ENRGY 120 - Energy Efficiency: Design, Construction, and Retrofit

5.0 Credits
Elements of an energy efficient building envelope: heating, cooling; water heating equipment, lighting, appliances, electronics. Includes design strategies and innovations for new construction as well as elements of retrofitting an existing building. Emphasis on residential. Prerequisite: ENRGY 102. Recommended: CIT 103/104 for those with no construction experience.

Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Describe and identify the building thermal envelope, vapor barrier, and bulk water barriers, and how they interact in the whole building approach to improve energy efficiency and maintain environmental standards. [COMMUNICATE]
Describe and track how a building’s conditioned space interacts with both air movement and water vapor movement. [REASON]
Analyze a building’s water resource use, domestic water heating system, and identify ways to improve their resource efficiencies. [REASON]
Analyze a building’s energy use with respect to appliances, lighting and electronics, and provide measures to increase their efficiencies. [REASON]
Identify and rate according to their ‘R” value, cost, embedded energy, and toxicity, various building components and how they: control the building envelope’s energy performance and how they may be altered for increased energy efficiencies. [ACT]
Rate combustion appliances for their energy use and how they may interact with indoor air quality. [REASON]
Describe and evaluate various factors that may affect indoor air quality. [REASON]
Explore critically and creatively how various codes, green building standards, and the construction and building operations industries can work together to improve building efficiencies. [EXPLORE]