LEED certification has become a highly-sought-after credential for developers and builders alike. But initial LEED certification is only the first step in a career-length journey into mastery of LEED principles. Continuing education units are integral to the LEED certification system, because you need to accumulate a number of units to qualify for re-certification every four years. The United States Green Building Council offers online courses to help LEED-qualified professionals earn their CEU’s and keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date.
One webinar offered by the USGBC is the “Optimization of Commercial Building Systems: Technologies, Practices and Strategies” course. This course focuses on the tools, tech, and best practices for energy management in commercial buildings. The course will teach building professionals how to minimize energy use by maximizing their HVAC and lighting systems. Variable-frequency drive (VFD) and Light-Emitting Diode (LED) retrofits will also be discussed. According to the USGBC, “operational practices, often the lowest cost energy conservation measures, can provide significant returns in energy and dollar savings. Efficient scheduling and sensor error remediation can produce results with very little investment.” This webinar will cover operational adjustments, airside economizer optimization, slider controls for lighting and ventilation as well as fan controls for improving indoor air quality. 1 CEU, $45.
Another popular webinar offered by the USGBC is the “Basics of Building Sciences” course. The course is designed to provide a solid foundation in basic building science principles. Participants will be introduced to the “house as a system” model. In addition to addressing the fundamentals of heat, air, and moisture flow in buildings, this model is useful for improving and assessing building performance. Two key objective of the course are to “recognize the basic principles of building science as they relate to heat, air, and moisture movement in a building, and to examine the multiple components of the building envelope and how they interact with each other to produce an efficient system.” The review questions that appear throughout the presentation aid participants’ retention of information, to help pass the end-of-webinar test in order to receive the CE credit. 1 CEU, $45.
To learn more, or to enroll in these webinars or any of the USGB’s LEED courses, check out Education @ USGBC.