(revised 8-2009)
I. Summary of Proposed Changes
Prefix and Course # Dept / Program Applied Computing and Electronics/
Energy Technology Program
Course Title Building Energy Efficiency
NRG 235
Short Title (max. 26 characters incl. spaces)
Summarize the change(s) proposed
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Building Energy Efficiency
Rubric, numbering, and course description changes
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature Date
Requestor: Ashley Preston
Phone/ email : 243-7915 ashley.preston@umontana.edu
Program Chair/Director: Tom Gallagher
Other affected programs Alan Fugleberg
Dean: Barry Good
III: To Add a New Course S yllabus and assessment information is required ( paste syllabus into section V or attach). Course should have internal coherence and clear focus.

YES NO
Exact entry to appear in the next catalog (Specify course abbreviation, level, number, title, credits, repeatability (if applicable), frequency of offering, prerequisites, and a brief description.)

Justification: How does the course fit with the existing curriculum? Why is it needed?
Are there curricular adjustments to accommodate teaching this course?
Complete for UG courses. (UG courses should be assigned a 400 number).
Describe graduate increment (Reference guidelines: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/Grad/UG.htm
)

Fees may be requested only for courses meeting specific conditions determined by the
Board of Regents. Please indicate whether this course will be considered for a fee.
If YES, what is the proposed amount of the fee?
Justification:
YES NO
IV. To Delete or Change an Existing Course
– check X all that apply
Deletion Title
Course Number
Change x From:
To:
CAR
235
NRG
235
Level U, UG, G
Description Change
Change in Credits x
From:
Repeatability
Cross Listing
Building Energy Efficiency
From:
To:

Prerequisites
To: (primary program initiates form)
Is there a fee associated with the course? NO
2. Full and exact entry (as proposed)

1. Current course information at it appears in catalog
( http://www.umt.edu/catalog )

U 235T Building Energy Conservation 3 cr. Study of the analysis techniques used for reduction of energy consumption and energy management, including energy accounting and energy auditing. Residential and commercial building energy efficiency opportunities will be covered. Other topics addressed include motors, pumps, green building, and purchasing energy supplies.
Career opportunities in energy efficiency will be discussed.
5. Graduate increment if level of course is changed to
UG. Reference guidelines at: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/Grad/UG.htm
(syllabus required in section V)
U 235 Building Energy Efficiency 3 cr. Provides an overview of energy efficiency opportunities in residential buildings and prepares the student to take the National RESNET Home
Energy Rater Exam. Familiarity with residential construction and basic energy terminology is useful though not required.
3. If cross-listed course: secondary program & course number
4. Is this a course with MUS Common Course Numbering? If yes, then will this change eliminate the course’s common course status? Please explain below.
Have you reviewed the graduate increment guidelines? Please check (X) space provided.
NO
6. Other programs affected by the change
7. Justification for proposed change
Carpentry
NRG 235 is currently listed as a carpentry (CAR) course. The course is no longer taught in carpentry, and the Energy Technology program has been offering and staffing it exclusively for the last 2 years. In consultation with the
Carpentry program, we request that the rubric be changed from CAR to NRG to reflect this change in program and staffing.
We also request a change in title from “Building
Energy Conservation” to “Building Energy
Efficiency” and a change in description to more accurately reflect the course content and outcomes.
V. Syllabus/Assessment Information
Required for new courses and course change from U to UG. Paste syllabus in field below or attach and send digital copy with form.

