New BOC Courses Coming to Texas and Oklahoma

The Building Operator Certification (BOC) is an in-depth course for building technicians, covering all major building systems related to energy, and emphasizing energy efficiency and preventive maintenance. SPEER held the first course ever delivered in Texas last year and is accepting applications for new BOC courses starting in August in Austin, in San Antonio and Oklahoma in September, and in the Houston and Dallas areas later this year or early in 2014. If you are interested in signing up for the course, please let us know here. More information is available on SPEER’s Upcoming BOC classes.

Building Operator Certification (BOC) is a nationally recognized professional development and credential program offering job skills in energy efficient building operation and maintenance practices.  BOC is led by highly regarded and experienced professional instructors.  Investing in education of facility staff reduces energy costs while increasing occupant comfort. A variety of building management technologies are covered, but the emphasis in BOC training is to recognize practical, no-cost/low-cost solutions, working with existing building systems, to improve energy performance. Also explained are the how-to’s of developing a preventive maintenance program that improves the building environment and prolongs equipment life.

BOC courses have been determined by independent, third-party evaluations to save over $10,000 per year operator for five years.

A total of 74 hours of training, including five project assignments, comprise the course, which requires eight full days of classroom instruction and training spread over 4-8 months; classes are held 2-4 weeks apart. More details can be found here.

Topics of training include:

• Energy Efficient Operations of Building HVAC Systems (2 days)
• Measuring and Benchmarking Energy Performance
• Efficient Lighting Fundamentals
• HVAC Controls Fundamentals
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Common Opportunities for Low-Cost Operational Improvement
• Plus one supplemental course (Electrical Systems, Ventilation Strategies, O&M Practices, and more are options)

Full course descriptions including learning objectives and detailed class outlines, plus a listing of all possible supplemental courses can be found here.