Location: Cedarbrook Lodge Seattle/Tacoma

Capacity: 200

Washington is leading building commissioning, by being the first US state to require buildings over six stories to have their air leakage measured. Experience a unique blend of online and hands-on training with experts in the field.

• Learn how to set up the equipment using easy-to-follow graphics

• Use simulators to perform tests on multiple configurations in minutes

• Meet the top, large building testers

• Discuss USACE and other opportunities presented by large building testing

More details to follow soon.

Follow Retrotec on Twitter @retrotec for more exciting training opportunities.

www.retrotec.com  
Ph: (604)732-0142

Dates: Tuesdays, 9:00am – 12:00pm from September 28 – October 26, 2010

Location: Light House Sustainable Building Centre, 2060 Pine Street, Vancouver, BC

Registration

Early Bird Rate (until September 14th) - $875 + HST ($120 discount off regular rate)
Regular Rate - $995 + HST

Register online at http://lcaforbuildings.eventbrite.com or contact helenc<at>sustainablebuildingcentre.com to pay by cash or cheque.

Course Description

Governments and the building industry are looking more closely at the environmental footprint of buildings and the materials that comprise them. For example, emerging carbon reduction requirements in Canada and consumer demand are requiring that building industry professionals and owners appreciate the full environmental profile of buildings in order to identify processes to achieve effective carbon reduction.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is widely regarded as the most rigorous and comprehensive approach available for assessing the environmental performance of products and services over their life cycle. Countries in Europe and Asia are introducing LCA-based requirements, such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Carbon Declarations (CDs). France and Japan are examples of countries moving towards mandatory requirements, with the European Union expected to follow. Similarly Canada and the United States are now exploring LCA and EPD.

This course is designed to give building industry professionals a detailed look at LCA and what it can do to enhance the environmental footprint of buildings. Developed specifically for building industry professionals, each topic covered in the sessions includes examples and references to building products and industry research to provide participants with practical reference points.

The first three sessions cover the LCA framework building up to the fourth session where the international standards for assessing the environmental performance of construction products (ISO 21930) and buildings (21931-1) are reviewed. The final session introduces participants to product and building level LCA softwares alongside other valuable resources.

The primary goal of this course is to prepare participants to put LCA into practice as a method for assessing the life cycle environmental performance of buildings and their products. This course will be of interest to building industry professionals, including engineers, architecture, materials specifier, product manufacturers, as well as building owners and developers.

Session 1: Goal & Scope

The first part of the first session provides students with an overview of the course and topics to be covered, including a review of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) LCA standards 14040 & 14044, which provide the framework for the topics to be covered. The second part covers the first stage in performing an LCA, the Goal & Scope, where the context and modeling details for carrying out and LCA study are established.

Session 2: Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)

The second session incorporates formal presentation and practical exercises to cover the development of a life cycle inventory (LCI), which represents the second stage in the LCA framework. Specific topics covered include;

o Data collection preparation
o Flow chart development
o Relating unit processes and functional units
o Data aggregation

Session 3: Life Cycle Impact Assessment & Life Cycle Assessment Methodologies

The third session covers the third component of the LCA framework - life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Specific topics covered include;

o Impact categories, category indicators and characterization factors
o Impact allocation
o Normalization, grouping and weighting
o Uncertainty

The second part of this session investigates the various methods used to interpret LCA study results., including;

o Completeness check
o Sensitivity check
o Consistency check
o Dominance Analysis
o Decision Maker Analysis
o Break Even Analysis

Session 4: ISO Standards

This session ties the information from the first three sessions to the context of the ISO Sustainability in Building Construction suite of standards, including;

o ISO 15932: General Principles
o ISO 21929: Sustainability Indicators – Part 1 – Framework for development of indicators for Buildings
o ISO 21930: Environmental Declaration of Building Products
o ISO 21931-1: Framework for Methods of Assessment of Environmental Performance of Construction Works – Part 1 – Buildings

Special attention will be given to ISOs 21930 and 21931-1 in order to provide participants with a practical understanding of their application.

