There is consensus among the majority of scientists that the climate of the earth is changing in the direction of higher temperatures and that some of the change is anthropomorphic (caused by human activity). This course is intended to address that portion of the human contribution to climate change that is related to energy use in buildings. At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to understand the ways buildings use energy and how buildings can be designed for high energy performance. You should be aware of activities and plans for improving building designs in the future. You will have an understanding of the requirements of the Energy and Atmosphere category of LEED v4 Building Design and Construction (BD+C).

• Explain the relationship between building energy use and the larger issues of climate change and environmental degradation
• Recognize the positions and activities of governmental and professional organizations in this subject area
• Discuss sustainability ratings for buildings and understand in detail the requirements of one of those systems, USGBC’s LEED ® Rating System
• Recall the current sources of energy for buildings and their environmental effects
• Describe in some detail how buildings use energy, the variables affecting how they perform for energy efficiency, and how energy can be produced by buildings
• Restate how digital models are used in high performance building design and how commissioning and maintenance affect actual results
• Discuss how to implement the LEED v4 BD+C Energy and Atmosphere credits and integrate them into project design