Professional/Short Course Zero Carbon Buildings (Energy Management and Performance) (Level 6)

Funding is available for applicants who meet the eligibility criteria.

The Zero Carbon Building (Energy Management and Performance) course will enable you to critically evaluate an energy retrofit proposal for a given case study building, including technical aspects, economic costings and impact on human factors.

It will be delivered as a stand-alone credit-bearing short course and meets the criteria for Higher Education Short Course (HESC) loans, available to apply for once your application has been approved.

This course forms part of a portfolio of HESC funded courses which include: 

• Zero Carbon Buildings (Environments and Materials) (Level 4) 
• Zero Carbon Buildings (Technology and Modelling) (Level 5) 

If you are unfamiliar with higher education settings, full support will be given and the course has been designed to meet the highest standard of inclusive design, with a mix of in-person teaching and an online learning environment where material is available in digital formats, including recordings of live sessions, learning material and a reading list in accessible formats.

Learning will be divided into short presentations on theory, followed by interactive learning activities, using technology enhanced learning, detailed session plans and related reading lists.

The use of hands-on learning equipment and real-world case studies will be used to give the learning a professional focus.

Learning outcomes

• Propose an energy retrofit plan for a case study building, informed by a thorough review of academic literature and related site evaluations of such aspects as functionality, comfort, energy, sustainability and user satisfaction, using a range of recognised procedures, monitoring equipment and software.
• Prepare a feasibility report for an energy related project in an existing building, accounting for energy generation/efficiency projections, technology assessment, regulation compliance, qualification for incentive schemes, lifecycle costs and user acceptability.
• Defend the usability of the retrofit proposal, when faced by conflicting requirements of owners, users, maintainers, constructers and designers and present the feasibility study to a critical audience, clearly evaluating the risks and opportunities.

Entry requirements

Learners joining this level 6 course are expected to have fundamental knowledge of building physics (such as the heat-balance equation), as covered in the level 4 course Zero Carbon Buildings (Environments and Materials) and the skills to apply zero carbon design theory, as covered in the level 5 course Zero Carbon Buildings (Technology and Modelling).

• To gain entry to this course, learners require either:

a) completion of the related short course Zero Carbon Buildings (Technology and Modelling) Level 5;

or,

b) completion of 120 credits of level 5 in a related technical programme of the built environment;

or,

c) evidence of experiential learning that map to the learning outcomes of the level 5 short course Zero Carbon Buildings (Technology and Modelling).

• All applicants will need GCSE English and Maths at grade C/4.
• Applicants who do not meet these entry requirements but have relevant experience may be considered on a case by case basis. 

Careers / Further study

Upon completion of the course, you will have the skills to undertake retrofit coordination and energy management roles for conventional commercial buildings.