Welcome to the future technologies and innovations that sculpt our industry.
This episode brought to you by the BEST Center.
Learn more about the high performance building operations, professional certification and
exam at hpbop.org.
Okay, welcome everyone.
We're hanging out with Larry Chang from the BEST Center.
Larry, how are you today?
I'm very well.
Thanks for having me today.
So what has led up to this discussion is conversations about the increase of opportunities for technicians
to become certified as professional building specialists.
And out of that came a new certification from the BEST Center that is the high performance
building operations, professional certification and exam.
So let's talk a little bit about how this happened and where that all began and tell
us a little bit about the BEST Center and what you do at the BEST Center.
Sure.
I'm director currently of BEST Center, which has been around since 2012.
Thanks to funding from the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education
Program and that program briefly is meant to boost the technician workforce across multiple
industry sectors such as cybersecurity, biotech.
We are the only center focused on building sciences and operations.
And currently we're based at the University of California, Berkeley.
But since our inception, we have been helping community college programs and commercial
HVAC, energy management and building automation systems, both with curriculum as well as faculty
professional development.
To that end, we run workshops every year for faculty.
Over the past few years, we've been doing an online institute, which has been a conference,
which has also allowed us to showcase the cutting edge work with the Lawrence Berkeley
National Lab, which is one of our partners.
And we also provide technical assistance for colleges, especially those looking to modify
their instructional labs.
Right.
Because certainly there's a ton of work that goes into that.
Oh boy, absolutely.
To accommodate newer curriculum.
And then also we provide help with reviewing grant proposals from colleges who specifically
want to apply for this ATE grant funded program.
Okay.
So I didn't realize that.
I mean, I guess we talked about it a little bit.
We sat down and had some conversation at our national HVACR education conference in March
and you'd mentioned that and it really didn't sink in.
More than just curriculum, you're also helping with our programs to look at resources, which
that's a huge thing when you're trying to run a program that's probably on a limited
budget.
Yes.
We've also provided discounts with a number of national distributors and manufacturers
around HVAC equipment and controls.
We also highlight open source software.
Oh wow.
Especially those that are used for control sequences.
So that way colleges don't have to spend a lot of time and money on getting licensed
sure.
Yeah, the proprietary licenses are not cheap.
They are not.
Okay.
All right.
So let's talk about this certification.
Where did it all come from?
I mean, we know that buildings are getting smarter.
Technology is getting more advanced and the commercial industrial sector has always been
ahead of the residential.
I myself, I spent a lot of time in building automations, mainly in grocery store, refrigeration,
HVAC, electrical automations, a lot of like Emerson E2 and remote operations of systems.
And then I had an interest in getting into the residential side because we started seeing
more technology in the residential sector.
But that doesn't say that the commercial and industrial sector hasn't been escalating even
faster in these last few years.
And I think that's kind of what we see is that technology is really in a boom for the
commercial building management sector.
Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
And in terms of where this kind of mission for best center came from, right?
I mean, even before there was a best center, the environmental control technology department
at Laney College in Oakland had successfully received a number of these grants from the
National Science Foundation around curriculum development.
But along with that also came the opportunity to, again, kind of look at the industry as
a whole.
Right.
Take a big picture.
And we're going to put our finger on kind of the one, well, one of the critical missing
elements in the world of operations.
And that is acknowledgement of the very, very vital work that's done by our building technicians.
Right.
Because so often, right, and I can say this because I'm an architect, right, designers
and engineers get a lot of attention.
Right.
And then there's the big ribbon cutting ceremony.
And then what happens after that?
Yeah.
And actually, it is the life cycle portion in operations that forms the bulk of a building's
life.
Right.
And so kind of knowing that, again, energy usage, indoor environmental quality, health
and safety, those are all such critical factors that have to be optimized ideally during a
lifetime of a building.
We saw the need then to create a certification which recognizes, again, that very, very highly
skilled workforce that's needed to support high performance buildings.
You know, we talk about our programs in ways that we can improve our programs and some
of the options to offer our students as they are coming through our program.
You know, unfortunately, there's that misperception from the, I would say from the civilian side
of HVAC that, you know, HVAC is just residential furnaces and air conditioners.
And then you've got commercial stuff and it's a whole different world.
