Northern Virginia Community College is offering a new course at the Annandale campus. Introduction to Conservation and Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings (EGR 295) is a course that will help students gain hands-on experience with commercial building energy efficiency. The U.S Energy Protection Agency (EPA) designed the course and based it on the approach recommended by ENERGY STAR, the nation’s largest and most recognizable energy efficiency program.

Professor Pollak, who will be teaching the course, believes it is important for students to take this class because it builds skills that are needed now, in the 21st century. He said the skills students will learn in this class will take them directly where [they] want to go, meaning the skills learned in EGR 295 are ones that can be put into practice in the building energy efficiency work field. Pollak also said this course is a growing interest because it is part of the “green movement,” and he strongly believes jobs of the future will be in commercial building energy efficiency field since 20 percent of all the energy consumed in the United States is from commercial buildings.

The course was piloted this past spring at Metropolitan Community College of Omaha in Nebraska. NOVA is the second college in the nation to offer the class. The 14-week course will be taught Saturdays in the spring semester of 2011. Details may be found on page 59 of the spring schedule of classes booklet.

There are no prerequisites, and students can still register.

By: Ana Guerra

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