By Amanda Czepiel
Building green is all the rage right now—green infrastructure, low-impact development, and LEED certification are the current buzzwords in sustainability. But after you build green, the hard part is operating green. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seems to have noticed the challenge and has responded with providing training to optimize building efficiency while reducing energy usage and saving money.
As of now, the DOE, along with the U.S. Department of Commerce, are jointly funding three Centers for Building Operations Excellence at a cost of $1.3 million as part of President Obama's Better Buildings Initiative. The centers will train current and incoming building operators and will work with universities, local community and technical colleges, trade associations, and DOE's laboratories to create training programs.
Because the centers have yet to be built, we aren't sure what training opportunities will be available to commercial developers and building operators nationwide. But the goal of the funding is to provide training that can be applied in a broad range of commercial buildings. For now, check out the Better Buildings Initiative Resource Center, which has a lot of materials available for all types of buildings, uses, and sectors. And stay tuned!
What kind of energy efficiency training, if any, have your building operators received?
