NJIT Trains State Staffers on the ABCs of Energy Management

The head of New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Center for Building Knowledge is teaching the basics of energy management to a group of more than two dozen staffers from state agencies.

The staffers serve as energy managers at some 15 state entities and have different levels of expertise. As such, Deane Evans, executive director of the center, uses hands-on, interactive assignments that encourage knowledge-sharing and networking among peers.

The goal of the new training, organized by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, is to make state buildings more energy efficient through best practices and upgrades. NJBPU chose the center to train energy managers based on its past work for the state’s Clean Energy Program.

“The Division of State Energy Services works with all agencies to manage their energy through competitive supply, benchmarking and capital upgrades,” said Sara Bluhm Gibson, director of the division, which is part of NJBPU. “This training helps to provide tools for agencies as well as build a network within state government.”

The Center for Building Knowledge, an affiliate of NJIT's Hillier College of Architecture and Design, uses research, technical assistance and training to improve the built environment. Evans, a registered architect with private practice experience, applies his technical and management expertise to construction technology and solving building-performance problems. 

For the eight sessions of full-day training at NJBPU in Trenton, NJIT and the Board developed a practical curriculum that brings homework assignments into the classroom for discussion and feedback. One example: take an inventory of the energy-related systems in your building. The class of 25-30 then breaks into smaller groups to facilitate the interaction.

“We try to engineer it so no one is left behind and no one is bored,” explained Evans. “We want them to be comfortable taking on more responsibility and learning new things with support from the NJBPU staff. We also want them to save as much money as they can.”