PEWL's Energy Management Institute Helps Building Operators Become More Energy Efficient

In observation of National Clean Energy Action Month this October, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) shines a solar-powered spotlight on the Energy Management Institute managed by the School's Office of Professional Education and Workplace Learning (PEWL) unit.

The Energy Management Institute (EMI) is a training program offered by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ (DCAS) Division of Energy Management (DEM) in collaboration with CUNY SPS, CUNY Building Performance Lab (BPL), and the City’s Citywide Training Center (CTC).

"EMI partners with industry leaders to provide in-demand and cutting-edge training for New York City staff," said Program Director Michelle Attles. "The training and certification helps them develop the skills necessary to optimize building performance."

Attles said EMI is particularly pleased to announce the expansion of a partnership with the Passive House Network this fall to open the Certified Passive House Designer course and exam to all city agencies.

Two other new EMI courses recently added are Retrofit Now! (Local Law 97), in partnership with the Building Performance Lab at City College, and Electrification in Building Operations, a course provided by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council as a compliment to their Building Operator Certification program.

Anthony Stefanelli, who recently took the EMI certified energy manager course in-person at CUNY SPS, along with Retrofit Now and Electrification, said the classes have been enormously helpful in his work as an energy project manager for the City's Department of Transportation.

"I'm relatively new in the field and only graduated (from SUNY Maritime College) a couple of years ago," Stefanelli said. "I want to be as equipped as possible to tackle some of the things that the city wants to do. The courses that EMI offers such as electrification is terrific, and to have an expert come in and teach you the material is great and very helpful."

Attles said New York City has ambitious climate mitigation goals, and aggressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a key strategy. Since energy use in buildings is a major source of emissions, building and energy management staff have a critical role in reducing energy.

Through training, EMI helps empower City staff to make energy-smart decisions, implement operational improvements, and advocate for energy retrofits and clean energy projects across the City’s portfolio.

"EMI provides a diverse set of courses targeting competency-based training and integrating national certification requirements," she added. "The courses are led by experienced practitioners in the field and are open to all City staff free of charge."

The City of New York’s workforce continues to serve as an example of ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals, ready to meet the moment and tackle a growing climate crisis. From its inception in 2009, EMI has trained thousands of building operators, designers, engineers, and other energy and sustainability staff, all of whom are change agents for the City of New York.

Attles noted that her team supports these efforts in a variety of ways such as leveraging their new state-of-the-art Learning Management System to deploy dynamic and varied training to meet the needs of every City agency employee; strengthen the learner experience and ease-of-access to courses and top-notch content; and demonstrate measurable impacts of training programs on building operations and energy consumption.

About the CUNY School of Professional Studies

As New York's leading online school since 2006, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) offers the most online bachelor's and master's degree options at the City University of New York, and serves as the University's first undergraduate all-transfer college. With 26 degrees and numerous other non-degree and grant-funded workplace learning programs, CUNY SPS meets the needs of adults who wish to finish a bachelor's degree, progress from an associate's degree, earn a master's degree or certificate in a specialized field, and advance in the workplace or change careers. Consistently ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report for its online offerings, CUNY SPS has emerged as a nationwide leader in online education. The School's renowned and affordable online programs ensure that busy working adults may fulfill their educational goals on their own time and schedule.

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