NORCROSS, GA Ashworth College announced the addition of its new Professional Residential Energy Program to its roster of online career diploma programs. The new curriculum is nationally accredited and designed to provide skilled trade students with in-depth instruction in evaluating energy efficiency in existing residential or commercial buildings.
As the new home market remains stagnant, the time is right for many contractors to diversify their services, and one such way is through energy audits. These audits are visual inspections for the purpose of assessing the general energy performance of an existing home, including windows and doors, heating and cooling systems, appliances, identifying moisture issues as well as analyzing of utility use and billing history to better understand potential opportunities for savings.
"Determining where and how energy is being lost, what systems are operating inefficiently and what cost-effective improvements can be implemented to make structures more durable is a natural extension of skill sets for contractors and tradesmen," said John Riser, Program Director for Ashworth Career School. "It's a cutting-edge industry and a must for anyone interested in joining the "green" movement.
Ashworth's Professional Residential Energy program is comprised of twelve comprehensive lessons which include learning objectives, lecture notes, review questions, multiple-choice exams and written assignments. Lessons include:
- Principles of Energy
- Math Review
- The Building Shell
- Air Leakage
- Insulation
- Windows and Doors
- Heating
- Lighting and Appliances
- Cooling
- Water Heating
- Health and Safety
- Building Assessment and Home Survey
Because Ashworth is a distance education institution, students can start the program at any time, study at their own pace, and take exams online. The program is extremely conducive to the working professional's schedule.
"Like all of our career programs, the Professional Residential Energy program is self paced," Riser commented. "Many of our students work full-time jobs and have families. We want this to be as flexible as possible so that they can incorporate their studies into their work and family schedules. It helps that they can complete their online courses at home and not travel to a classroom."
