Don Colliver
(Accepting In-Person & Virtual Presentation Requests)
Professor Emeritus
University of Kentucky
1029 Bluegrass Rd
Versailles, KY 40546
United States
859-351-6399
Region: VII
Honorarium: None
Languages Spoken:
Donald “Don” Colliver has been involved in the energy usage and efficiency of buildings for over 45 years. He is Professor Emeritus of the Biosystems Engineering Department, University of Kentucky. He was formerly Director of Graduate Studies in the BAE Department and Director of the Kentucky Industrial Assessment Center. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
He was the ASHRAE Society President in 2002-2003. As a result of his initiatives and leadership, ASHRAE launched the Advanced Energy Design Guides and he served as the leader of this project for ten years. Subsequent to his service as ASHRAE President he has served as Co-Chair of the National Engineers Week, and is currently Vice-Chair of the ASHRAE Foundation.
Don was chosen to be the initial Co-Chair of the ASHRAE Task Force for Building Decarbonization and has served as Vice Chair.
He is an ASHRAE Fellow and recipient of the Andrew T. Boggs Service Award.
Professionally Don has conducted and managed extensive research in energy usage in buildings and industrial facilities, solar energy, air infiltration and ventilation, building codes, the analysis of climatological data for determination of design weather conditions, and decarbonization of buildings. His team developed the first dehumidification design weather data that was published in the 1997 ASHRAE Handbook – Fundamentals.
Don has lectured in 23 countries with his teaching emphasis in solar PV systems design; indoor environmental control; industrial energy auditing; building energy modeling and analysis; decarbonization; and sustainable design.
He served as Director of the KY Industrial Assessment Center from 2014-2021 and participated in over 80 energy assessments in industrial facilities. In November 2019 he designed and installed a ground-mounted 10.2kW solar photovoltaic system for his house which has resulted in a maximum monthly electric bill of $21 since then.
He was awarded a doctorate from Purdue University; and is a hiker, viticulturist, and a retired soccer referee.
Topic
The Science Behind Climate Change and Decarbonization
This lecture will give the basic scientific information gathered from international bodies related to the causes and effects of climate change. Information will be presented related to the impact of climate change; overall sources of CO2eq; the goals of decarbonization from the building sector; and an introduction in to why decarbonization of buildings is important.
Building Decarbonization Basics
This lecture will present the basics of building decarbonization. Items to be discussed include: the driving forces for decarbonization; buildings’ contribution to carbon emissions; key descriptive parameters; pillars and potential for reduction of carbon emissions related to buildings; and key issues related to achieving zero carbon emissions.
Foundation and Pillars of Building Decarbonization
This lecture will give a more in-depth perspective of the issues and potential methods to be used to achieve the net-zero emissions by 2050. Items to be discussed include: the principles of building decarbonization; descriptions of the major pillars to achieving global building sector net-zero emissions; and the challenges and opportunities for building decarbonization
Whole Life Carbon – Issues and Guidance
This lecture provides background and practical guidance for those associated with the built environment to understand and reduce the whole life GHG emissions and other environmental impacts of MEP systems. Definitions of systems covered, life cycle stages, assessment methodologies, and associated terms are included. This guide defines the roles and responsibilities for setting climate goals, designing MEP systems, operating MEP systems, and maintaining MEP systems to reduce whole life GHG emissions and environmental impacts. The lecture is based upon the recently released ASHRAE Technical Whole Life Carbon Guide.
The Building Decarbonization Game
The Building Decarbonization Strategy Game was developed by the ASHRAE Taskforce for Building Decarbonization as a fun, interactive group educational activity to learn about building industry drivers and best practices related to building decarbonization. During the game, participants working individually (or in teams) first rank 10 building decarbonization market drivers for based on relative importance. Participants then rank 15 building decarbonization practices (related to project design, development, and construction) and 20 decarbonization measures (covering energy efficiency, facility management and renewable energy) based on relative impact. Participant rankings are the compared to rankings from a survey of over 50 ASHRAE Task Force for Building Decarbonization (TFBD) Executive Committee and Working Group members. The ensuing discussions will be helpful for those pursuing the Building Decarbonization Certification. The individual (or team) with the lowest score (i.e., smallest difference in importance and impact ranking) wins the game!
Decarbonization – Medicine for Earth’s Fever
The earth’s temperature has increased more in the author’s lifetime than it increased from the time of the Greek Parthenon was being used until now. Our planet has a fever. The case for humans causing this warming is strong. Examples of the impacts from this warming that are significant to human systems are presented. Buildings and construction are heavyweights when it comes to impacting climate change. An overview of several groups of possible high-level solutions are presented so the built environment can serve as a medicine for earth’s fever.
