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Happening This Week at the Smart Buildings Center

July 1, 2026 By SBC staff

BOC Program Releases Updated Skills Standard and Curriculum Assessment

The Building Operator Certification program has published a revised Skills Standard and Curriculum Assessment, reflecting the latest critical work functions; knowledge, skills, and abilities; and workforce needs—an essential step in ensuring that the program continues to equip our students with the competencies required to manage increasingly complex, high-performance facilities.

Updated Skills Standard

Skills standards benefit employees, employers, and training programs by identifying critical knowledge, skills, and abilities needed by specific occupations to be successful in the workplace. The BOC program acknowledges and thanks the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance for their support of this work and their continued investment in the BOC program.

The updated BOC Skills Standard is available here: BOC-Skills-Standard_2026_FINAL.pdf

Updated Curriculum Assessment

Complementing the Skills Standard, we also updated the program’s Curriculum Assessment, which assesses the current state of the BOC curriculum related to industry trends, advancements in technology, and policy initiatives affecting building owners and operators, and informs stakeholders of the strategic vision for the program over the next several years.

The current Curriculum Assessment is located here: Curriculum-Assessment-2025_Final.pdf

 

Filed Under: Education & Training

NEEA and UW Integrated Design Lab Webinar, 7/15 12-1PM – Navigating Energy Code in Existing Buildings: Practical Strategies for Renovations, Retrofits, and Adaptive Reuse

July 1, 2026 By SBC staff

Our friends at NEEA and the UW Integrated Design Lab are excited to announce a webinar coming later this month. Check out all the details below and click here to register!

Existing buildings rarely fit neatly into today’s energy code requirements. Whether you’re replacing aging equipment, renovating building systems, modifying the envelope, or converting office space to residential use, understanding how the Washington State Energy Code applies can be both challenging and critical to project success.

Join us for an engaging and practical webinar that explores how to navigate energy code requirements for existing buildings from the ground up. We’ll walk through real-world scenarios and key compliance pathways, helping architects, engineers, and building professionals better understand how code requirements are triggered and applied during renovation and upgrade projects.

Topics will include:

  • Energy code requirements for existing buildings
  • HVAC equipment replacements and alterations
  • Water heater replacements
  • Building envelope modifications
  • Code pathways for thermal energy networks
  • Adaptive reuse projects, including office-to-residential conversions
  • Understanding when a project triggers substantial alteration requirements

We’ll also discuss important distinctions between Washington State and Seattle energy codes, and briefly examine how energy code compliance intersects with Washington’s Clean Buildings Performance Standards. Looking ahead, we’ll preview key changes anticipated in the upcoming 2024 Washington State Energy Code and discuss major trends and policy shifts that design teams should be watching.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify energy code requirements and compliance pathways applicable to existing building renovations, equipment replacements, and adaptive reuse projects under the Washington State Energy Code.
  2. Evaluate when alterations to HVAC systems, water heating equipment, and building envelopes trigger specific energy code requirements, including substantial alteration provisions.
  3. Compare key differences between Washington State and Seattle energy code requirements and their implications for project design and compliance.
  4. Assess the relationship between energy code compliance, Clean Buildings Performance Standards, and emerging code changes anticipated in the 2024 Washington State Energy Code update.

Register today! https://washington.zoom.us/meeting/register/6xUjtd9HQo6V8iRxtZEi7Q

Filed Under: Webinars

FEA: Turn Goals into a Facility Strategy

June 22, 2026 By SBC staff

Bridge the gap between organizational priorities and facility investments.

Facility strategic planning helps organizations ensure their facilities support, rather than hinder, their mission. By connecting facility data, asset management, and capital planning, leaders can make smarter investment decisions, manage risk, and position their organizations for future growth.

The importance of aligning facilities with organizational objectives is also reflected inĀ APPAā€˜s body of knowledge on strategic asset management and campus facilities planning, which emphasizes connecting facility decisions to institutional mission, risk management, and long-term stewardship. Learn more >>Ā APPA Resources on Strategic Planning and Asset ManagementĀ 

Unlike traditional maintenance planning, which often focuses on immediate repairs or annual budgets, facility strategic planning takes a long-term view of how facilities support organizational performance.

