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NAPHN 2020 Conference Call for Papers

January 9, 2020 By SBC staff

Passive House 2020 – Choose Your Future
New York City, June 11-12, 2020

Through January 24th, the North American Passive House Network (NAPHN) 2020 Conference Call for Papers is open for both workshops and the main conference sessions.

“Choose Your Future” is a call to action in these uncertain times, to empower individuals and teams, to mitigate risks and ensure positive outcomes. In addition to the expected spectrum of in-depth presentations and workshops, there will be a particular emphasis on engaging building developers and owners of all stripes, in a peer-to-peer dialogue.

For more information, please visit https://naphnetwork.org/conference/

 

Filed Under: SBC News

New SBC Video Training Series: Diagnostic Tool Applications

December 26, 2019 By SBC staff

With support from Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light, the Smart Buildings Center (SBC) has developed a video training series demonstrating practical applications of some of the tools available in SBC’s Tool Lending Library. These demonstrations are especially useful for commercial buildings without a building automation system (BAS), but the concepts can apply to any commercial building. Videos in the series include:

Melissa Sokolowsky, Senior Project Manager at the Smart Buildings Center, demonstrating practical applications of some of the data loggers available in the Tool Lending Library.

Verifying Proper Operation of Outdoor Air Damper Controls
This video demonstrates the use of portable temperature data loggers to record discharge air temperature (DAT), mixed air temperature (MAT), return air temperature (RAT) and outside air temperature (OAT) as well as supply fan status using a motor logger. The training shows how to program/deploy the data loggers and how to interpret from the data whether damper controls are working as intended.

Identifying Fan Operation During Unoccupied Hours
This video demonstrates the use of a motor logger to verify the operating schedule of fans, applicable to any motor driven device such as exhaust fans, supply/return fans, terminal unit fans and pumps. The training covers programming and deployment of the data loggers as well as data analysis.

Measuring Ventilation System Effectiveness
This video demonstrates the use of a CO2 meter and data logger to measure the effectiveness of the ventilation system. The training covers the programming and deployment of the meter and data logger and as well as data analysis.

Verifying Condensing Boiler Efficiency
This video demonstrates the use of a data logger to measure hot water return temperatures on a condensing boiler to determine whether the flue gas is condensing, and thus operating efficiently. This training shows how to program and deploy a 4-channel data logger with remote sensor, and covers data analysis.

Verifying Boiler Temperature Reset Control (coming soon)
This video demonstrates how to use data loggers to determine whether a hot water temperature reset strategy based on outdoor temperature is in use and working correctly, by monitoring the hot water supply temperature and outside air temperature. The training includes programming and deployment of the data loggers, as well as analysis of the data.

Filed Under: Resources, SBC News, Tool Library

Seattle Tune-Up Accelerator Program Recognized for Leadership in Energy Efficiency

December 11, 2019 By SBC staff

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) recently recognized the winners of the 2019 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards.

These awards recognize individuals and teams for their outstanding collaboration, innovative solutions and significant contributions to advancing energy efficiency in the Northwest. A panel of Northwest energy and utility leaders selected the winners from more than 30 nominations submitted by the regional energy efficiency community.

The Seattle Tune-Up Accelerator Program was recognized with the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award for Innovation. This program is a new model to help existing buildings achieve energy savings and cost-effectively meet state and city climate and energy policies.

The City of Seattle Office of Sustainability team led by Nicole Ballinger and Sandra Mallory, the Seattle City Light team led by Joe Fernandi, Ted Brown and Rose Palomo, along with technical support from the University of Washington Integrated Design Lab team led by Chris Meek, the Smart Buildings Center team led by Brittany Quigley, and Srinivas Katipamula and Nora Wang with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, envisioned and implemented the Tune-up Accelerator program.

Seattle Tune-Up Accelerator Program team with their awards at the NEEA Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards

More information on the other award winners can be found here.

Filed Under: SBC News

SBC Announces First Annual BOC Operator of the Year!

December 11, 2019 By SBC staff

The Smart Buildings Center (SBC) and Building Operator Certification (BOC) program are proud to announce our first annual BOC Operator of the Year, Stephanie Carlisle, Compliance Coordinator for the Town of Medway, MA!

Earlier this year, BOC requested nominations for people working to improve the energy efficiency of their work environment using skills they learned in the BOC program. We received many impressive nominations detailing how methods learned in BOC classes are helping people make improvements in their work environments, but Stephanie’s story stood out among the rest.

Stephanie was nominated by her co-worker, Bobby McGee, who completed the BOC training with her and wanted her to be recognized for her hard work “making the world a little greener” and being known as Medway’s “Green Community Coordinator.”

In her role as the Compliance Coordinator for the Town of Medway, Stephanie is responsible for all energy savings projects. BOC training equipped her with the necessary skills to analyze the energy usage of all building equipment, produce reports, and implement changes and repairs as needed. She tracks and records natural gas, electricity, heating oil and propane consumption and analyzes data to identify energy and cost savings opportunities. Stephanie then works with consultants on the cost and energy savings metrics and submits grant applications to obtain funding for the energy savings projects.

A few projects Stephanie has helped receive funding include:

  • Blown-in insulation for the Senior Center roof/attic space
    • Cost: approximately $70,000
  • Building envelope weatherization repair and weather stripping to save energy and money on heating/cooling costs for Fire Station, Town Hall and Senior Center
    • Cost: approximately $20,000
  • Installation of the Town’s first EV charging stations
    • Worked with Eversource on the Make Ready Program for no cost “behind-the-meter” installation, and with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council on reduced cost of the station equipment
  • Purchase of the first electric vehicle for the Town’s fleet
    • Obtained two electric vehicles to date
  • Replacement of boilers, AHUs, and condensers at the Police Station
    • Cost: approximately $200,000

The SBC and BOC program applaud Stephanie on her efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the Town of Medway’s operations, and congratulate her on being named as 2019 BOC Operator of the Year!

Know someone who deserves recognition for their work in the industry? Nominations will open for the 2020 BOC Operator of the Year award in May, so stay tuned!

Filed Under: SBC News

BetterBricks Video Series on Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Commercial Buildings

December 11, 2019 By SBC staff

Check out the BetterBricks video series exploring how to identify and tackle energy efficiency opportunities in commercial buildings. Topics include: How Managing Data Can Lead to Better Energy Efficiency Design, How to Navigate the Path to Zero, How Lighting Upgrades Impact Energy Use & Tenant Comfort, How to Plan Energy-Efficient Upgrades and Retrofits, and How Windows Affect Energy Consumption and Tenant Comfort.

 

Filed Under: Resources

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