Seattle, WA , October 1, 2012 — The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) is pleased to announce an exciting new education partnership with the International Building Operators Association (IBOA) which will bring the national Building Operator Certification (BOC®) to Idaho and Montana building operators in 2013. NEEC and IBOA entered into a license agreement for the national program in July 2012. Under the agreement, IBOA will serve as the licensed administrator of BOC training for Idaho and Montana with access to the resources of the national program — curriculum, training materials, and instructor pool — to provide programming in the two states.

NEEC and IBOA share the common goal of providing high quality educational programming for skill enhancement in the facilities operation and maintenance profession. Under the partnership, IBOA members will be eligible for training and credentialing opportunities through NEEC’s nationally recognized BOC program. The Building Operator Certification (BOC®) training is a leader in energy efficiency education for commercial building operations and maintenance personnel.

“BOC is a program that offers unique benefit to our members and their employees,” says Gary Machen, IBOA board president. “We’re excited about the opportunity to work with NEEC to bring BOC to IBOA members.”

“We are confident this partnership between IBOA and NEEC will contribute to better building performance and to job preservation by providing operators with a means of distinguishing themselves to employers through improved job skills and a commitment to the profession,” said Stan Price, Executive Director of NEEC.

BOC is an experience and training-based professional 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 on the BOC website. 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.

ABOUT NEEC & IBOA
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) is a non-profit trade association of the energy efficiency industry. International Building Operators Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the informational and educational needs of people responsible for the operation and maintenance of public and private facilities.

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CONTACT

Russell Paez, NEEC
russell.paez@putnamprice.com

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