Outreach and Training
To ensure the lasting impact of this project on commercial sector, electricity consumers in the State of Washington, Battelle will provide outreach to businesses and education institutions by:
- Training the providers of HVAC services in the methods and technologies tested and demonstrated in this project and in the general principles and practices of good energy management
- Educating students who have or may choose career paths related to the HVAC servicing or building energy management fields
- Publicizing the results of the project to other HVAC service provides who are not part of the training and to customers to encourage widespread adoption of these energy-saving methods.
The first of these will focus on training businesses and personnel currently providing installation, servicing, and operation of building controls, HVAC and lighting systems. The second effort will focus on training the next generation of HVAC technicians and business owners by targeting those preparing to enter this field in the next few years. The training methods developed under this project will be transferred and curricula will be developed in collaboration with vocational education programs at the secondary school level and with selected trade schools and community colleges across the state to create a pipeline of qualified technicians in the future. The third outreach component will involve disseminating knowledge about the benefits of HVAC system tuning and condition-based maintenance to the business community, both providers and customers of HVAC services. Battelle staff in conjunction with state employees, service providers, and customers will write articles for trade and professional publications about the results of the project. A clear demonstration of cost savings will provide a powerful incentive for businesses to adopt the technologies demonstrated in the project.
