency motors on the fans. I. Service Water Heating System a. Hot Water Usage Reduction b. Storage Tank size c. Water Heater Thermal Efficiency d. High Efficiency Water Heaters e. Drain Waste Heat Recovery f. Heat Recovery on Laundry Waste Water g. Reclaiming Heat from Laundry Dryer Exhaust (Take aways: Participants will learn steps to take to reduce hot water usage and ways to recover heat for other uses.) 1. Insulation on hot water piping should be: a. Inspected and possibly repaired every six months b. Removed in warm climates to save energy c. Reduced to increase heat flow to cool areas. d. Only used for personnel protection. 2. Typical water flow on lavatory faucets is 4 gallons per minute. For faucets on which aeratortype flow restrictors can be attached, flows can typically be reduced to: a. 3 gallons per minute b. 2.5 gallons per minute c. 2 gallons per minute d. Below 1 gallon per minute J. Building Heat Transfer a. Exterior Walls-wall construction, window types, solar films b. Roofs c. Slab-On-Grade Floors d. Using proper landscaping to affect energy usage e. Building air infiltration a. Weatherstripping b. Revolving Doors c. Loading Docks d. Waste/Recycling Docks e. Vestibules f. Air Curtains (Take aways: Participants will learn how to minimize cooling costs by employing proper maintenance steps to minimize infiltration losses and maximize insulation effects) Page 5 Association of Energy Engineers 2010
1. Which of the following steps is not recommended to reduce building cooling costs. a. Weatherstrip doors and windows b. Ensure adequate ventilation in attic spaces. c. Close air supply and exhaust duct dampers when not in use. d. Cover unused windows with insulating materials e. Increase cool water flow in dishwashing systems. K. Refrigeration Equipment and Systems - broken into BAS and HVAC a. Lowering Condenser Water Supply Temperature b. Raising Chilled Water Supply Temperature c. *(Changing Steam-driven chillers to electric drive) no steam chillers in Vegas d. Sequential Controls on Cooling Towers e. Plate & Frame Heat Exchanger strategies f. Cooling Tower Rebuild options g. Checking and Replacing door gaskets h. Cleaning evaporator and condenser coils i. Checking refrigerant charge. (Take aways: Participants will learn the reasons behind refrigeration maintenance schedules and considerations for maximizing refrigeration performance. 1. To lower energy consumption in refrigeration equipment, possible strategies include: a. Lowering the condenser water supply temperature b. Raising the chilled water supply temperature c. Increasing the condenser water supply temperature d. a and b. e. None of the above L. Building Automation Systems a. Inputs & Outputs b. Pneumatic, Electric, DDC Technologies c. Terminology d. PID Controls e. Building Automation Systems for Energy Management f. Control Strategies a. Zoning Systems During Off-hours b. Warm-up and Shut-Down Cycles c. Cycling Supply and Toilet Exhaust Fans d. Providing Outside Air Controls e. *Controlling outside lighting with timers and/or photocell (Take aways: Participants will learn the benefits of over twenty different control strategies that can be used in an energy management system to maximize building performance.) 1. An economizer on building air conditioning system saves energy by: a. Allowing occupant comfort to be maintained without mechanical cooling. b. Increasing room air flow as CO2 levels drop. c. Decreasing room supply air based upon occupancy. d. Operating chillers only during peak electricity demand times. Page 6 Association of Energy Engineers 2010
M. Mechanical Systems (includes motors and compressed air) a. Motor Basics b. Importance of Motor Management c. Energy Savings d. Variable Volume Options e. Selecting / Replace Motors f. Pump Types g. Identifying VFD opportunities targeting air flow and fluid flow throttling (Take aways: Participants will learn how to identify motors that should be upgraded or replaced, How variable speed drives can reduce energy usage and when they are/are not applicable.) 1. Variable speed drives should be considered for: a. Fan applications that employ louver control. b. Pump applications that require constant flow. c. Motors that operate at constant low speeds. d. Improving power quality. Compressed Air Systems b. Components of Air Systems c. System Efficiency Improvements d. Compressed air maintenance issues (Take aways: Participants will learn the basics of energy consumption and losses in compressed air systems and necessary maintenance tasks to identify leaks, approximate loss costs, etc.) 1. A ¼ hole in a 110 psi line that runs 8760 hours per year will equate to an annual energy loss of: a. 100,000 kwh b. 240,000 kwh c. 25,000 kwh d. 56,000 kwh N. Energy Savings in Offices and Function Rooms a. Thermostat Scheduling - in BAS b. Lighting Control - In Lighting c. Air Ventilation Control - In HVAC,BAS d. Control of Shades and Draperies (Take aways: Participants will learn basic steps to control energy usage in function room and best practices employed in the industry.) 1. Which of the following practices is not recommended for reducing energy in function rooms? a. Turn on sound amplifiers as close as possible to event start times. b. Control room fresh air supply as a function of room occupancy. c. Zone lighting such that lighting usage can be reduced as a function of operations. d. Use recirculated air instead of outside air to prep a room for usage. e. Replace standard fluorescent lamps with halogen units. O. Maintenance Opportunities and Scheduling a. Uninsulated Piping - Page 7 Association of Energy Engineers 2010
b. Air Leaks - In Mechanical c. *steam trap, p-trap maintenance d. Maintenance Management Systems - in BAS (Take aways: Participants will learn the benefits of computerized maintenance management systems and will pick up many tricks of the trade for coordinating trade activities.) 1. Measuring pressure drops across filters is a way of determining: a. Improper air humidity levels. b. If filter should be replaced. c. When CO2 is below recommended levels. If room temperature set point should be reduced. M. Sustainability a. Basic Definition b. Properties of Sustainable Buildings c. Indoor Environmental Quality d. Building Rating Systems (LEED and Energy Star) N. Cogeneration a. Distributed Generation Technologies b. Renewable Generation c. Benefits and Barriers to Cogeneration Page 8 Association of Energy Engineers 2010