According to Jeffrey Horn, BOMI International's president and CEO, BOMI International's class entitled Boilers, Heating Systems, and Applied Mathematics has been approved by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The course is the eighth BOMI International class that the USGBC has approved in the past six months.
The USGBC has now approved all five courses required to obtain BOMI International's Systems Maintenance Technician (SMT) designation.
LEED Accredited Professionals and LEED Green Associates are required to earn 30 or 15 hours every two years. BOMI International courses each count as 18 hours toward that requirement.
There are several ways to take the Boilers, Heating Systems, and Applied Mathematics class: through self-study, by accelerated review, in a classroom, and through an instructor-led online class. USGBC has approved all delivery methods. Currently, there are two instructor-led online courses scheduled—one from May 4 to August 6, and the other from January 25, 2011 to May 10, 2011.
Horn lauded the USGBC's approval system as "tough but fair" and said that he was gratified that the Council recognizes BOMI International's high standards. "It's a milestone for us, certainly," he said, "that an entire program has been approved by the Green Building Council, as it demonstrates our ability to help building operators reduce energy costs and minimize a building's environmental footprint."
Michael Coleman, BOMI International's designation manager, said that "as BOMI International celebrates its 40th year of educating built environment professionals on industry best practices, integrating our courses into the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Credential Maintenance Program validates the concept that best practices and green practices are one and the same."
As an approved USGBC Education Provider, BOMI International is a third-party organization that offers peer-reviewed classes accepted by USGBC for credentialing maintenance requirements. The Boilers, Heating Systems, and Applied Mathematics course went through a rigorous review process in which a team of three, third-party subject matter experts evaluated the course based on its content and instructional design quality. Because of USGBC's status as an approved Education Reviewing Body (ERB) for the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), all approved courses—including BOMI International's Boilers, Heating Systems, and Applied Mathematics class—will be assigned GBCI Continuing Education (CE) hours, which will help LEED Professionals satisfy their credentialing maintenance requirements.
The Boilers, Heating Systems, and Applied Mathematics class is required for the BOMI International Systems Maintenance Administrator (SMA) designation and the Building Systems Maintenance Certificate (SMC), in addition to the SMT designation.
In the Boilers, Heating Systems, and Applied Mathematics course, students examine the inner workings of boilers, burners, controls, fittings, valves, and pumps, as well as how they connect and interrelate. This course teaches students how to operate and maintain steam, hot water, warm air, and radiant heating systems, and the principles of mathematics that are essential to operating these building systems.