MEEA recently posted a story about energy savings for Chicago Public Schools that highlights the success of the BOC program. We’re excited to share this case study with our audience and you can find the full story as it was originally posted at MEEA here. You can also find all the most recent BOC Case Studies on this webpage, feel free to use them to start a conversation about energy sustainability or highlight the benefits of BOC courses for your business!
The following story comes from MWAlliance.org courtesy of Tanner Davies- 9/18/25:
At MEEA, we take pride in our ability to offer the Building Operator Certification® (BOC) to those in the Midwest that are hoping to reduce energy use in their facilities, learn more about preventative maintenance procedures, and improve the comfort of everyone that uses the facility. Large facilities, like schools, generally benefit from the training the most. Over the past two years, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) employees have been taking advantage of these trainings in hopes of improving the energy efficiency of facility systems in over 800 buildings across 522 campuses that are part of CPS.
In May 2024, CPS sent a handful of students to an in-person BOC training at the MEEA office in Chicago. After those students’ success, MEEA and CPS built a larger partnership, which has since resulted in over 56 CPS employees enrolled in BOC trainings in Chicago. This strong partnership continues, as CPS plans to continue sending additional staff to future trainings.
Finding the funding to send staff to energy trainings can be difficult, especially for a public school system. ComEd, Ameren Illinois, Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas, and North Shore Gas offer full tuition reimbursement to students in qualified facilities in Illinois who complete the BOC course. This enables groups like CPS to eliminate the financial challenges that training tuition can pose. CPS has been able to put their staff through the training at no net-cost by taking advantage of this offering. Now students are taking their learnings from the BOC training and translating it to energy savings in their respective facilities. In a world of tight budgets and rising energy costs, these impacts cannot be understated.
The trainees themselves have found excitement in bringing their knowledge back to their facilities. One student stated in their reflection, “I’m working as an IT specialist in the building automation space and didn’t have much training in building systems prior to this role. The BOC Level 1 class allowed me to better grasp the basics of how buildings work and better assist the engineers I work with on a daily basis. The classes were well run, and the teachers were very knowledgeable.” Energy efficiency practices, and the reduced energy costs that accompany them are direct results of an educated workforce, and we’re proud to be assisting CPS with taking the necessary steps towards this. Here’s to continuing this partnership for years to come!
The BOC training has been evaluated by third parties to save energy and is included in various Technical Resource Manuals (TRMs). If you’re interested in learning more about training opportunities or becoming an instructor, email boc@mwalliance.org.