Energy is often the largest controllable running cost of an office block, hospital, hotel or campus, and it is also the main source of operational emissions. In many African cities, rising tariffs and unreliable grids add urgency, while green building codes and investor expectations raise the bar for new and existing stock.

This applied programme teaches participants to understand building performance as a system. It starts with building physics and the demand side, then moves through data collection, sub-metering and benchmarking, followed by walk-through and investment-grade audits. Participants explore passive design, high-performance envelopes, efficient cooling and ventilation, lighting controls, and on-site generation, including rooftop solar and battery storage. Simulation sessions show how a model is built, calibrated and used to compare options.

Later modules translate technical findings into decisions: carbon accounting for operational emissions, marginal abatement thinking, financing models such as energy performance contracting, and verification of savings after installation. Learning is hands-on, using sample building data, audit templates and spreadsheet models. Each participant produces a short decarbonisation roadmap for a building of their choice, with measures prioritised by cost, impact and feasibility.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how envelope, HVAC, lighting and plug loads determine building energy use.
• Benchmark buildings using energy use intensity and normalise for weather and occupancy.
• Carry out walk-through and detailed energy audits and record findings systematically.
• Build and interpret a basic simulation model to compare retrofit options.
• Evaluate efficiency and renewable measures by savings, payback and lifecycle cost.
• Calculate operational carbon emissions and set a credible reduction pathway.
• Plan measurement and verification to confirm that savings are delivered.

The course is suitable for professionals who design, operate or finance buildings, including:

• Architects and building services engineers
• Facilities and property managers
• Energy auditors and energy managers
• Quantity surveyors and cost consultants
• BIM managers and modelling technicians
• Real estate developers and asset managers
• Sustainability and ESG officers
• Public works and county infrastructure staff

Participants leave the programme with:

• An energy audit checklist and data collection template.
• A benchmarked baseline for a building of their own choosing.
• A comparison of retrofit packages with savings and payback figures.
• A basic understanding of how to review a simulation model.
• A measurement and verification outline for a retrofit project.
• A phased decarbonisation roadmap ready for discussion with management.

Learning is practical and project-based, using:

• Short technical briefings from building services practitioners
• Audit templates and sample utility data for hands-on exercises
• Simulation demonstrations followed by guided modelling tasks
• Spreadsheet models for payback and lifecycle costing
• Group critique of each roadmap before final presentation

A CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy is issued to participants who attend the full programme and complete the audit and roadmap exercises.