Thirteen online courses being offered this spring through the ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) will aim to provide industry professionals with knowledge of sustainable techniques.

Participants can access these instructor-led courses from anywhere with an internet connection, and earn continuing education units/professional development hours for each course completed.

New this spring is the short course “Significant Changes to Standard 90.1-2010,” on May 14. This course provides an overview of the standard and answers questions about changes from previous editions in envelope, lighting, and mechanical sections.

“90.1-2010 represents the biggest change in the standard since it became a code document in 1999,” said Mack Wallace, course instructor. “The 2010 standard contains over 100 changes from the 2007 version and decreases energy use in buildings by around 30% as compared to buildings built to the 2004 standard.”

Additionally, 90.1-2010 was recognized by the Department of Energy as the new national energy standard, meaning that the numerous jurisdictions are beginning to adopt the standard.

“Each of the states will be required to adopt some form of 90.1 for use on commercial buildings” Wallace said. “The focus of these government organizations will now move to compliance with the standard. All building design professionals will need to be familiar with the new standard as it becomes law.”

The course also is part of ASHRAE’s Career Enhancement Curriculum, which focuses on IAQ Practices and Energy Savings (ES) Practices. The program is a new way to help professionals expand their knowledge in specific areas of HVACR and advance their careers.

The courses offered this spring cover a variety of topics relevant to today’s built environment, including commissioning, environmental quality, troubleshooting humidity control problems, commercial building energy audits, energy modeling, an introduction to BACnet, and much more.

For pricing or to register, visit www.ashrae.org/onlinecourses.