North Dakota Energy Efficiency and Ethics 30 PDH Discount Package 1

This online engineering PDH course provides an overview of solar electromagnetic radiation, and presents the fundamental solar parameters and the different methods for calculating them.

Solar energy travels from the sun to the earth in the form of electromagnetic radiation. In this course, properties of electromagnetic radiation will be discussed, and basic calculations for electromagnetic radiation will be presented. Moreover, several solar position parameters, as well as the major methods by which solar radiation is converted into other useable forms of energy will be discussed.

Finally, information will be presented on the use of websites to obtain values for yearly average solar insolation, monthly average insolation, or daily insolation at a specified location in the United States, or anywhere around the world.

This online engineering PDH course provides basic information about small wind electric systems to help you decide if wind energy will work for you.

Wind is created by the unequal heating of the Earth's surface by the sun. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical power that runs a generator to produce clean electricity.

Can I use wind energy to power my home? More people across the country are asking this question as they look for a hedge against increasing electricity rates and a way to harvest their local wind resources. Although wind turbines large enough to provide a significant portion of the electricity needed by the average U.S. home generally require 1 acre of property or more, approximately 19.3% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas and may own land parcels large enough to accommodate a wind energy system.

This 3 PDH online course is applicable to electrical and mechanical engineers and energy professionals who are interested in learning more about small wind electric systems.

This online engineering PDH course provides information on a wide variety of energy-related topics, ranging from simple weatherization, insulation, heating and cooling system improvements in homes, to installing and maintaining efficient water heaters, home appliances and solar panels.

Every year, a typical family in the United States spends around half of its home energy budget on heating and cooling. Unfortunately, many of those dollars are often wasted, because conditioned air escapes through leaky ceilings, walls and foundations, or flows through inadequately insulated attics, pipes, exterior walls and basements. In addition, many appliances, heating systems and air conditioners aren’t properly maintained, are old and inefficient, compared to models being sold today.

By properly maintaining your existing heating and cooling equipment (or replacing aging units with high-efficiency models), addressing weatherization and insulation issues at your house and getting into the habit of using energy efficiently all the time, you can save 10 to 30 percent (or more) on your utility bills every year. You will also help reduce pollution at utility plants that use fossil fuels to generate electricity.

This online engineering PDH course provides basic information on wireless occupancy for lighting controls.

Lighting use constitutes about 20% of the total energy consumption in commercial buildings. Adding lighting controls is a simple retrofit option than can save on energy costs while helping to meet agency and federal energy savings mandates. Some energy codes and federal standards require the use of lighting controls.

Studies have shown that adding lighting controls can reduce lighting energy use 10% to 90% or more depending on the use of the space in which the sensors are installed. One study conducted on a university campus found that installing wired occupancy sensors to control lighting in more than 200 rooms in 10 buildings provided an annual cost savings of about $14,000 with a simple payback of 4.2 years.

This online engineering PDH course provides basic information on how to improve water management, reduce property water use, and subsequently improve EPA Water Score.

Bathrooms offer a clear opportunity for properties to save significant amounts of water. Use of toilets, faucets, showerheads, and other sanitary fixtures in the bathroom suite typically represent a significant percentage of water use in properties. Replacing bathroom fixtures with water-efficient products, and WaterSense labeled products when applicable, can provide the most significant opportunity for water and energy savings, particularly in older buildings with inefficient fixtures.

This online engineering PDH course presents the facts and statistics about the generation and disposition of municipal solid waste (MSW) over time in the United States. It examines the disposing of waste in landfills, recycling, composting, and combustion with energy recovery.

Approximately 262 million tons of MSW was generated in the United States in 2015. Understanding how waste is generated and disposed of is important for managing scarce materials.

This report analyzes MSW trends in generation and management, materials and products, and economic indicators affecting MSW. It also includes a section on the generation of construction and demolition (C&D) debris, which is not a part of MSW, but comprises a significant portion of the non-hazardous solid waste stream.

This online engineering PDH course presents the fundamental information and necessary guidance required to assist the Manufacturing and Process industries in optimizing their electric motor driven systems which leads to substantial energy / cost savings.

Electric motors are among the least well-managed industrial equipment, even though motor-driven equipment accounts for approximately 70% of the electrical energy consumed by process industries and approximately 90% for electrical intensive industries. Motors that are not properly managed can result in billions of dollars in wasted energy and operating costs to an industry.

A detailed analysis of the U.S. motor systems inventory indicates that this energy use could be reduced by 11% to 18% if plant managers implement all cost-effective applications of mature and proven energy efficiency technologies and practices. It is worth noting that the suggested improvements are not necessarily limited to the U.S., but can be implemented in any industry around the world that utilizes motor driven systems.

This online engineering PDH course provides information about the energy savings potential for process heating systems in the manufacturing industry.

Process heating accounts for about 70% of all process energy (energy applied to convert material into manufactured products) used in the U.S. manufacturing sector. Past research investments in process heating and related topics have led to innovations that have improved industrial energy efficiency. Although no significant, pervasive process heating breakthroughs have been adopted recently by industry, incremental technology advances have been achieved in a few areas.

Process heating unit operations are fundamental to materials transformations and a wide range of manufacturing operations. Advances in process heating technologies could not only lead to lower manufacturing energy and emissions and associated costs, but could enable the manufacture of improved materials, technologies, and products.

In this online engineering PDH course, ten case studies of actual enforcement actions taken by a state licensing board are presented. The cases have been selected to be representative of situations likely to exist in many states.  Board procedures and the types of enforcement actions available are shown by a variety of cases ranging from a geotechnical engineer who produced (within one hour and without visiting the site) a soils report, to an engineer who was unable to document his PDH's during a board audit.  The importance of being very careful about when to put "P.E." after one's name on a document also will become apparent.

Codes of ethics for engineers typically describe standards for professional behavior. The enforcement of those ethical standards that are inscribed into law lies with the licensing boards of state governments.

This 1 PDH online course is intended primarily for all engineers seeking to deepen their understanding of what constitutes ethical and professional engineering behavior and how such behavior is enforced by the licensing board.