NRG235 Building Energy Efficiency
Course Syllabus
Course Number: NRG235
Course Title: Building Energy Efficiency
Credits: 3
Instructor:
Contact:
Dale Horton dale.horton@umontana.edu
or 406-721-9908

Course Description:
NRG235 provides an overview of energy efficiency opportunities in residential buildings and prepares the student to take the National RESNET Home Energy Rater Exam. Familiarity with residential construction and basic energy terminology is useful though not required.
Course Overview:
The objective of this course is to provide an overview of energy efficiency opportunities in residential buildings and to prepare the student to take the National RESNET Home Energy Rater Exam. Familiarity with residential construction and basic energy terminology will be useful.
Reducing energy consumption through energy efficiency and conservation can have immediate impacts upon energy costs in homes and commercial buildings. With rising energy supply costs and growing concern about global climate change energy efficiency will only grow in importance.
The massive inventory of existing buildings and infrastructure could yield dramatic energy savings through improvements in operation and equipment improvements. A one-term class is not enough time to address the wide range of energy efficiency opportunities so I have elected to emphasize residential applications. More specifically I will use Home Energy Rating training as the general curriculum. The course text book, Residential Energy, deals largely with existing houses. Home energy ratings are while applicable to both new and existing homes. Building and duct tightness testing, fundamental elements of home energy rating are also critical to green building programs.
This course will focus on residential energy efficiency and Home Energy (HERS) Rating. At the end of the course a student should be prepared to take the national Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) HERS exam. The national RESNET exam will not be a part of the course but I can arrange for you to take the exam at a proctored site once the course is complete. The RESNET exam costs $50 per attempt. The national HERS exam is very challenging. In my experience less than half of those who take the exam are able to pass it on the first try. To learn more about home energy rating you can refer to the following web site: www.natresnet.org
The requirements for becoming a RESNET certified Home Energy Rater are:

Step 1. Pass the National HERS Rater Exam

Step 2. Complete projected and one confirmed probationary rating under the on-site supervision of a HERS certified Rater Trainer

Step 3. Complete three additional probationary ratings that are approved by your chosen HERS Provider
About the Instructor:
I have lived in Missoula for 25 years and have worked for the National Center for Appropriate Technology
( www.ncat.org
), where I am the Sustainable Energy Program Manager since 1998. Before joining NCAT I owned a small architecture and energy consulting firm. I have a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an
Environmental Studies Master’s Degree from the University of Montana. I am a RESNET certified Home Energy Rater
Trainer as well as a LEED Accredited Professional and Homes Rater.
I prefer that our communications, if topic related, be available to the entire class. Please use the “Discussion Board” on
Blackboard to ask questions or make comments regarding assignments or course material. I will reply on the same
Discussion Board so that everyone will see the response. If you do not want the entire class to see the message then use my email or telephone. I prefer that phone calls be during the daytime. Please realize that I travel occasionally but will try to respond to emails within 48 hours.
Lab: No required labs.
Issues Regarding Accessing an Online Course: If you have questions regarding accessing an online course such your
NetID, Blackboard username, or password refer to the following web page: http://umonline.umt.edu/StudentInfo/welcome.htm
Required Text:

