Teaching Energy Efficiency Fundamentals in Construction Education: Project REDUCE

In recent years, energy efficiency has resurfaced as an important topic in construction education. Finding the appropriate location in the curriculum can be a challenge for construction educators as other topics prevail through requirements previously set forth by accreditations review boards. To increase knowledge of energy efficiency fundamentals, the Reduction in Energy Demand and Utility Consumption Evaluation (REDUCE) project was developed as part of a specialty contracting construction management course. The project-based learning effort requires student teams to identify a building that is in need of energy efficiency improvements. Student teams then conduct an energy audit for the building, identify projects that will result in reducing energy demand and utility consumption, prepare a cost estimate to perform the work, and calculate the project financial feasibility for the proposed projects. This paper demonstrates how Project REDUCE can be used to teach students about energy efficient fundamentals at the same time as provide them with a hands on experience. In addition, the paper will cover the teaching methodology used, project milestones scheduled to motivate students, and the criteria used to assess student learning. Introduction and Background A new curriculum recently adopted at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) is based on a model similar to that proposed by Hauck and Jackson, where construction management is taught as a series of labs integrating the various construction management courses into an active, applied learning experience. The integrated curriculum for the Cal Poly construction management department centers on seven (7) project-based laboratory courses. They are as follows: • Fundamentals of Construction Management • Heavy Civil Construction Management • Residential Construction Management • Commercial Building Construction Management • Specialty Contracting Construction Management • Construction Jobsite Management • Interdisciplinary Project Management Students receive six (6) quarter-hours of lab credit for a total of sixteen (16) contact hours per week. Similar to a studio in an architecture curriculum, each laboratory is taught in a dedicated space furnished with models, samples, contracts, marketing documents, specifications, estimating guides, computer references, and other tools appropriate to that in the construction industry sector, all available to students in that seminar. The concept for the specialty contracting construction management course was to emphasize the work of specialty contractors who fabricate and install mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems; whose work is characterized, by most construction industry professionals, as being P ge 22388.2 specialized and requiring a considerable amount of technical knowledge required for fabrication and installation of the systems. Originally, the course curriculum was developed on the basis of integrating the course content from a mechanical systems course and an electrical systems course, which existed in the prior curriculum. As noted above, the integrated curriculum model described by Hauck and Jackson has the potential to provide tremendous opportunities to engage teaching strategies beyond the common lecture approach typically utilized in many single subject courses. Various methodologies such as cooperative learning require students to be active participants in their own education. Therefore, to take advantage of the studio-laboratory format and to increase knowledge of energy efficiency fundamentals, the Reduction in Energy Demand and Utility Consumption Exercise (REDUCE) was developed as part of a specialty contracting construction management course. The following sections describe the design of laboratory exercise, including the learning objectives and outcomes assessments. Energy Efficiency Fundamentals MEP systems are the active systems of a building, whose purpose is to temper the building environment, distribute electric energy, allow communication, enable critical manufacturing process, provide water and dispose of waste, etc. MEP systems have increased in scope on many types of projects, due to the increased requirements by building users. With the need for increased functionality of these systems, projects now include much more than the traditional MEP systems. The active systems of a building can cost up to 60 percent of the total building cost and their scope now includes additional systems such as fire detection/protection, controls, process piping, and telephone/datacom. In recent years, energy efficiency has resurfaced as an important topic in construction education. According to the United States Department of Energy, traditional building use consumes 40% of the total fossil energy in the US. The REDUCE project was developed to increase awareness to energy efficiency fundamentals and to provide students with an opportunity to “learn by doing” experience. The project-based learning effort requires student teams to identify a building in which energy demand and utility consumption can be reduced. Student teams then conduct a facility energy audit for the building, identity projects to save energy, prepare a cost estimate to perform the work, and calculate the project financial feasibility of the proposed projects. The teaching methodology used, project milestones scheduled to motivate students, and the criteria used to assess of student learning for the project is described below. Reduction in Energy Demand and Utility Consumption Evaluation (REDUCE) Project Teams are required to identify a building in the vicinity campus who will then become their “client”. Acceptable projects include any building (except residential) that is off-campus and greater than 5,000 SF. Once the student team identifies a building, the teams conduct an energy audit for the building, identifies projects that will reduce energy demand and utility consumption, prepare a cost estimate to perform the work, and evaluate by the financial feasibility by calculating the benefit to cost ratio and the pay back period of the proposed projects. Teams then prepare a written proposal and present their findings to the class.