Learn at low cost. Pass the quizzes and you’re eligible to purchase a certificate. Certificate prices are shown on each course’s page.
This online training for HVAC energy savings addresses one of the most critical gaps in energy efficiency practice — poor understanding of how HVAC systems actually use energy and where their major inefficiencies lie. HVAC is typically the single largest energy user in a commercial building, and with global demand for air conditioning set to soar over the next three decades, that gap is becoming increasingly costly to ignore.
The International Energy Agency estimates that the capital investment required to power an air conditioner is roughly double the cost of the air conditioner itself — just to cover the generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure it demands. Understanding how to reduce that demand is no longer optional knowledge for energy professionals. This course covers the full scope of HVAC energy efficiency — from heating and cooling fundamentals through to practical upgrade guidance — across eleven modules with quizzes built in throughout. It’s Part 6 of the Investment Grade Energy Auditor (IGEA) certification program and is accredited by ESTA (Energy Services and Technology Association).
Our Fundamentals of Energy Efficient HVAC course focuses on HVAC as used to provide comfortable conditions and ventilation for human occupancy. It addresses a critical gap in energy efficiency knowledge and practice – poor knowledge amongst energy managers and their advisors both of how HVAC systems use energy and their major inefficiencies.
HVAC is a broad area; the course covers heating, cooling, ventilation, and filtration. It identifies common areas of HVAC wastage and provides guidance on practical ways of reducing HVAC energy usage. Since a picture can speak a thousand words, the course is extensively illustrated to better explain the concepts conveyed. An enormous amount of work has gone into developing this course, and we hope that you can learn in a relatively short time what has taken the instructor years to learn.
Continuing Education (CE) or Continuing Professional Development (CPD) refers to additional formal learning activities that are required to maintain a professional certification or accreditation.
CE or CPD comes in many names but represents the same thing. Here are some of them that may be used in your country:
Many of our courses provide Continuing Professional Development credits, points, hours, or units. To learn more about Continuing Education and Continuing Professional Development, please read here.
If you pass all the assessments in this course you will be eligible to purchase a Certificate of Competence in Energy Efficient HVAC. The assessment has been prepared by an expert, and is based on those key areas which demonstrate competence.
This course is for those undertaking energy audits anywhere and for facility and energy managers seeking to reduce their energy usage, carbon footprint, and operations costs.
It’s also for HVAC contractors and consultants seeking opportunities to help their clients reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint.
This course is for you if any of the following apply:
As with all courses in the Sustainability Education Academy, if you already have HVAC knowledge and experience, you can skip those lessons and topics that cover what you already know. Provided you complete and pass all the assessments, you can still be issued a certificate of competency.
If you want to further improve your energy systems management and optimization skills, we highly recommend completing our Investment Grade Energy Auditor (IGEA) certification.
By acquiring a IGEA certificate, you’ll be qualified to conduct professional energy audits for corporations, manufacturing plants, buildings, and other establishments in the industrial sector.
This Fundamentals of Energy Efficient HVAC is the sixth course of the Investment Grade Energy Auditor (IGEA) Certification Program. Enroll now!
Axel Hoelzle
Love the design of this course. While the modules are short, concise and full of practical examples and references, there are plenty of external links to deepen the understanding. The Questions after each section and given explanations, helped a lot too. Bruce is a highly knowledgeable instructor and makes you understand things easily. I will highly recommend this among colleagues and clients.
Penny Prasad
I highly recommend this course on the fundamentals of HVAC. It is presented well, it is clear and interesting, there are loads of excellent links with additional information, it can be taken at your own pace. The quizzes and tips are all practical and useful. I've definitely completed this course with an improved understanding of HVAC. Thanks Bruce and Sustemy
HVAC systems are typically the single largest energy user in commercial buildings — and with global demand for air conditioning set to soar over the next three decades, the energy and carbon implications are significant. Energy efficient HVAC refers to the application of technologies, controls, and operational practices that reduce energy consumption without compromising occupant comfort. This course covers the full scope of HVAC energy efficiency — from heating and cooling fundamentals through to practical upgrade guidance.
The major sources of HVAC energy waste include oversized equipment running at part load, poor control system settings, inadequate maintenance, inefficient fans and pumps, and heat gains or losses through poorly designed air distribution systems. This course dedicates specific modules to identifying these inefficiencies — covering heating, cooling, ventilation, filtration, air handling, and control systems — so you can recognise wastage across the full HVAC system, not just individual components.
The vapour compression cycle is the thermodynamic process that underpins most cooling and refrigeration equipment. Understanding how it works — and how efficiency varies with operating conditions — is fundamental to identifying savings opportunities in chillers, air conditioners, and heat pumps. This course covers the vapour compression cycle in depth across nine topics, with quizzes to test your understanding of the key efficiency principles.
HVAC efficiency calculations typically involve metrics like Coefficient of Performance (COP), Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), and part-load performance factors. Applying these correctly requires an understanding of how equipment performs under different load and ambient conditions. This course covers HVAC efficiency calculations directly — and tests your ability to apply them, not just understand them in theory.
Identifying HVAC savings opportunities requires a systematic approach — looking at each major system component, understanding how it uses energy, and comparing actual performance against what’s theoretically achievable. This course includes a dedicated HVAC opportunity analysis module covering exactly this process, followed by practical guidance on HVAC upgrades so you know not just where the savings are, but what to do about them.
Yes. This is Part 6 of the Investment Grade Energy Auditor (IGEA) certification program — an eight-part series that qualifies you to conduct professional investment-grade energy audits. It can be taken as a standalone course for anyone looking to deepen their HVAC energy efficiency knowledge, but if you’re working toward full IGEA certification, this is where the HVAC fundamentals training sits in the sequence.
Original price was: 265.98 $.49.97 $Current price is: 49.97 $.
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Good lesson but it more detail. Can we selected necessary point related energy efficient HVAC.