And it's not, you know, there's opportunities to evolve throughout the entire industry.
And you may start in one portion or one piece of HVAC or refrigeration, but you can go anywhere
you want.
And so showing these opportunities and showing these advanced skill sets that are available
out there is very important, especially with generations that have grown up with technology,
because we're really talking about understanding the technology that keeps a building operating
and thriving at its peak efficiencies.
Yeah, back to that question of technology, right?
I mean, controls have been around for quite some time, originally kind of pneumatic, and
many of the buildings still use pneumatics.
And then over time, certain buildings have had direct digital controls overlaid on top
of those kind of further complicating integration, what have you.
And analogs.
Yeah.
And then, of course, you know, the new buildings, right?
I mean, they'll have a full on building automation and their energy management system, you know,
they're from the get go.
And it has made the work of the technician kind of more involved, more hybridized, having
to tap into multiple skill areas.
And you know, I think that for me, that's always been one of the most fascinating things,
I think, about building operations is that it is becoming that kind of hybrid workforce.
And I hope that certainly it will speak to the younger or any generation that is comfortable
with technology.
Yeah, exactly.
And I think about technicians that are already out in the field and may have potentially
hit that plateau.
I know myself, there were a few different plateaus in my career.
I would get to a level and go, OK, I'm really good at what I'm doing here.
And do I want to stay here the rest of my life?
Or do I want to push myself to a better opportunity, a more challenging place within my industry?
And then I realized that, wow, it just keeps going on and on and on.
I've not found an end to our industry because it has so many different fingers.
You know, Jason Objute has this really good analogy of our industry.
We're like this living tree.
And as the tree is growing, it's still continuing to grow new branches all the time.
So even if we passed one branch along our way, we may look back and go, oh, wow, there's
something new on that branch that I didn't realize.
Right.
So we have these new ventures, these new opportunities, and for those that enjoy technology,
it is a great blend of kind of like different skill sets.
I mean, you have to be a mechanic, but you also have to know the digital, maybe even
the IT side of things and blending them together.
And boy, now you have something that's very unique and in high demand.
Yeah.
And there are multiple starting points, as you mentioned, right?
You know, technician may go through a community college program in HVAC.
You know, others may start off in IT.
Right.
And then say, hey, you know, I'm working on cars.
I like cars.
I like buildings.
Right.
And yeah.
So how do I take my skills in that direction?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Taking those mechanical aptitudes that somebody has and maybe they didn't hone in on them
because, you know, so many of us, especially in the Gen X range, you know, we're pushed
to college and, you know, find your path, find your path, find your path and let's get
educated.
And maybe some of those things that you enjoy doing got set to the wayside.
And then as we mature in our career and in our field, maybe we have opportunity to look
back and go, you know what, I really enjoyed doing this.
I wonder if I can add this on to my skill set and become an even more valuable employee.
And that's really what we're talking about is opening up your horizons to new opportunities.
Yeah.
Also, again, wage earning prospects too.
Yeah.
And travel.
You know, some of that as well.
All right.
All but the digital world helps to kind of offset some of that too.
Yeah.
Travel in different ways.
Yeah, when you learn to function in a digital world, you can expand your capabilities and
your horizons so much.
You know, I could, when I was on call, I can sit and look at a couple hundred different
stores of multiple states and I could look at live inputs and outputs for each one.
Those usually a couple thousand inputs and outputs for each location.
And it felt like I was inside of that environment.
I could be talking to someone, you know, hundreds of miles away and they go, oh, you know what,
hold on, let me turn this on.
Did you hear that?
Oh yeah, yeah, I heard that turn on.
And just understanding that it's a living, breathing, mechanical world that is tied to
a IT envelope as well.
And that in itself is fascinating.
Yeah.
It's an important thing to keep in the front of our minds that ultimately at the end of
the day, I mean, the building is very much like any other kind of living creature, in
my humble opinion, right?
There for sure.
Brain systems, you know, components, right?
And it really does take an understanding again of those physical elements and systems, right?
Kind of tied in again with digital knowledge too.
Yes.
Kind of make for that complete building.
You know, I keep preaching this about artificial intelligence and how it's affecting, everyone
has seen some type of AI in the last year or so, whether it's through writing skills
or whether it's through video skills or photography skills.