Session 5: LCA Software

The final session explores the capabilities of available LCA softwares. Softwares shown include the ecoCalculator, Impact Estimator and SimaPro. Additional LCA-related readings, organizations and conferences, will be discussed to provide course participants with resources to continue their education and engagement in the subject.

*Please note that the July workshop has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for the fall. 

The RETScreen® Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool developed with the contribution of numerous experts from government, industry, and academia. The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of Renewable-energy and Energy-efficient Technologies (RETs).

Course Outline:

Day 1

• RETScreen, Energy Modelling and Analysis Overview – Presentation
• RETScreen Energy Efficiency In Depth Analysis – Workshop
  
  • Boiler Upgrades
  • Domestic Hot Water Upgrades
  • Lighting Upgrades
  • Heat Recovery
  • Evaluating Trade Offs

Day 2

• RETScreen Renewable Energy In Depth Analysis – Workshop
  
  • Customizing Site Solar Data
  • MURB Solar Hot Water
  • Solar Air Heating
  • PV System
  • Evaluating Trade Offs
• RETScreen Whole Building In Depth Analysis – Workshop
  
  • Envelope
  • Fenestration
  • HVAC Systems
  • Domestic Hot Water
  • Lighting
  • Reconciliation

Each workshop will be step by step hands-on and will include

• Project Setup
• Energy Analysis
• GHG Emissions Analysis
• Financial Analysis
• Risk Analysis

Participants must bring their own internet-enabled laptop. RETScreen currently runs on the PC platform only. You can download the RETScreen software from the NRCan website.

Date: July 28-29, 2010
Time: 9am - 5pm (both days)
Location: Light House Sustainable Building Centre, 2060 Pine Street, Vancouver

Cost: $500 + HST per person. Register online at http://retscreenjul28-29.eventbrite.com or contact helenc<at>sustainablebuildingcentre.com to pay by cash or cheque.

Instructor

Doug Horn is a Certified Energy Advisor, Building Technologist and a LEED© Accredited Professional who started his own company ‘Efficient Resource Solutions’ (ERS). ERS provides consulting services for home owners, businesses and individuals looking to reduce their energy and water consumption and performs Home Energy Assessments for City Green Solutions. In addition to ERS, Doug works at Light House Sustainable Building Centre as a Green Building Consultant focusing on LEED© consulting on green building projects, energy modeling and researching technical aspects for various Light House projects.

Doug’s passion for the environment and sustainability is quite evident from his bicycle oriented lifestyle and generation of 100% of his homes electrical needs from his roof-top photovoltaic system. With a combination of energy efficiency upgrades and small behavioural modifications Doug was able to reduce his household total energy usage to 85% of European ‘Passivhaus’ standards in his 100 year old house .

Prior to completing BCIT’s two year Architectural Building Engineering Technology programme, where he specialized in Building Science and worked in the Building Science Centre of Excellence Doug spent over 20 years as an IT professional performing a number of roles from network design and computer management to coordinating and managing IT projects.

Participants will earn:

13 AIBC Learning Units

RETSCREEN is a registered trademark of the Minister of Natural Resources Canada

Instructor
Curt Hepting, P.Eng., P.E. EnerSys Analytics Inc.

Led by Canada's pre-eminent expert in energy modelling, this two-day hands-on software training workshop will provide sound knowledge to architects, engineers and other design professionals of how to add value and appeal to renovation and new construction clients. Using the new and improved EE4 v1.7, participants will learn how to use modelling to comply with BC's new building code. The course will also demonstrate the benefits of designing and building to ecoENERGY New Building Designs Validation levels by using EE4 simulation software.

Participants must bring their own internet-enabled laptop. EE4 currently runs on the PC platform only. You can download the EE4 software from the NRCan Website.

