About the Project

In Canada, there are approximately 450,000 commercial and institutional buildings that represent almost $17 billion in annual energy costs.  These buildings account for 14% of end use energy consumption and 23% of Canada’s carbon emissions. The Council of Energy Ministers (CEM) agreed that energy efficiency and conservation have the potential to reduce energy demand by 25% of today’s energy use by 2030.  Furthermore, the CEM has made the recommendation to strengthen the capacity of building managers and operators to understand, adopt, and deliver energy efficient practices.

The main issue facing building operators is:

• The transformation of the built environment; and
• The consequent demand for essential competencies and highly trained human resources at the operating and maintenance level to ensure building energy performance is optimized. 

The main objective of this project is to document mechanisms to assist Building Operators in adapting to the requirements of a sustainably built environment in the commercial and institutional sector, as well as determining how they fit within the scope of green building occupations.  This will ensure that they actively participate in the emergence of a new culture of energy conservation in Canadian buildings.

Project Details

Start Date: May 2010

End Date: May 2011

Objectives:

1.  Document the boundaries of building operations and maintenance as they apply to energy efficiency and conservation;
2. Document existing or developing training programs and competency assessments across Canada with a view of complimenting existing activities;
3. Document the effectiveness of existing apprenticeship models and the potential for new apprenticeship models to more effectively address training and supply issues related to Building Operators; and
4. Document the current and future needs and opportunities for Building Operators from a stakeholder perspective, a Building Operator perspective, and from an educational perspective.

Outcomes:

The expected outcomes and results of this project will be a comprehensive report for Building Operators that will include:

1. The scope of activities involved for a Building Operator;
2. Current and developing activities regarding skills enhancement for Building Operators
3. Estimates of the number of Building Operators, their location, and preliminary labour market intelligence;
4. Preliminary lists of existing public and private sector employers, including associations and linkages to applicable trades and technologists;
5. Lists of existing and developing training and educational programs and courses applicable to Building Operators; and
6. A list of recommendations as to the next steps and the path forward for Building Operators.

Contact Information

For more information about this project or to learn how to get involved, please contact: