SBC staff, Author at Smart Buildings Center

SBX2022 Session Highlight: Building Performance Reporting – How Smart Technology Can Help

June 16, 2022 By SBC staff

Join us for the SBX2022 closing session on August 24th in-person at the Pacific Tower in Seattle! A free networking lunch will follow directly after. The session will also be live streamed through the virtual event platform for remote participation.

Session Description
Market and regulatory drivers are making energy performance reporting and ESG reporting real for building owners and publicly traded companies. This session will show how smart technologies can facilitate reporting and make it more quantitively robust.

Speakers
Brett Bridgeland, Rocky Mountain Institute
Akshay Johar, Microsoft
Ross MacWhinney, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice
Sandra Mallory, Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment
Emily Salzberg, Washington State Department of Commerce
Ted Stadtmueller, Longevity Partners

Register for free today!

Join us for Smart Buildings Exchange, August 22-24, 2022!

June 9, 2022 By SBC staff

Join the Smart Buildings Center for the free 2022 Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) to be held virtually and in-person August 22-24. Interactive conference sessions featuring a mix of panel discussions and case study presentations will explore the market opportunity for smart buildings, the future of energy services and the built environment, grid-interactive efficient buildings, the role of smart buildings in carbon emission reductions, IEQ and return to work issues, digital twins and more. The opening plenary session features Bert Van Hoof, a Partner at Microsoft who is a seasoned technology executive recognized for starting and growing award-winning businesses across a variety of industry segments. The third day of the conference will be in-person (Seattle) and live streamed through the virtual event platform. This day will focus on the role smart technologies can play in energy, carbon, and ESG reporting requirements.

Register for free today!

Event schedule
Day 1 (virtual): August 22^nd, 8:45am – 2:30pm Pacific
Day 2 (virtual): August 23^rd, 9am – 2:30pm Pacific
Day 3 (in-person & virtual): August 24^th, 10am – 1pm Pacific

Online Open House: Seattle Building Performance Standards Draft Policy Framework, June 16th at 12pm

June 6, 2022 By SBC staff

Join the Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) for an online open house about potential Seattle Building Performance Standards (BPS) regulations — a powerful tool to reduce climate pollution and transition toward cleaner, healthier buildings where we live and work.

Participate in the open house for an update on work to date and highlights of stakeholder feedback received.

OSE will share the draft BPS policy framework for the legislation, the policy timeline, and take comments and questions. This 2nd open house is a follow-up to the April 5th event (visit link below for recording and summary).

Date: June 16, 2022 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Location: Online via Zoom
More information and pre-register here: www.seattle.gov/building-performance-standards
Questions: [email protected]

Performance standards are the single most impactful building policy the City can implement in the next few years and are projected to reduce building sector emissions 27% by 2050. This policy would gradually phase out carbon pollution from existing nonresidential and multifamily buildings over 20,000 sq. ft. through mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets beginning 2026 for the largest nonresidential buildings. Targets would become more stringent over time, to net-zero GHG emissions by 2045. Register for the open house at: www.seattle.gov/building-performance-standards

NEEC & SBC Welcome New Team Member

May 23, 2022 By SBC staff

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) and Smart Buildings Center (SBC) are pleased to announce that Mark Willard has joined our team!

As Assistant Project Manager, Mark’s primary role is to provide support to the City of Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking Help Desk and the Building Operator Certification (BOC) program. He has extensive customer service, administrative, and outreach experience that he brings to these responsibilities. Mark has a BA in Public Policy from the University of Washington and has provided non-partisan policy support during two Washington State legislative sessions. His previous role was Committee Staff to the Washington State Senate’s Housing & Local Government Committee during the 2022 legislative session. Mark’s interest in energy efficiency comes from his passion for problem solving. He believes energy is one of the most fundamental and consequential issues of our time due to the risks and opportunities presented in the field. Mark enjoys spending time with his fiancé, his Australian shepherd, and his two vintage Mercedes-Benzes.

NEEC and SBC are proud to welcome Mark to the team!

New Resources: Understanding Your Building’s Path to Carbon Neutral

May 23, 2022 By SBC staff

Buildings are one of the largest and fastest growing sources of climate pollution in Seattle, responsible for more than one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions pollute our air, accelerate climate change, and harm people’s health and the environment, disproportionately impacting communities of color and people with lower incomes. Many U.S. cities, including Seattle, are developing Building Performance Standards (BPS) that set long term targets on climate-polluting emissions from buildings. To help building owners get started, the City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment has developed new case studies, most of which include cost estimates. View the case studies here.

Upcoming Lighting Design Lab Courses

May 23, 2022 By SBC staff

Energy Management Systems Part 1
Thu, May 26 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 1 of 2. Getting the most energy savings out of your HVAC requires building systems to be capable of adjustment, such as variable speed drives or demand limiting, as opposed to simple on/off control. However, these strategies often add a higher level of complexity making it more challenging to keep persistent energy savings over time. Energy Management Systems and Analytics are often offered up as a solution to this problem. This course will provide a deep dive exploration on the reality of energy management systems and how they are not a one-size-fits all endeavor and how each one needs its one requirement and parameter for success.

Energy Management Systems Part 2
Thu, Jun 02 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 2 of 2. Getting the most energy savings out of your HVAC requires building systems to be capable of adjustment, such as variable speed drives or demand limiting, as opposed to simple on/off control. However, these strategies often add a higher level of complexity making it more challenging to keep persistent energy savings over time. Energy Management Systems and Analytics are often offered up as a solution to this problem. This course will provide a deep dive exploration on the reality of energy management systems and how they are not a one-size-fits all endeavor and how each one needs its one requirement and parameter for success.

Commercial Refrigeration Part 1
Tue, Jun 14 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 1 of 2. This course reviews elementary refrigeration concepts, components, and configurations of refrigeration systems. It delves into various types of control strategies for restaurants, grocery stores, cold storage, and industrial applications, and it examines case studies that focus on energy efficiency measures. Finally, students are invited to investigate areas of special interest, such as evaporative condensing units, CO2 refrigeration, etc.

Commercial Refrigeration Part 2
Thu, Jun 16 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 2 of 2. This course reviews elementary refrigeration concepts, components, and configurations of refrigeration systems. It delves into various types of control strategies for restaurants, grocery stores, cold storage, and industrial applications, and it examines case studies that focus on energy efficiency measures. Finally, students are invited to investigate areas of special interest, such as evaporative condensing units, CO2 refrigeration, etc.

Adjustable Speed Drives/Variable Frequency Drives Part 1
Tue, Jun 21 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 1 of 2. Attendees will learn about adjustable speed drives and their practical/ proven energy and efficiency applications. This course examines the evolution and application of adjustable speed drive technology, manual/automated control strategies, and the short/long term benefits on energy savings and equipment. Furthermore, this course dives deep into the electrical principles of adjustable speed drives, common issues, the value of preventative maintenance, common troubleshooting solutions, and investigates real world success stories.

Adjustable Speed Drives/Variable Frequency Drives Part 2
Tue, Jun 23 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 2 of 2. Attendees will learn about adjustable speed drives and their practical/ proven energy and efficiency applications. This course examines the evolution and application of adjustable speed drive technology, manual/automated control strategies, and the short/long term benefits on energy savings and equipment. Furthermore, this course dives deep into the electrical principles of adjustable speed drives, common issues, the value of preventative maintenance, common troubleshooting solutions, and investigates real world success stories.

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