The Building Operator Certification (BOC®) program is recognizing two Department of Defense installations for their commitment to professional development for building operators and to energy management. Making the investment in their operator teams prepares them to support the installations’ energy management and operational efficiency goals while complying with the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act as well as Executive Order 13693. The BOC program partnered with Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAVAIR China Lake) in China Lake, CA and Joint Base Lewis McChord, located in Washington State to offer the BOC training to their facilities staffs in 2016.
The BOC program provides skill enhancement training to building operations and maintenance personnel through a coherent set eight in-class training days focused on HVAC equipment, lighting technology, electric systems, energy conservation strategies, and building controls. The in class training consists of instructor led discussions, group activities, tool demonstrations, and peer exchange. Another key part of the training program is the take home assignments. Students are assigned projects to complete at the facility where they work, giving them the opportunity to garner hands on experience with their building, its systems, and energy use data. A unique component to these training sessions for Joint Base Lewis McChord and China Lake was a follow up assignment the BOC program assigned to students. Each student was asked to identify two actions they wanted to take to improve operations in their building or department as a result of training. The top three most frequently cited actions were adjustments to HVAC schedules to align with occupied hours, installing occupancy sensors for lighting, and including specifications for energy saving equipment in future RFP’s.
The Building Operator Certification training program helped federal installations NAVAIR China Lake and JBLM:
- Increase the longevity and efficiency of building equipment
- Reduce the risk of unnecessary capital expenditures
- Mitigate revenue and productivity loss through preventative maintenance
- Identify and implement low-cost/no-cost improvements
BOC can help federal and state government buildings meet energy and carbon legislative requirements while reducing expenses through efficient operations and maintenance. Many if the program’s classes are also aligned with the competencies identified by the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010 for the building operations professional. BOC supports compliance with Federal Executive Order 13693 to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in federal facilities.