AEE Business Energy Professional study plan

Convert among kWh, therms, MMBtu, tons of refrigeration, and boiler horsepower, and compute load factor, demand, and power factor from a 15-minute interval dataset you assemble yourself.

Derive the heat-transfer and psychrometric relationships behind envelope, air-side, and water-side loads from first principles instead of memorizing results.

Specify instruments for a walk-through survey - clamp meter, ultrasonic flow meter, combustion analyzer, infrared camera, and data logger - stating range, accuracy, and calibration status for each.

Design a two-week sub-metering plan for a mixed-use building, choosing measurement points, sampling intervals, and logger channels, and justify each choice against the end-use you intend to isolate.

Trace energy flow through the five major building systems - envelope, lighting, air-side HVAC, water-side HVAC, and service hot water - and quantify where losses dominate in each.

Compute fan and pump power with the affinity laws, then size a variable-speed retrofit savings estimate from a load-duration curve rather than a single-point assumption.

Compare constant-volume, VAV, and dedicated outdoor air systems on ventilation, reheat, and fan energy for the same building program and climate.

Evaluate economizer, demand-controlled ventilation, and heat-recovery strategies against climate zone and code minimum thresholds.

Diagnose the common retro-commissioning findings in chilled-water plants: low delta-T, simultaneous heating and cooling, over-ventilation, and sensor drift.

Reconcile utility bills to interval data and build a 12-month weather-normalized baseline using degree-day and change-point regression, reporting R-squared and CV(RMSE).

Structure a bill audit that separates energy, demand, and fixed charges, and flag the errors that actually recur: wrong rate class, demand ratchet, and misapplied riders.

Map a commercial electric rate schedule in full - energy blocks, ratchets, power factor penalties, time-of-use periods, and adjustment clauses.

Compare two rate schedules against the same load profile and compute each billing determinant, showing how the ratchet changes the answer.

Set a greenhouse-gas inventory boundary and convert metered energy into Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions using current emission factors.

Audit a compressed-air system end to end - supply pressure, leaks, storage, dryer dew point, and end-use demand - and quantify leakage as a percentage of compressor output.

Evaluate steam and condensate systems covering boiler efficiency, blowdown, failed traps, and condensate return, calculating the fuel penalty of each loss separately.

Calculate motor, fan, and pump energy across industrial duty cycles and screen for VFD, impeller trim, and pipe-sizing opportunities.

Assess process heating and refrigeration loads, including insulation, heat recovery, and compressor staging, and convert findings into annual energy terms.

Rank industrial opportunities by return on investment using a plant-level energy balance that closes to within a stated tolerance.

Build a lifecycle cost analysis using net present value, internal rate of return, simple payback, and savings-to-investment ratio, then show how discount rate and energy escalation reorder the alternatives.

Compare financing routes - capital budget, operating lease, energy performance contract, power purchase agreement, and on-bill financing - on balance-sheet treatment and effective cost of capital.

Design an electric procurement strategy across fixed, index, and block-and-index structures, set a hedge ratio, and quantify exposure to a 20 percent price swing.

Evaluate gas purchasing options including firm versus interruptible service, storage, and basis risk, and set a purchasing policy with clear approval thresholds.

Model a demand-response and capacity revenue stream alongside an efficiency project so the combined cash flow is not double-counted.

Write commissioning specifications and a commissioning plan covering pre-functional checklists, functional performance tests, and seasonal testing.

Apply ASHRAE Guideline 14 and the IPMVP option-selection logic across Options A, B, C, and D to three project descriptions, defending each choice in writing.

Compute savings uncertainty and determine the measurement period and independent variables needed to reach a stated confidence level.

Determine the governing requirements for a project across ASHRAE 90.1, the IECC, and the locally adopted code, and identify the compliance path available.

Screen a design against green building certification criteria and list the energy-related prerequisites and the documentation each demands.

Size a CHP system from a facility's electric and thermal load-duration curves, then compute the spark spread and annual operating cost at that size.

Compare prime movers - reciprocating engine, combustion turbine, microturbine, and fuel cell - on electric efficiency, heat-to-power ratio, emissions, and maintenance burden.

Analyze interconnection and standby-charge implications, including parallel operation, islanding capability, and net metering treatment.

Compare on-site solar PV, solar thermal, and battery storage on levelized cost of energy and value to the host site.

Close the remaining code gaps that are not system-specific: ventilation rates, economizer thresholds, and lighting power density limits.

Complete three timed practice exams and log every miss by domain and by error type - knowledge gap, misread question, or calculation slip.

Re-solve every missed calculation without notes until each can be reproduced correctly in under three minutes.

Reconstruct a one-page reference sheet of formulas, unit conversions, and code thresholds from memory, then check it against your notes.

Drill the five highest-frequency calculation families - payback and NPV, load factor, fan and pump laws, M&V uncertainty, and CHP spark spread - to automaticity.