Building Operators Certification

BOC is a professional development program created by The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC), and delivered in Oregon by NWEEI. It is designed for operations and maintenance staff working in public or private commercial buildings. It certifies individuals in energy and resource-efficient operation of building systems at two levels:

Level I - Building System Maintenance (Course Outline)
Level II - Equipment Troubleshooting and Maintenance (Course Outline)

Credit

To become Level I certified, participants must attend seven classes (56 hours), and complete class exams and project assignments at your facility.

To become Level II certified, participants must attend four core classes (35 hours) and two elective classes (14 hours), complete class exams, and assigned projects.

Schedule - BOC Annual Schedule

Download The Annual BOC Schedule of Classes

Location

BOC is offered at a variety of convient locations throughout Oregon and Washington.

Who Should Attend

BOC is ideal for operations and maintenance staff working in public or private commercial buildings, including:

• Engineers
• Technicians
• Architects
• Facility, Maintenance and Energy Managers

Building Operators Certification - Level I

To become Level I certified, participants must attend seven Level-One classes (56 hours), and complete class exams and project assignments at your facility.

Certification Cost: The BOC registration fee of $1,595 includes the full course series of Level I or Level II, a set of course workbooks, project assignments, and certification materials. Call NWEEI (1-541-463-6160) for information.

Course Descriptions

BOC 101 - Building Systems Overview
Provides overview of preventive maintenance, energy efficiency principles, and fundamentals of building systems, equipment, and operations. Reviews heating, cooling, ventilation and control systems, water, lighting, and indoor air quality. Covers system interaction and relationship to overall building performance. Provides foundation for Level I certification courses. One day.
PROJECT: Facility and Equipment Floor Plan

BOC 102 - Energy Conservation Techniques
Helps operators gain a better understanding of how energy is used in commercial buildings and how to identify and prioritize conservation opportunities. Includes basic principles of energy accounting, evaluation of fuel options, operation and maintenance strategies to improve efficiency, and energy management planning techniques. One day.
PROJECT: Energy Use Profile for Facility

BOC 103 - HVAC Systems and Controls (2-DAY)
Focuses on operation and maintenance of equipment and components typically found in commercial buildings, including central heating, cooling, air and ventilating systems in buildings. Provides introduction to automatic control systems and equipment, particularly for central air systems. Emphasis placed on group problem solving and exercises with respect to preventive maintenance. Two day.
PROJECT: Heating System Operational Review

BOC 104 - Efficient Lighting Fundamentals
Covers lighting fundamentals and types of lighting for economical and energy efficient lighting systems. Participants learn principles of efficient lighting including evaluation of lighting levels, quality and maintenance. Other topics include lighting fixture and control technologies, common upgrades, retrofit and redesign options, and management strategies as they apply to space use and function. One day.
PROJECT: Lighting Survey for Facility

BOC 105 - Maintenance and Related Codes
Provides an overview of health, safety, energy, and environmental codes that impact facility operation. Stresses how to comply with the requirements of the most important health and safety codes and how to use the energy and maintenance related codes to improve energy efficiency. One day.

BOC 106 - Indoor Air Quality
Introduces the basic causes of indoor air quality problems and begins to develop a method of diagnosis and solution. Students will gain an understanding of the dynamic components of indoor air quality in relation to source control, occupant sensitivity and ventilation. Emphasis will be placed on communications with building occupants for reliable investigations without aggravating existing issues.

BOC 107 - Facility Electrical Systems
Develops an understanding of how electricity is distributed in a facility and common electrical distribution problems. This course will emphasize the fundamentals of electricity and its application to the workplace.
PROJECT: Electrical Distribution Sketch for Facility

Building Operators Certification - Level II

To become Level II certified, participants must attend four core classes (35 hours) and two elective classes (14 hours), complete class exams, and assigned projects.

Certification Cost: The BOC registration fee of $1,595 includes the full course series of Level I or Level II, a set of course workbooks, project assignments, and certification materials. Call NWEEI (1-541-463-6160) for information.

Course Descriptions

BOC 201 - Preventive Maintenance & Operations (CORE)
Covers the step-by-step process for starting and operating a preventive maintenance program that produces energy savings and equipment reliability. The primary focus is using the system that is set up to manage and implement preventive maintenance. A system review will be conducted from the work orders that are generated to the tools that maintenance staff select. Specific maintenance and operational issues are addressed in detail in 202 and 203 for electrical and HVAC. Emphasis on effective troubleshooting methods for problem identification, testing procedures, problem solving and operational analysis. Included are the developing of troubleshooting service records. One day.

BOC 202 - Advanced Electrical Diagnostics (CORE)
Students will learn to locate and repair electrical opens, shorts, overloads, and high resistance. The use of digital electric meters is taught along with maintenance and operational procedures to prevent electrical problems and evaluate power quality issues for the facility. One day.

BOC 203 - HVAC Troubleshooting & Maintenance (CORE)
Learn to troubleshoot and improve the efficiencies of the primary heating, cooling and ventilation systems of commercial buildings. This intensive two-day class will focus on system performance evaluation and efficiency optimization of central boiler and chiller systems, vapor-compression cycles of AC and heat pump systems, and of distribution and ventilation systems. Two days.

BOC 204 - HVAC Controls & Optimization (CORE)
Learn energy efficient operation, maintenance, and service of HVAC controls and related devices for central air systems commonly found in commercial buildings. The course will cover control principles, components, computerized controls, and calibrating the controlled subs-systems. One day.

BOC 210 - Advanced Indoor Air Quality
Learn to use the EPA recommended procedures for preventing and troubleshooting Indoor Air Quality problems for equipment and building operations. Sampling and troubleshooting will emphasize prevention and evaluation. Special emphasis will be placed on evaluation of mitigation approaches. One day.

BOC 211 - Motors in Facilities
Learn to evaluate motor load profiles, operations, and maintenance needs. Students will learn to analyze motor maintenance and repair cycles and to prioritize the repair vs. replacement decisions for motor failures. One day.

BOC 214 - Introduction to Building Commissioning
Introduces the building comissioning process for new and existing buildings wirth an emphasis on existing building commissioning and the building operator's role. Topics include an overview of commissioning types, the elements of a successful project, working with a commissioning service provider, and the building operator's role in a commissioning project. One day.