Training in the Field - Mobile Training Labs for Building Sciences

I wanted to share this with everyone.  Last week, while doing some training work down in SOCAL, I had the opportunity to check out a really cool idea... a mobile training lab that the folks down at Energy Conservation Institute put together.   The designer and educator who put it together is still very critical of his own work, and told me that it is a "work in progress"... fueled by all sorts of great, ongoing, late-night ideas.  Personally, I think that they've really got a good concept with this thing!

I'm really interested to see what they do next.  The need for trained and qualified individuals to do home performance testing is only going to increase in the coming years.

 

http://www.energyconservationinstitute.com/v/vspfiles/downloadables...

 

http://www.energyconservationinstitute.com/

Views: 51

Attachments:

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Great Idea! Here in New York, hands on field training has been spotty, at best with trainers and instructors relegated to using "volunteeer" homes - often different for each session. This is good for a "real-world" scenario, but often many of the training concepts cannot be implimented or get glossed over.
NYSWDA has built an excellent facility, but it is permanent, not mobile. They are building several more of these demostration "houses" around the state, but a mobile facility would be awesome!
I believe that ECI and David Brown have plans to put this one lab on the road soon... but I am not sure they have plans to bring it all the way up to NY. You should sent them a note if you are interested.
David Brown brought the ECI mobile lab up the coast to Berkeley for a visit. Here's my recent blog post and photo:
http://www.homeenergy.org/blog.php?id=103&blog_title=Building_P...
I love it! The Banner Center in Florida (http://bannercenterforenergy.com/banner_centers.html) has at least one trailer they've equipped for training students in construction. This one in California is the first one I've seen for energy audit training, but I imagine we'll be seeing more of this kind of stuff in the coming years.
Allison,

Do you happen to know if there are any photos of the mobile construction lab that The Banner Center has put together? I did not see anything rooting around on their website... but maybe I missed it.
The Banner Center is actually a bunch of different centers, each focused on something different. The mobile training center I saw was for the Banner Center for Construction, and I guess I should've given you the URL for the photos the first time, but here it is:

http://www.buildflorida.org/AnnouncementRetrieve.aspx?ID=58027
Thanks for the link. This construction mobile lab looks interesting as well. (I wonder how they got the big green-and-white crane inside the trailer?) ;-)
Nice looking unit, would like to see it up close.
David Brown did a wonderful job putting his lab together. It looks fantastic.

Mark, it is possible to set up a small training simulator, to emulate a house and duct system. They're lightweight and portable. Not as useful as a volunteer house of course, but a good stand-in, to get that hands-on training. If you, or anyone else, is interested in more information, send me a message. I don't want to turn this thread into that discussion, and take away from David's work.

RSS

Home Energy Pros

Home Energy Pros was founded by the developers of Home Energy Saver Pro (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and brought to you in partnership with Home Energy magazine.

Latest Activity

Eric Kjelshus replied to Johnny Ritzo's discussion Selecting a Water Heater
"I have been using  Rheem or State or Brad/white PVC flued tank type hot water heater…"
3 hours ago
Bachi Brunato replied to Bachi Brunato's discussion Boxing and Insulating Around Non-ICAT Cans
"As it turns out, we have 10 Halo 99RT housings with Halo 998P Eyeball trim in the kitchen. The trim…"
6 hours ago
Bachi Brunato's discussion was featured

Boxing and Insulating Around Non-ICAT Cans

I have a client with 16) 4" halogen recessed light fixtures in the attic.I'd like to cover the cans…See More
8 hours ago
Johnny Ritzo's discussion was featured

Selecting a Water Heater

I am looking at updating the heating and water heating systems in a rental home I recently…See More
8 hours ago
George Kopf's discussion was featured

Misting Aeroseal in Pressurized Home = Amazing Air Sealing Innovation

As a training program manager for a non-profit, I am often too busy managing my program to catch…See More
8 hours ago
Tom Delconte's blog post was featured
8 hours ago
Christopher Morin's blog post was featured

Selling with Rebates: The Simple Payback

  The easiest way to show a homeowner how their investment in high-efficient equipment will help…See More
8 hours ago
Edward Foskey's blog post was featured
8 hours ago
Mike Rogers's blog post was featured

HOMES Act introduced with Bi-Partisan Sponsorship

We don't see a lot of bi-partisan bills in Congress these days. Here's one focusing on home…See More
8 hours ago
Mike Rogers posted a blog post

HOMES Act introduced with Bi-Partisan Sponsorship

We don't see a lot of bi-partisan bills in Congress these days. Here's one focusing on home…See More
11 hours ago
David Eggleton replied to Jose Macho's discussion Why Are Energy-Saving Home Inprovements Down??
"That varies, as policies are different from state to state."
12 hours ago
Orvil D Boyer replied to David Starrett's discussion I am looking for a good IR camera in the group Energy Auditing Equipment for Sale, Trade or to Purchase
"I have a Fluke TIR 32.  Used aproximately 10 times 1.5 yrs old.  This is the first…"
12 hours ago

© 2013   Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service