Energy Savings & Evaluation Reports
BOC graduate results are well-documented on our Success Stories page. In addition, comprehensive evaluations are completed by third-party evaluators approximately every two years. The evaluation teams assess the level of satisfaction with the training program from the perspective of students and key stakeholders like employers and utilities.
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) Long-Term Monitoring and Tracking Report on 2010 Activities, June 2011 (PDF 2.1 MB) Third-party evaluator, Navigant Consulting, examined the post-funding market effects of five projects: BacGen, Building Operator Certification, Drive Power, ENERGY STAR Residential Windows, and the SAV-AIR Initiative. Navigant estimates these projects yielded an incremental 2.9 aMW in 2010 with the most significant savings associated with Building Operator Certification (1.5 aMW).
The Evaluation of Kansas City Power and Light's BOC Program, Opinion Dynamics Corporation, 2009 (PDF 487k), notes that, in the trainings under the evaluation team’s review, there was an average savings of 43,600 kWh per graduate. Participant satisfaction rating was very high, with 93% rating the overall program very good or excellent.
BOC Evaluation Report from the California Workforce Education & Training Program evaluation (PDF 123k) Conducted on 2006-08 activities. The report concludes "Overall, all BOC participants generally agree that they have been able to reduce energy usage, enhance comfort and save money at their facility as a result of the BOC training program."
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 2006 BOC Summer Study (PDF 182k) concludes that “…it is clear that building operators are saying the BOC changes their on-the-job behaviors.” One supervisor interviewed said that by sending his employee for BOC training, “We made a dangerous man out of him. Now all he wants to do is save money!” BOC is a recipient of ACEEE’s exemplary program award.
California Evaluation Study Brief: Nonresidential Sector Process Evaluation of the 2004-2005 Statewide Building Operator Certification & Training Program (PDF 180k) revealed another high satisfaction rate with the program, even among highly experienced operators. Two-thirds of the participants from Level I indicated that they wanted to continue on to Level II training.
The Impact and Process Evaluation of the Building Operator Training and Certification Program, June 2005 (PDF 1.6mb) noted in its study that persistence was 114.2% for electric energy savings, 108.5% for oil and gas savings, and 100% in water savings over a five year period for the participants under review.
Within the Retrospective Assessment of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, 2003 (PDF 467k), the effectiveness of a number of NEEA programs is examined, including BOC, for their cost effectiveness.
The Evaluation of the 2002 Statewide Building Operator Certification and Training Program, 2003 (PDF 1.32MB) found that 93% of participants and 90% of their supervisors either have or would recommend BOC training to others in the field.
BOC Market Progress Evaluation Report series prepared by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance marks the progress of the BOC training program from 1997 through 2001. The final report (September 2001) estimates the BOC saved the region (at that time, the Pacific Northwest and California) 172,000 MWh annually.
Updated 9-5-2011