There is one required textbook. There will also be several required documents that may be downloaded from web sites. Those documents will be referenced in the appropriate learning unit.
Residential Energy
The textbook is an excellent overview of energy issues and potential savings in housing. This text is used nationally in many home energy rater training certification courses. This textbook is available from major online book vendors.
Residential Energy: Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings by John Krigger and Chris Dorsi, Published by
Saturn Resource Management ( www.srmi.biz
), 2000. This book is available online from vendors such as
Amazon.com.
Hardware and Software: The information for this course is presented in several formats. The student must be able to open and read Microsoft Word as well as PDF files. Numerous web site references will be used. Since several of the documents that will be used in this course are relatively large PDF files, the speed of your computer and of your
Internet access will impact your online experience.
You will be provided a demonstration copy of REM/RATE software. This software will be used in at least three of the learning units and is required for performing the ratings in this class. To operate this software your computer must be able to operate windows based programs. I have had several students with Apple computers to successfully operate
REM/RATE by using such software. Since we will use this software for three weeks in the second half of the term it is important that you have access to a computer that can run Windows based software.
Topics:
Each Learning Unit will include a PDF based PowerPoint with assigned reading in the text book and often assigned reading in documents available from the Internet. The length of the introductory discussion will vary depending on how well that topic is covered by the texts and supplemental sources. There are thirteen Learning Units. There will be not Learning Unit the week of March 9 when the Mid-term will be taken.
Class Learning Unit Outline
Week
1.
Introduction to Building Energy Efficiency
2.
HERS Rating and RESNET
3.
ENERGY STAR Homes Programs
4.
Energy Fundamentals 1
5.
Energy Fundamentals 2
6.
Space Heating and Cooling
7.
Mid-term Week March 9-13
8.
Performance Testing: Blower Door
9.
Performance Testing: Duct Blaster
10.
Spring Break Week
11.
Mechanical Ventilation
12.
Use of Rating Software 1, Lighting and Appliances
13.
Use of Rating Software 2, Water Heating
14.
Solar and Zero Energy Home Exercise
15.
Green Building and Energy
16.
Finals Week
Assignments:
Submit all assignments using the “Upload Assignments” function within Blackboard. The assignments are available from within that learning unit. Use only Ariel or Times New Roman fonts (size 12). All course assignments and tests will be open book.
Assignments for each week are due by 5:00 P.M (Mountain Time) on the Friday of the week in which that Learning Unit is scheduled. Answers will usually be available from within the learning unit at 6:00 on the same day.

I will review each assignment submitted to determine if it is substantially complete and represents a reasonable effort.
You will either receive credit for the assignment or not. I will not note which of your answers is correct of incorrect. It will be up to the student to compare their answers with the answers posted for that assignment. Each student will be responsible for correcting their own work.
Grades:
There will be 13 homework assignments worth 1/4 of your final grade. There will be two assignments worth 1/4 of your grade. There will be 2 exams each worth 1/4 of your final grade. Both the mid-term and final exams will be “open book” with about 90 questions, multiple choice or true/false. The final grades will be awarded on a curve.
P/NP option: A student must earn the equivalent of a letter grade of A, B, or C for a P.
Recommended Pre- or Co-requisites:
High school level competency in writing, mathematics and the sciences. Students submitting assignments and tests with errors in spelling or grammar may be asked to correct and resubmit the assignment. Familiarity with general energy terminology and units of measurement is assumed. Basic knowledge of residential construction principles and terminology is recommended. Basic knowledge of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel are required. Student must be able to download and open PDF and HTM files as well as perform online research.
Copying / Cheating / Collaborating:
You must do your own work although with the exception of the tests students may discuss assignments or course material with other students. You may seek explanations and examples from other students and other teachers however the end product must be the result of your individual efforts. Under no circumstances should you provide another student with your work, or parts of your work unless specifically noted in that particular assignment.
Drop/Add Policy http://www.umt.edu/catalog/policy_procedure.htm
Academic Honesty Policy
All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course
instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University.
All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at http://www.umt.edu/SA/VPSA/index.cfm?page?1321
.
Students with disabilities
Students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodations in this online course. To request course modifications, please contact me as soon as possible. I will work with you and Disability Services in the accommodation process. For more information, visit the Disability Services website at http://www.umt.edu/dss/ or call 406.243.2243
(Voice/Text).
Email policy at UM
According to the new University email policy effective on 1 July 2007, an “employee must use only UMM assigned student email accounts for all email exchanges with students, since such communication typically involves private student information.” This means that you must send any correspondence through your GrizMail account. For more information on setting up and using your GrizMail account, please go to http://www.umt.edu/it/email/studentemail.htm
.
Technical assistance using Blackboard:
Technical assistance and email accounts:
CIS Help Desk: 406.243.4357 helpdesk@umontana.edu
UMOnline login accounts:
Marvin Paulson: 406.243.6394, marvin.paulson@umontana.edu
VI Department Summary
(Required if several forms are submitted) In a separate document list course number, title, and proposed change for all proposals.
VII Copies and Electronic Submission.
After approval, submit original, one copy, summary of proposals and electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221, camie.foos@mso.umt.edu.