April Tech Session: 

Presenter: Tim Wentz, Emeritus Professor of Construction Management at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Time: 3pm-5pm

Venue: The Country Club of Sioux Falls, 3400 W 22d St, Sioux Falls, SD 57105

Topics: 

The Interface Between Risk and Ethics

The topic of ethics has always been difficult to address because ethics itself is often seen as fluid; it depends on the person, the culture or the situation thereby making it difficult to measure or predict. Risk has many of the same attributes in that it can also be very fluid and difficult to measure or predict. The presentation looks at the relationship between risk and ethics while exploring some ways at placing risk and ethics into a common context where they can be viewed together and likely outcomes measured or predicted.

A Human Behavior Approach to Net Zero Energy Buildings

The presentation provides a brief overview of the importance of Net Zero Energy (NZE) buildings and the process recommended by ASHRAE to design, construct, operate and maintain an NZE building. The presentation then demonstrates how fundamental human behavioral tendencies can be used to address Step 1 (Analysis of user demand/behavior that fully meets user expectations) and Step 6 (Eliminate the “energy gap” between design (as designed) and operation (in operation). By understanding and applying human behavioral tendencies we can “shape” the expectations found in Step 1 to better align with societal goals, such as protecting our environment, and through social proofing within ASHRAE’s bEQ program to eliminate the “energy gap”, found in Step 6. Addressing these two steps is a critical component in producing an NZE building and the two steps most often overlooked by the design, construction, operation and maintenance team.

Cost: 

Member PDH Fee - $50

Non-Member PDH Fee - $50

Member (No PDH) Fee - $0

Non-Member (No PDH) Fee - $0