Press and Media
NEWS RELEASE
October 30, 2006
Contact: Cynthia Putnam, 206-292-3977
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NSPMA and NEEC Announce Educational Partnership to Offer Building
Operator Certification Program for Energy Efficiency
Acknowledging the Building Operator Certification (BOC) training
as a leader in energy efficiency education for facility M&O
staff, the National School Plant Management Association (NSPMA)
Board of Directors voted in May 2006 to enter into an educational
partnership with the program’s sponsor, the Northwest Energy
Efficiency Council (NEEC), a non-profit trade association of the
energy efficiency industry. Under the partnership, NSPMA members
will be eligible for training and credentialing opportunities through
NEEC’s nationally recognized BOC program.
The NSPMA membership includes school superintendents, M&O
personnel, custodial supervisors and others in school operations,
whose goal is to improve the workings of the educational environment
by providing professional development in facilities operations.
The result is a more comfortable atmosphere for learning and enhanced
operational efficiencies. The savings that result from these efficiencies
enable financial resources to be deployed more effectively.
“BOC is a program that offers unique benefit to our
members and their employees,” says Kevin Hildebrandt, NSPMA
board president. “We’re excited about the opportunity
to work with NEEC to bring BOC to NSPMA members.”
NSPMA members and their departmental staff will also be eligible
for tuition discounts for BOC training through the educational
partnership.
BOC is a competency-based, professional training and certification
that provides energy-saving operational strategies for M&O
staff and technicians. Participants benefit from both improved
job skills and more comfortable, energy-efficient facilities. The
certification also provides a credential for professional development
while offering employers a way to identify skilled operators.
Participants save money for their districts almost immediately
upon starting training through projects geared to deal with their
specific facility issues. For M&O directors interested in examples
of how participants are putting BOC to practice in their facilities,
an extensive body of evaluation research can be found at the BOC
web site at www.theBOC.info.
This research shows, among other things, that BOC-trained operators
are 30% more likely to engage energy efficiency practices than
non-trained operators – to the tune of $20,000 savings annually
per operator.
Over 100 school districts nationally have sent employees to BOC
with some 400 school M&O staff earning BOC certification.
BOC graduate Jim Everett, Physical Plant Supervisor of schools
in Fort Fairfield, Maine is committed to education as a means to
energy efficiency and savings. Everett said, “We’ve
been pleased with what we have been able to do so far and are always
working to spend less on energy and more on education.” Overall
he believes the school district is saving 13 to 14% on energy costs
resulting from the operational improvements that have been instituted
as a result of the training.
Dave Cone, Facilities Manager and BOC graduate, has
been a driving force behind the success of the energy conservation
enjoyed in the Gresham-Barlow School District in Oregon. His enthusiasm
has been contagious and his efforts were recognized when he was
honored by the Association of Professional Energy Managers as 2004
Energy Manager of the Year for Oregon, and then the district was
recognized nationally as an Energy Star Leader in 2005. “The
BOC was a real eye-opener about where to look for system flaws
and how to get your arms around how you use energy,” says
Cone. “Many people still think of this stuff as smoke and
mirrors, but it isn’t. It’s technology, it’s
available and the savings are irrefutable.”
The Building Operator Certification (BOC) program continues to
expand its presence nationally and to gain recognition as a leading
provider of valuable training for facilities managers and staff.
Sponsored by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC), BOC
is already recognized as an “exemplary program” by
the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as
a part of a national awards program to honor America’s best
energy efficiency programs.
BOC Level I certification is earned by completing 56 hours of
classroom training and written exams, in addition to hands-on projects
conducted at the operator’s facility. Topics include HVAC
systems and controls, energy conservation techniques, electrical
systems, and indoor air quality. Level II certification requires
49 hours of classroom training in even greater detail.
Over 5,000 operators hold BOC certifications nationally.
ABOUT NEEC
The Northwest Energy Efficiency
Council (NEEC) is a non-profit
business association of the energy efficiency industry. NEEC’s
mission is to promote policies and programs that enhance market
opportunities for energy efficiency, of which BOC is one such program.
Further information on the BOC
program, training schedules, and locations, can be found on the
national website, www.theboc.info.
National partners with NEEC in the BOC program include: the Northeast
Energy Efficiency Partnership, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance,
the Wisconsin Focus on Energy, the North Carolina Community College
System at AB Tech, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Building
Operator Certification – California, the Northwest Energy
Education Institute at Lane Community College, and the New York
State Energy Research & Development Authority.
For more information on the NSPMA and the BOC educational partnership,
please visit the website at www.nspma.org.
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