NEEP Notes- BOC Evaluation

For the past five years, businesses, industry, schools and government organizations across the Northeast have been saving energy and money by training their facilities personnel through NEEP's Building Operator Certification (BOC) program. Now, a recently completed independent evaluation has verified the savings realized by course participants and highlighted the many additional benefits of the BOC program.

The BOC is a series of competency-based training courses designed to educate facilities personnel in the energy and resource efficient operation of building systems. Two levels of certification are earned by attending training sessions and completing facility-based project assignments. Program graduates must demonstrate competence in evaluating energy conservation techniques, HVAC systems, efficient lighting and electrical systems, indoor air quality levels and environmental health and safety regulations. Since its inception, the BOC has certified over 1,200 students in the Northeast.

The evaluation, conducted by RLW Analytics of Middletown, Conn. included interviews of BOC students and their supervisors, BOC instructors, utility companies and efficiency program administrators and sponsors, as well as non-participants and numerous individuals who were part of an earlier evaluation conducted in 2002. The 2005 evaluation was sponsored by a group of electric and gas utility companies and other energy efficiency program administrators in the Northeast, including:

Cape Light Compact
Efficiency Maine
Long Island Power Authority
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric, Narragansett Electric and Granite State Electric)
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

Northeast Utilities
NSTAR Electric and Gas
South Jersey Gas Company
United Illuminating
Unitil

The evaluation measured the energy savings resulting from BOC training, as well as identified non-energy benefits associated with the BOC course work. Examining both school and non-school facilities, the evaluation concluded that on average, facilities served by students who complete the BOC curriculum save, on an annual basis:

0.35 kWhs (kilowatt hours) of electricity per square foot
0.40 MMBtu (million British Thermal Units) of oil per square feet
0.34 MMBtu of gas per square foot
0.14 gallons of water per square foot

These findings reveal that on average, BOC graduates save their organizations up to 20 percent on their annual utility costs.

The programs benefits, the study found, are not limited to energy savings. The non-energy benefits to facilities with personnel trained through the BOC include: improved indoor air quality, increases occupant safety and comfort, savings on labor and materials costs, and professional advancement opportunities.

Another important part of the evaluation was to assess the persistence of these savings beyond the year in which a person was trained. The findings indicate that all of the water savings, 114 percent of the electricity savings and 109 percent of the gas savings estimated in the 2002 evaluation continue today due to the knowledge gained though BOC coursework. The evaluation thus concluded that the investment in BOC training yields continued savings over a five-year period from the time of the initial training.

Several indicators of program success, including the perceived value of the courses among participants, were also contained in the evaluation. Eighty percent of enrollees and 40 percent of supervisors surveyed indicted they had recommended the program to others. In addition, 80 percent of enrollee supervisors responded that they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the program. The evaluation also reported that the number of Level I certifications awarded had doubled between the end of 2001 and the end of 2003, while Level II certification tripled in the same time period. During this time the number of organizations sending staff through BOC training also tripled. Furthermore, the institutions offering continuing education credits (CEUs) for BOC training increased from one to seven, and the student drop out rate decreased from four percent to zero percent between the end of 2001 and the end of 2003.

To access the full BOC evaluation report, please click here.

As the winter months approach, the Northeast is set to experience some of the highest energy prices nationwide. NEEP's fall BOC schedule has been expanded to help facilities across the region learn about energy and resource efficiency and help them employ the measures necessary to realize significant energy savings this winter. Courses are being held, beginning October 12, in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. In many cases, utility companies or other energy efficiency program administrators will underwrite a portion of the training costs for customers.

For a full listing of courses, to register online, or for more detailed information about the BOC, please visit http://www.neep.org/boc.

New evaluation results confirm benefits of Building Operator Certification (BOC)
For the past five years, businesses, industry, schools and government organizations across the Northeast have been saving energy and money by training their facilities personnel through NEEP's Building Operator Certification (BOC) program. Now, a recently completed independent evaluation has verified the savings realized by course participants and highlighted the many additional benefits of the BOC program. The BOC is a series of competency-based training courses designed to educate facilities personnel in the energy and resource efficient operation of building systems. Two levels of certification are earned by attending training sessions and completing facility-based project assignments. Program graduates must demonstrate competence in evaluating energy conservation techniques, HVAC systems, efficient lighting and electrical systems, indoor air quality levels and environmental health and safety regulations. Since its inception, the BOC has certified over 1,200 students in the Northeast. The evaluation, conducted by RLW Analytics of Middletown, Conn. included interviews of BOC students and their supervisors, BOC instructors, utility companies and efficiency program administrators and sponsors, as well as non-participants and numerous individuals who were part of an earlier evaluation conducted in 2002. The 2005 evaluation was sponsored by a group of electric and gas utility companies and other energy efficiency program administrators in the Northeast, including: Cape Light Compact Efficiency Maine Long Island Power Authority National Grid (Massachusetts Electric, Narragansett Electric and Granite State Electric) New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Northeast Utilities NSTAR Electric and Gas South Jersey Gas Company United Illuminating Unitil The evaluation measured the energy savings resulting from BOC training, as well as identified non-energy benefits associated with the BOC course work. Examining both school and non-school facilities, the evaluation concluded that on average, facilities served by students who complete the BOC curriculum save, on an annual basis: 0.35 kWhs (kilowatt hours) of electricity per square foot 0.40 MMBtu (million British Thermal Units) of oil per square feet 0.34 MMBtu of gas per square foot 0.14 gallons of water per square foot These findings reveal that on average, BOC graduates save their organizations up to 20 percent on their annual utility costs. The programs benefits, the study found, are not limited to energy savings. The non-energy benefits to facilities with personnel trained through the BOC include: improved indoor air quality, increases occupant safety and comfort, savings on labor and materials costs, and professional advancement opportunities. Another important part of the evaluation was to assess the persistence of these savings beyond the year in which a person was trained. The findings indicate that all of the water savings, 114 percent of the electricity savings and 109 percent of the gas savings estimated in the 2002 evaluation continue today due to the knowledge gained though BOC coursework. The evaluation thus concluded that the investment in BOC training yields continued savings over a five-year period from the time of the initial training. Several indicators of program success, including the perceived value of the courses among participants, were also contained in the evaluation. Eighty percent of enrollees and 40 percent of supervisors surveyed indicted they had recommended the program to others. In addition, 80 percent of enrollee supervisors responded that they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the program. The evaluation also reported that the number of Level I certifications awarded had doubled between the end of 2001 and the end of 2003, while Level II certification tripled in the same time period. During this time the number of organizations sending staff through BOC training also tripled. Furthermore, the institutions offering continuing education credits (CEUs) for BOC training increased from one to seven, and the student drop out rate decreased from four percent to zero percent between the end of 2001 and the end of 2003. To access the full BOC evaluation report, please click here. As the winter months approach, the Northeast is set to experience some of the highest energy prices nationwide. NEEP's fall BOC schedule has been expanded to help facilities across the region learn about energy and resource efficiency and help them employ the measures necessary to realize significant energy savings this winter. Courses are being held, beginning October 12, in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. In many cases, utility companies or other energy efficiency program administrators will underwrite a portion of the training costs for customers. For a full listing of courses, to register online, or for more detailed information about the BOC, please visit http://www.neep.org/boc.

				*A quarterly publication of*
Third Quarter 2005