USE Efficiency: an innovative educational programme for energy efficiency in buildings

ABSTRACT

Power engineers are expected to play a pivotal role in transforming buildings into smart and energy-efficient structures, which is necessary since buildings are responsible for a considerable amount of the total energy consumption. To fulfil this role, a holistic approach in education is required, tackling subjects traditionally related to other engineering disciplines. In this context, USE Efficiency is an inter-institutional and interdisciplinary educational programme implemented in nine European Universities targeting energy efficiency in buildings. The educational programme effectively links professors, students, engineers and industry experts, creating a unique learning environment. The scope of the paper is to present the methodology and the general framework followed in the USE Efficiency programme. The proposed methodology can be adopted for the design and implementation of educational programmes on energy efficiency and sustainable development in higher education. End-of-course survey results showed positive feedback from the participating students, indicating the success of the programme.

KEYWORDS:

• Energy audits
• energy education
• building energy efficiency
• inter-institutional programme
• interdisciplinary course

Acknowledgements

The funding of this work under the USE Efficiency project in the frame of the IEE programme is greatly acknowledged. The authors are solely responsible for the results presented in this paper, which do not represent the Community.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.