Spots still available for Flint’s first-ever Building Operator Certification training program but class is filling up fast Improvements made to Flint’s State Office Building example of program’s energy saving potential
Spots still available for Flint’s first-ever Building Operator Certification training program but class is filling up fast Improvements made to Flint’s State Office Building example of program’s energy saving potential
LANSING, Mich. –- (RealEstateRama) — Spots are filling up quickly for Flint’s first-ever Building Operator Certification (BOC) training, a program that taught Brian Walts how to save taxpayer money and helped a world-renowned Frankenmuth restaurant cut its energy bills.
The Michigan Agency for Energy is offering $400 discounts on tuition for public building operators to attend the BOC program on June 14 at Mott Community College. Graduates of the program have proven to save an average of $10,800 annually on electric bills of the buildings where they implement changes, according to the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.
Brian Walts, a building trades supervisor for the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget’s East Zone, saw the savings firsthand after he completed the BOC training. Walts implemented energy waste reduction measures at the Flint State Office Building and the Jerome T. Hart Building in Saginaw.
“The Building Operator Certification Program is a great teaching program giving team members the skills to look for and identify cost saving measures and be better prepared to rank projects for better savings or faster paybacks, as well as teaching solid system fundamentals,” he said. “With limited investment, the program can create team members more focused on the overall building operations with the same goal of dependability, efficiency and comfort for the building occupants.”
The program is open to facilities managers in the private sector, as well.
Bob Woodward, chief engineer and facility operations manager at the famous Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth is also a BOC graduate and his experience mirrors that of Walts.
“The information I have obtained from these classes has given me the insight and knowledge necessary for me to help keep our energy costs down and has taught me to look at the way things operate in my facility and determine whether or not we can do things different so we can continue to cut our energy costs,” Woodward said.
BOC training includes nearly 74 hours of classroom and project work (7.4 CEUs) in building systems operation and maintenance. Each course in the series is completed in a one-day training session offered every other week, except BOC 1001 Energy Efficient Operation of Building HVAC Systems, which is a two-day course. To complete the series, participants must pass a test at the end of each training day and complete five assigned projects. Unless otherwise noted, training begins at 8 a.m. and ends by 4 p.m. Space is limited. Early registration is encouraged.
Individuals interested in the MEO tuition discount and other tuition discounts should email Haley Keegan at 
The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance calculated its estimated average annual per participant energy savings to be 100,500 kilowatt-hours per year, equivalent to $10,800 annually at Michigan electricity rates. The savings per credentialed operator ranges from over $3,000 to nearly $19,500 per year.
The MEO provides technical and financial assistance to public and private sector organizations, to lower energy costs and reduce energy waste. MEO’s programs promote adaptable, affordable, reliable, and environmentally protective energy options, including energy efficiency and renewable energy. MEO is largely funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and is part of the Michigan Agency for Energy.
For more information about MAE, please visit www.michigan.gov/energy or sign up for its listservs to keep up on MAE matters.