Artificial intelligence is just a vocabulary of information in a digital format.
And so it's really just a very short matter of time before we start using AI technology
integrated into our building automations.
But you still have to be able to interpret the data.
You have to interpret the outputs and be able to mechanically work on things.
So even though it broadens our horizon with capabilities, it still will never eliminate
that physical presence of somebody actually working on something.
Yeah.
I just say it's another tool.
It is.
That's all that it is.
I use it all the time.
I'll probably do a recap of description for this podcast with chat GPT or something similar
to that.
You know, just it is, it's just a tool.
And for those who understand how to use their tools properly, it's like everything else.
A tool is an assistant for the things that we are capable of doing.
Yes.
And you know, in terms of, again, the certification.
Yes.
Right.
Yeah.
Let's talk about that.
You know, I would first of all like to refer everyone out there to HPBOP.org.
And that is the website where you'll find the information as well as the application
process to start the credential.
And then once you're approved to take the exam, right, once you've met the eligibility
requirements, requirements, education, and also work experience, right, then you can
sit for the exam and of course passing the exam is the final hurdle towards earning that
certification.
Sure.
So if we think about that, that HPBOP, that is high performance building operations professionals,
that's who we want to be if we're not already there.
Let's think about the people who this would apply towards, because it really is a pretty
bit, it's a bit of a spectrum.
There are people who might not even realize that this is an option for them.
Right.
Well, certainly for the technicians and facility staff who do the day in and day out, right,
the daily rounds or what have you.
Yeah.
Also for the instructors or trainers at our community colleges.
Somebody has to teach this stuff.
Yes, absolutely.
Absolutely.
They are eligible to take it.
We certainly welcome architects and engineers, although they may be a bit removed from the
daily operation.
Right, from the physical application.
But one thing again I will say is that designers and engineers need to have a better handle
on operations, right, because I know that again from my own personal professional education,
you know, we kind of did just a kind of almost a token amount of learning around that.
Right.
And that's what being part of the best centers taught me.
It's like, wow, it's really kind of filled in the gaps.
Sure.
Bringing a full circle.
Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I really encourage this for technicians, especially young technicians.
If you're coming out of a program and you're getting into the industry and you think, you
know what, I would really like to move on to some other things and you want to learn
a lot more about sustainability and efficiency and creating an environmental impact on structures
that you work on and work with, this is right for you.
And yeah, a lot of opportunity.
Yeah, I hope that this certification will kind of hit on a number of levers.
Number one, you know, first of all, for technicians to receive that overdue recognition, professional
recognition for the vital element they play in the course of a building's lifetime.
I think that the certification, of course, it becomes a way to set yourself apart from
the rest of the crowd.
I mean, hopefully that crowd of high performance technicians will grow.
Yes, we need them.
Right.
And there is, you know, that level of distinction.
And then certainly we want employers to feel that, hey, they have now another way in which
they can develop a qualified staff to support their high performance building.
You betcha.
I love it.
And for a limited time, this is actually even a free written exam.
Is that correct?
That's correct.
So we have the pilot exam phase.
This certification has been in development since 2016, since we first pulled our group
together to look at the key duties and tasks for the HPBOP technician.
And since then, right, we along the lines of that certification development, right,
we do have to conduct a pilot exam.
Right.
And it is part of the requirements that will lead to ISO accreditation for this certification,
which is where we want to be.
Yeah, for sure.
And we do need a lot of exam takers.
So it is free, you know, for the duration of this phase later, of course, like many other
certifications, you may have to apply for that as well as pay an exam fee.
Exactly.
That's right.
Love it.
All right.
Well, cool, Larry, thank you so much.
And once again, that is HPBOP.org.
Larry, we appreciate your time today and look forward to the next conversation.
Well, thank you so much, Cliff, and I really enjoyed our discussion.
Also want to mention that Best Center's website is at VESTCTR.org.
And we want to do a big shout out to all of the industry and academic professionals that
spent their time to help us develop the certification, which is also endorsed by the National Institute
of Building Sciences.
Fantastic.
All right, everyone have a wonderful day and we'll catch you on the next round.
Yeah, thank you.
See you in Vegas next year.
That's right.
Okay.
Very breaking news.