Date: July 15-16, 2010
Time: 9am - 5pm both days
Location: Light House Sustainable Building Centre, 2060 Pine Street, Vancouver

Cost: $300 + HST per person. Register online at http://ee4jul15-16.eventbrite.com or contact helenc<at>sustainablebuildingcentre.com to pay by cash or cheque

Participants will earn:

13 AIBC Learning Units

Workshop supported by:

Organization
Ontario Solar Academy

Name of Event
5-Day PV Design & Installation Training Classes

URL
http://www.solaracademy.ca/

Email
contact@solaracademy.com

Address
Ontario Solar Academy
350 Jacob Keffer Parkway
Vaughan, Ontario L4K 4V7
Canada

Phone Number
416-900-7191

Contact Person
Jacob Travis, Director

Date
Monday, July 19, 2010 - Friday, July 23, 2010

Price
$2,995 Canadian. Register 3 weeks in advance, save $350!

Includes tuition, all course materials,
plus lunch and refreshments for five full days. Accommodations not included.

Course Description

A division of Solar Academy International (SAI), Ontario Solar Academy offers training courses based on NABCEP learning objectives to quickly advance expertise in Solar PV (Photovoltaic) design and installation.

Ontario Solar Academy’s NABCEP-certified instructors are experienced, solar professionals with extensive backgrounds in career-focused education. The 5-Day PV Design & Installation Training includes hands-on workshops that prepare participants for the NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam.

Ontario Solar Academy's 5-Day Solar PV Design and Installation Course (Level One) covers fundamental knowledge and reviews the design, installation, and evaluation of residential and commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

The solar training, based on the NABCEP learning objectives, includes site evaluation tools and techniques, solar electric component operation and connection, system design and sizing, and standard requirements and practices. This special Ontario Solar Academy course guides students from system fundamentals to advanced mechanical and electrical concepts in accordance with Electrical Code requirements in Ontario. Passing a final exam qualifies students for Solar Academy's "Solar Professional Certificate: Level One."

Lead Instructor Info

The lead instructor is PV Industry expert Sean White. Sean is a highly experienced PV educator, having taught at several training centers on the West and East Coasts of the USA. Hundreds of his students are employed at both startup and leading solar companies. Sean also designs commercial and residential PV systems in San Francisco Bay Area.

Sean has many years of practical work experience at Fidelity Roof and Local Power in California. He is NABCEP Certified in PV System Design & Installation 2009 and a licensed c-46 solar contractor in California. He finds great satisfaction in sharing his knowledge of PV with his students. Sean's approach appeals to both beginners and solar experts looking to expand their knowledge. Student evaluations demonstrate that Sean's knowledge, passion and pedagogy are outstanding.

*Please note that the July workshop has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for the fall.

The RETScreen® Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool developed with the contribution of numerous experts from government, industry, and academia. The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of Renewable-energy and Energy-efficient Technologies (RETs).

Course Outline:

Day 1

• RETScreen, Energy Modelling and Analysis Overview – Presentation
• RETScreen Energy Efficiency In Depth Analysis – Workshop
  
  • Boiler Upgrades
  • Domestic Hot Water Upgrades
  • Lighting Upgrades
  • Heat Recovery
  • Evaluating Trade Offs

Day 2

• RETScreen Renewable Energy In Depth Analysis – Workshop
  
  • Customizing Site Solar Data
  • MURB Solar Hot Water
  • Solar Air Heating
  • PV System
  • Evaluating Trade Offs
• RETScreen Whole Building In Depth Analysis – Workshop
  
  • Envelope
  • Fenestration
  • HVAC Systems
  • Domestic Hot Water
  • Lighting
  • Reconciliation

Each workshop will be step by step hands-on and will include

• Project Setup
• Energy Analysis
• GHG Emissions Analysis
• Financial Analysis
• Risk Analysis

Participants must bring their own internet-enabled laptop. RETScreen currently runs on the PC platform only. You can download the RETScreen software from the NRCan website.

