SBC staff, Author at Smart Buildings Center

Job Opportunity: Energy Management Engineer, Puget Sound Energy

August 23, 2021 By SBC staff

Puget Sound Energy’s Business Energy Management (BEM) department is looking for an Energy Management Engineer II, III, or Senior Energy Management Engineer to support commercial & industrial efficiency programs. This role in particular will support the Clean Buildings Law (HB1257) as a technical subject matter expert, including external and internal program support, development of tools and resources, as well as developing projects for customers looking to come into compliance with the law.

There is only one position, but it is posted at three levels depending on experience. Please visit https://jobs.pse.com, Requisition ID 1885, 1925, and 1926. The postings will be open until 8/31/21.

Join us for Smart Buildings Exchange Next Week!

August 17, 2021 By SBC staff

Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) is next week — join us for the free two-day virtual event on August 24-25! The event will dive deep into the role of smarter buildings in a changing energy landscape through interactive conference sessions on grid-interactive efficient buildings, workforce development to meet the needs of the smart, clean and efficient buildings industry, post-COVID building occupancy, artificial intelligence & machine learning in buildings, and more.

About the event
Throughout the built environment, new technologies are connecting building systems and occupants in ways that generate new and exciting opportunities. From enabling buildings to perform for occupants and owners in previously unimaginable ways, to leveraging buildings to accelerate smart cities and the clean energy transition for a cleaner and healthier planet, the opportunities are countless and inspiring. The Smart Buildings Exchange brings together the key audiences to challenge the hype, bear witness to the innovation, and explore the business case for accelerating the adoption and commercialization of smart buildings technologies and practices.

Through the virtual conference platform you can add the sessions you want to attend to your agenda, connect and network with other attendees, and access sponsor resources. View the full agenda and register for free today!

Join the SBX 2021 Virtual Tour of a Digital Twin

July 27, 2021 By SBC staff

The Smart Buildings Exchange 2021 FREE virtual conference has plenty of exciting sessions that explore the technology and practices of smart buildings. Certainly, the end of day one of the conference has something very special for attendees. Willow, one of the world’s leading companies in building digital twin technology will take you on a “tour” of a 2.1 million square foot office building in New York City. As landlords, occupiers and governments are reconfiguring their investment priorities for physical assets in a post-COVID environment, digital twins are enabling them to maximize investments and extend the life of buildings. Tour guides Ian Siegel and Chris Manna of Willow will show how this technology is actively deployed to help achieve cost and operational efficiencies.

Join building owners/managers, facility professionals, utilities, and industry representatives to learn more about the how and why of smart buildings. View the full conference agenda and register for free today!

Snohomish County PUD Arlington Microgrid Goes Live!

July 22, 2021 By SBC staff

This month, Snohomish County PUD is energizing its innovative Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Center. Located near the Arlington Airport, the new project employs state-of-the-art technology to demonstrate the multiple uses of energy storage, including grid resiliency, renewable energy integration, grid support and electric vehicle integration.

Think of the Arlington Microgrid as a clean energy generator with a day job. When connected to the grid, the system will send power generated by the 500-kilowatt solar array on site to PUD customers. But if the microgrid is “islanded” and independent from the grid, it will have the ability to provide electricity to critical PUD facilities in the event of a storm or natural disaster.

To help fund the project, the PUD was granted $3.5 million in funding from the Washington state Clean Energy Fund, covering over a quarter of the project’s costs.

Here’s a look at the components of the Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Center:

Battery Storage
The 1 megawatt/1.4 megawatt-hour lithium-ion battery storage system can store enough energy to power 30 homes for a full day. Powered by the on-site solar array, the battery will be able to power critical PUD facilities when the sun’s not shining or wind’s not blowing.

V2G Charging
Two vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, charging stations will allow PUD fleet vehicles to not only receive a charge but flow power back on to the grid. The PUD collaborated with Mitsubishi to build the two charging stations, which are the nation’s first grid-integrated V2G charging stations.

Clean Energy Center
The multi-use facility will use interactive exhibits and displays focused on renewable energy, battery storage and energy efficiency to educate industry and community members and students.

Community Solar
The 500-kilowatt solar array not only provides clean energy to power the battery storage system, but it expands access to solar power through the PUD’s Community Solar program.

Job Opportunity: Building Technical Compliance Lead, City of Seattle

July 22, 2021 By SBC staff

Closing: 8/3/2021 4:00 PM Pacific

Position Description

The Department

The Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) develops and implements citywide environmental policies and programs that propel our city toward a sustainable, equitable, and carbon neutral future. OSE prioritizes racial equity and environmental justice when considering and implementing climate policy.

The Job

The Office of Sustainability & Environment is seeking applications for the job of Building Technical Compliance Lead. In this job, you will serve as the point person for commercial building energy efficiency regulation under SMC 22.930, which includes providing building operations and maintenance technical assistance, code interpretation, and review of building tune-up submittals to confirm compliance with Seattle law. You will report to the Energy Benchmarking and Tune-Ups Program Manager and focus on the following areas:

Operating the Building Tune-Ups help desk
Implementing building energy policies and programs
Providing technical review of building energy benchmarking reports and tune-up alternative compliance and report submissions
Leading updates to the Director’s Rules and working with the Program Manager to propose ordinance changes to enhance policy effectiveness
Developing curriculum and providing training for building engineers and energy efficiency professionals
Creating articles and publishing a quarterly e-newsletter
Using the Seattle Race and Social Equity Index to identify and proactively communicate with owners of facilities in priority areas that need support in order to comply with regulations

View the full job description and application requirements here.

SBX 2021 Session Highlight: Workforce Skill Development for a Smart Building Future

July 13, 2021 By SBC staff

The Smart Buildings Exchange virtual conference, August 24-25, will dive deep into the role of smarter buildings in a changing energy landscape. Day 1 of the event will feature an engaging discussion on the importance of workforce skill development in meeting the needs of the smart, clean and efficient buildings industry.

Workforce Skill Development for a Smart Building Future

Creating and maintaining a building environment that is healthy, comfortable, and productive for occupants has always been challenging. That challenge is growing exponentially today as building systems become more sophisticated and employee expectations for their indoor environment become a critical component of talent acquisition and retention. These challenges are creating need for new skills and abilities for all who bear the responsibility for making buildings work better. Leading building owner/manager organizations and the Biden administration’s Better Buildings program effort are focusing on the issue of workforce development. This session will bring practitioners from the front lines of workforce development to talk about how training programs are addressing this need from entry-level to on-the-job training and how these programs open the door to a more diversified workforce in this important area.

Panelists include Melanie Danuser, Smart Buildings Center, Lindsey Falasca, Building Innovation Hub, and Madeline Salzman, U.S. Department of Energy. The discussion will be moderated by Diane Levine with the IFMA Foundation.

View the full conference agenda and register for free today!

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