HVAC Primer for Design Professionals
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 – 11:45 am
Lunch (On your own): 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Afternoon Session: 12:45 – 4:30 pm
Reviewing Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Principles
Purposes of HVAC systems
Psychrometrics and energy conservation
Examining sensible and latent heat
Principles of heat transfer
Reviewing heat transfer equations for liquids and gases
Conventional and Green Building Codes
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards and guidelines
State and local residential and commercial codes
LEED and other “green” rating systems
HVAC System Design Considerations
Building location and construction
HVAC load calculations
Unconditioned and conditioned spaces
Single and multiple zone systems
Sizing systems and using variable capacity systems
Evaluating HVAC Systems and Equipment
Air source heat pumps
Water source heat pumps
Chilled water
Variable refrigerant flow systems
Heating systems
Ventilation systems
Constant volume and variable air volume systems
Distribution systems: piping and ductwork
HVAC System Controls
Basics of HVAC controls
Pneumatic vs digital controls
Control system goals: maintain thermal comfort,
reduce energy use, monitor performance
Control system options
Reviewing Equipment and Techniques for High
Performance Buildings
Additional goals of high-performance HVAC:
thermal comfort and improved indoor-air quality
Right-sizing equipment
Variable load performance
Shifting and reducing loads
Heat recovery Commissioning
Operation and maintenance Cogeneration
Credits
Architects
6.5 HSW Contact Hours
6.5 AIA HSW Learning Units
Professional Engineers
6.5 PDHs
Contractors
Non-Credit Continuing Ed.
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and offers 6.5 HSW continuing education/contact hours to architects and 6.5 PDHs to professional engineers in all states. Educators and courses are not subject to preapproval in South Carolina.
The American Institute of Architects has approved this event for 6.5 HSW Learning Units (Sponsor No. J885). Courses approved by the AIA qualify for North Carolina architects.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for architects in Florida and is deemed an approved sponsor in New York. HalfMoon is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York (NYSED Sponsor No. 35), North Carolina, and North Dakota.
This seminar offers contractors a non-credit continuing education opportunity; it has not been submitted to any state contractor licensing entity for continuing education approval.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Marc Knisley
Hodge Engineering Company Director of Energy Services with Hodge Engineering Company in Knoxville, TN
Mr. Knisley has 18 years’ experience in the design of HVAC systems. He has been a professional engineer since 2001 and is registered in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama. Mr. Knisley has been the engineer of record on various facility types including offices, schools, churches, manufacturing facilities, restaurants, correctional facilities, health care facilities, and retail spaces. He has experience in energy auditing and performance, HVAC design, plumbing, process piping, and fire protection. Mr. Knisley earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
His representative project experience includes:
Energy audits of over 100 schools across the state of Tennessee
HVAC and plumbing system design for offices at the TVA Belefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama
HVAC and process piping system design for several buildings at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
HVAC and plumbing system design for three welcome centers in Cherokee, NC, including one that was designed to achieve “net zero” energy usage
HVAC and plumbing system design for a LEED Silver office building in Knoxville, TN
Complete replacement of the HVAC system in a courthouse in Morgan County, TN
HVAC and plumbing system design for industrial facilities in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama
HVAC and plumbing system design for a Japanese steakhouse in Seymour, TN
HVAC and plumbing system design for a veterinary clinic in Seymour and design of HVAC replacement for an animal shelter in Knoxville
Allen Smith
College of Lake CountyInstructor of Heating and Air Conditioning Technology at College of Lake CountyMr. Smith has more than 20 years of experience in the field and the classroom in HVAC/R, sustainable energy, leadership and education. He is experienced in building automation in the commercial environment and has taken certification courses or taught on a number of subjects including air conditioning, ventilation, heating, advanced electrical controls, geothermal systems, and photovoltaic power systems. Mr. Smith has designed and conducted various technician and student workshops for training in all aspects of energy mechanical systems including control systems in direct digital controls. He is a member of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES), the National Institute for the Uniform Licensing of Power Engineers (NIULPE), the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and North American Technician Excellence (NATE). Mr. Smith earned his B.A. degree from Trinity International University and his M.A. degree in Organization Leadership from Indian Wesleyan University.