The key objective of this project is to effectively develop and deliver a comprehensive training and education package for disseminating advanced building controls concepts and applications to multiple target audiences. Key audiences include Department of Defense (DoD) installation and acquisition managers, DoD building design and commissioning engineers, facility engineers, and building operators. This information transfer effort will be incorporated into and complement existing DoD training on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system design, control, commissioning, and operation. It will also help promote the awareness and potential future adoption of the newly-published American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Guideline 36 “High-Performance Sequences of Operation for HVAC Systems.”

The advanced building controls and management information transfer package will cover the topic areas of Fundamentals of Building Control Systems, Common Advanced Control Strategies, Energy Modeling, Intelligent Building Operation and Advanced Energy Performance Monitoring, Continuous Commissioning, Control System Re-tuning, three ESTCP Energy and Water Demonstration Projects, Introduction to ASHRAE Guideline 36, and a Field Demonstration of Guideline 36.

The training delivery approach is comprised of an extensive suite of offerings, including web portals that host training materials and discussion forums or blogs, online training modules, targeted regional webinars, in-person training at conferences and workshops, live control program demonstration, technology fact sheets, and more.

A recent Pacific Northwest National Laboratory study stated that advanced building controls and energy management play a prominent role in commercial building energy performance and peak load reduction and could result in an average of 29 percent energy savings. This project has wide applicability to DoD installation and acquisition managers, design and commissioning engineers, and facility managers and building operators, who are often lacking in building control background and experience. Considering DoD spends $4 billion per year on energy costs and has nearly 562,000 facilities, it is critical for these audiences to learn basic controls concepts and control strategies. The project will increase their knowledge of advanced building control technology and management and enable them to make informed decisions, better specify and commission building control systems, and manage and operate buildings more efficiently. The project will also promote awareness and allow the broader adoption of the new ASHRAE Guideline 36 within DoD and across the industry. The comprehensive information transfer approach will have sustaining impacts as the website hosting training materials will continue beyond the project period, and the research team will integrate their training curriculum with existing DoD education and training channels.