Instructor

Doug Horn is a Certified Energy Advisor, Building Technologist and a LEED© Accredited Professional who started his own company ‘Efficient Resource Solutions’ (ERS). ERS provides consulting services for home owners, businesses and individuals looking to reduce their energy and water consumption and performs Home Energy Assessments for City Green Solutions. In addition to ERS, Doug works at Light House Sustainable Building Centre as a Green Building Consultant focusing on LEED© consulting on green building projects, energy modeling and researching technical aspects for various Light House projects.

Doug’s passion for the environment and sustainability is quite evident from his bicycle oriented lifestyle and generation of 100% of his homes electrical needs from his roof-top photovoltaic system. With a combination of energy efficiency upgrades and small behavioural modifications Doug was able to reduce his household total energy usage to 85% of European ‘Passivhaus’ standards in his 100 year old house .

Prior to completing BCIT’s two year Architectural Building Engineering Technology programme, where he specialized in Building Science and worked in the Building Science Centre of Excellence Doug spent over 20 years as an IT professional performing a number of roles from network design and computer management to coordinating and managing IT projects.

Participants will earn:

 13 AIBC Learning Units

BCSLA CE Credits

RETSCREEN is a registered trademark of the Minister of Natural Resources Canada

The RETScreen® Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool developed with the contribution of numerous experts from government, industry, and academia. The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of Renewable-energy and Energy-efficient Technologies (RETs).

This is an introductory module of the RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Course.  The course will introduce RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software (Version 4), highlight its new features, and describe the RETScreen approach to project analysis.  In addition, the course will cover how the software can be used to evaluate the viability of energy efficiency improvements in a variety of building types. This course is for professionals and university students who want to learn how to better analyse the technical and financial viability of potential clean energy projects. Upon completion of the course, the student will be more aware of viable clean energy applications and be able to perform high-quality and low-cost preliminary feasibility studies using the RETScreen software.

Participants must bring their own internet-enabled laptop. RETScreen currently runs on the PC platform only. You can download the RETScreen software from the NRCan website. Relevant training materials can also be downloaded from the website:

Presentation Slides
RETScreen - Introduction - Presentation slides (3.59 MB)
RETScreen - Energy Efficiency - Presentation slides (1.33 MB)

Textbook
RETScreen Engineering & Cases Textbook - entire e-Textbook (12.7 MB)

Case Studies
Power - Wind turbine - 50,000 kW
User-defined - Energy - Generic
Energy efficiency measures - Industrial - Manufacturing - Plastic
Energy efficiency measures - Residential - Hot water - Apartment building

Date: May 20, 2010
Time: 9am - 5pm
Location: Light House Sustainable Building Centre, 2060 Pine Street, Vancouver 

Cost: $300 + GST per person. Register online at http://retscreenmay20.eventbrite.com or contact helenc<at>sustainablebuildingcentre.com to pay by cash or cheque.

Instructor

Doug Horn is a Certified Energy Advisor, Building Technologist and a LEED© Accredited Professional who started his own company ‘Efficient Resource Solutions’ (ERS).   ERS provides consulting services for home owners, businesses and individuals looking to reduce their energy and water consumption and performs Home Energy Assessments for City Green Solutions.  Prior to ERS Doug worked at Light House Sustainable Building Centre as a Green Building Consultant focusing on LEED© consulting on green building projects, energy modeling and researching technical aspects for various Light House projects. 

Doug’s passion for the environment and sustainability is quite evident from his bicycle oriented lifestyle and generation of 100% of his homes electrical needs from his roof-top photovoltaic system.  With a combination of energy efficiency upgrades and small behavioural modifications Doug was able to reduce his household total energy usage to 85% of European ‘Passivhaus’ standards in his 100 year old house .

Prior to completing BCIT’s two year Architectural Building Engineering Technology programme, where he specialized in Building Science and worked in the Building Science Centre of Excellence Doug spent over 20 years as an IT professional performing a number of roles from network design and computer management to coordinating and managing IT projects.

Participants will earn:

 6 AIBC Learning Units

Workshop supported by Natural Resources Canada

RETSCREEN is a registered trademark of the Minister of Natural Resources Canada