Energy Efficiency Course

Lesson 1 • Economic and Environmental Drivers

Explains cost structures, carbon accounting, and regulatory incentives that motivate efficiency investment. Links technical improvements to measurable business outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Energy Basics and Units

Covers fundamental energy forms, units, and conversion factors used in efficiency analysis. Provides the measurement vocabulary needed throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • How Energy Is Consumed

Maps energy flows from source to end use in buildings, industry, and transport. Reveals where losses occur and why they matter for efficiency strategy.

Lesson 1 • Utility Bill Analysis

Teaches extraction of consumption patterns, demand charges, and anomalies from utility invoices. Connects billing data to operational decisions and cost-reduction targets.

Lesson 2 • Audit Reporting Standards

Outlines professional reporting formats, findings presentation, and recommendation prioritisation. Prepares students to deliver audit outputs that drive stakeholder action.

Lesson 3 • Data Collection Protocols

Establishes systematic procedures for gathering, recording, and validating energy data. Ensures data quality sufficient for reliable analysis and reporting.

Lesson 4 • Audit Types and Scope

Distinguishes walkthrough, preliminary, and detailed audit levels and their appropriate applications. Sets expectations for data depth and resource requirements at each level.

Lesson 1 • Commissioning and Retro-Commissioning

Explains the process of verifying and optimising HVAC system performance against design intent. Demonstrates how retro-commissioning recovers efficiency in existing buildings.

Lesson 2 • Insulation and Air Sealing Strategies

Covers insulation materials, installation quality, and air barrier systems for new and existing buildings. Connects envelope upgrades to measurable heating and cooling load reductions.

Lesson 3 • HVAC Controls and Optimisation

Teaches thermostat strategies, scheduling, and building automation system (BAS) integration. Shows how controls improvements often deliver savings with minimal capital investment.

Lesson 4 • HVAC System Types and Performance

Surveys heating, cooling, and ventilation system configurations and their efficiency characteristics. Enables students to evaluate system suitability for a given building type.

Lesson 1 • Motor and Drive Systems

Examines motor efficiency classes, variable frequency drives (VFDs), and load matching for pumps and fans. Demonstrates that motor systems are often the largest electrical end use in facilities.

Lesson 2 • Lighting Technology Fundamentals

Compares lamp technologies by efficacy, colour quality, and lifespan to support upgrade decisions. Grounds lighting efficiency choices in photometric and energy performance data.

Lesson 3 • Power Distribution Efficiency

Addresses transformer losses, power factor, and conductor sizing as sources of electrical waste. Enables students to identify distribution inefficiencies during an audit.

Lesson 4 • Lighting Controls and Daylighting

Covers occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting, and dimming strategies that reduce lighting energy beyond lamp replacement. Integrates controls into a whole-system efficiency approach.

Lesson 1 • Steam and Heat Distribution Systems

Covers boiler efficiency, steam trap management, and insulation of distribution networks. Shows how steam system losses often represent the largest single efficiency opportunity in industry.

Lesson 2 • Heat Recovery and Process Integration

Introduces pinch analysis and heat exchanger networks to maximise internal heat reuse. Demonstrates how process integration reduces both energy input and waste heat output.

Lesson 3 • Industrial Energy Management Systems

Applies energy management system (EnMS) frameworks to industrial settings for sustained performance. Links operational controls and monitoring to continuous efficiency improvement.

Lesson 4 • Industrial Energy Use Patterns

Profiles energy consumption by process type, including thermal, mechanical, and chemical loads. Establishes the industrial context for efficiency analysis distinct from commercial buildings.

Lesson 1 • Energy Regression and Baseline Models

Teaches statistical regression to relate energy consumption to driving variables such as weather and production. Enables accurate performance comparison across periods with different conditions.

Lesson 2 • Reporting to Stakeholders

Structures energy performance reports for executives, operations teams, and external parties. Aligns reporting content with audience decision needs and regulatory disclosure requirements.

Lesson 3 • Measurement and Verification Protocols

Introduces internationally recognised M&V options for quantifying savings from efficiency measures. Ensures that reported savings are credible, defensible, and comparable.

Lesson 4 • Key Performance Indicators and Dashboards

Guides selection and visualisation of energy KPIs for operational and management audiences. Connects dashboard design to decision-making speed and clarity.

Lesson 1 • Energy Storage and Grid Interaction

Introduces battery storage, demand charge management, and grid services as complements to on-site generation. Shows how storage shifts renewable output to match facility demand profiles.

Lesson 2 • Efficiency-First Renewable Sizing

Applies the efficiency-first principle to right-size renewable systems after demand reduction. Prevents oversizing and maximises return on combined efficiency and generation investments.

Lesson 3 • Solar Thermal and Heat Pump Systems

Examines solar thermal collectors and heat pump technologies as low-carbon heat sources. Demonstrates how these systems reduce fossil fuel consumption in heating-dominated facilities.

Lesson 4 • Wind and Other Distributed Generation

Surveys small wind, micro-hydro, and biomass options for sites where solar is insufficient. Provides a framework for comparing distributed generation technologies by resource and cost.

Lesson 1 • Strategic Reporting and Goal Alignment

Connects energy performance data to corporate sustainability frameworks and long-term decarbonisation goals. Prepares students to position energy efficiency within broader organisational strategy.

Lesson 2 • Change Management and Culture

Addresses behavioural and organisational barriers to efficiency adoption and strategies to overcome them. Demonstrates that sustained savings require cultural change alongside technical measures.

Lesson 3 • Organisational Energy Policy Development

Guides creation of an energy policy that commits leadership, assigns accountability, and sets measurable targets. Anchors all technical efficiency work in organisational governance.

Lesson 4 • Energy Project Portfolio Management

Applies portfolio management techniques to prioritise, sequence, and track a pipeline of efficiency projects. Balances short-payback quick wins with long-term capital investments.