Facility strategic planning is most effective when it is supported by accurate facility data and a structured planning framework. Organizations looking to build a stronger foundation for long-term decision-making should start with a comprehensive facility condition assessment, which provides the asset data needed to identify risks, prioritize investments, and develop actionable capital plans.Ā [Learn more about Facility Condition Assessment best practices]Ā 

A comprehensive facility strategy considers:

  • Organizational priorities and strategic goals
  • Facility condition and performance
  • Asset lifecycle requirements
  • Functional adequacy and space needs
  • Deferred maintenance obligations
  • Risk and resilience considerations
  • Capital funding requirements
  • Long-term investment priorities

The result is a roadmap that helps organizations make informed decisions about maintaining, renewing, modernizing, and investing in their facilities.

Read the original article and find more information at FEA Blog: Facility Strategic Planning: Turning Organizational Goals into Facility and Capital Investment Strategies – FEA

Filed Under: Resources

Job Posting – Tacoma Power: Senior Energy Management Engineer

June 22, 2026 By SBC staff

Tacoma Power is looking for a Senior Energy Management Engineer, could this be you? If you’re looking for a new opportunity, consider checking out the job details below or clicking here for the full posting: Senior Energy Management Engineer | Job Details tab | Career Pages

 

Tacoma Power’s Power Management team is looking for a Senior Energy Management Engineer to join their team. The Senior Energy Management Engineer plays a critical role in developing and delivering energy programs for Tacoma Power’s commercial and industrial customers. In this role, you will Ā conduct advanced level engineering technical activities to help customers meet their energy goals, meet Tacoma Power program requirements, and ultimately contribute to Tacoma Power’s strategic and compliance goals, including energy conservation targets. This position is responsible for in-depth stakeholder and customer engagement, project management, and will play a key role in higher level program development and management . As the customer energy program portfolio evolves, you will contribute to program design, development and continuous improvement activities to ensure that Tacoma Power continues to meet customer energy needs and adapt to the rapidly changing energy industry…

Responsibilities Include:

  • Preparing energy calculations related to commercial and industrial customer facilities, includingrefrigeration systems, industrial processes and compressed air, water and wastewater systems, HVAC systems, pumping and ventilation systems, motors and drives, lighting and domestic water systems
  • Reviewing calculations and energy simulation models, energy evaluation reports and proposals prepared by consultants and others
  • Providing specifications, recommendations, and related engineering analyses; provide economic analyses of energy efficiency alternatives, load management and billing/rate impacts
  • Providing detailed measurement and verification protocols and evaluate energy performance of installed efficiency projects
  • Conducting field audits and inspections and interact directly with customers and trade allies such as engineering firms
  • Performing complex energy analyses using large datasets, developing statistical and regression models, quantifying project and program impacts; creating analytical tools and performance metrics, and collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver accurate and verifiable results.
  • Researching and developing reports for new technologies for mechanical systems, products, and processes relevant to commercial and industrial energy systems.
  • Partnering with program managers in cross-functional teams, to contribute to program design, development, and continuous improvement, including Ā improving program workflows, developing quality-control practices, creating and testing technical tools, and supporting training efforts that ensure consistent and accurate delivery of customer energy programs.

More details and application available at: Senior Energy Management Engineer | Job Details tab | Career Pages

Filed Under: Jobs

Qualified Energy Manager Virtual TrainingĀ 6/25 & 6/26

June 17, 2026 By SBC staff

The dates for the new updated live QEM training have been determined!Ā 

June 25th & 26th from 09:00 am to 12:00 pm.

The two days will cover different content. So, you will need to attend both days to hear the complete curriculum.

Register Today!

Filed Under: Resources, Webinars

May Monthly Wrap-Up

June 11, 2026 By SBC staff

SBX Plus and a Call for Speakers!

SBX Registration is OPEN – Smart Buildings Exchange Nov 9-10 2026 register today and use this link to direct your colleagues to the registration site

SBX+, our webinar series leading up to the in-person event, is well underway. You can get access to both the webinar series and the in-person event for a bundled rate. Recordings are available of all the webinars to this point. May was marked by the Efficient Energy Management with ISO 50001 webinar, which is available to view now!

Next up: Sept. 16 – Retrocommissioning as a Tool for Compliance with Building Performance Standards

Also, don’t forget that the SBX Call for Speakers is now open! Don’t miss your chance to shape the conversation, if you or someone you know is interested in speaking at SBX this year we want to hear from you. Check out the blog post for all the details.

AEE West

We took a little trip over to the east side and set-up shop at AEE West. Here’s some highlight photos of us talking with the attendees and our very own Rebecca Sheppard presenting!

 

Operator of the Year 2026 – Nominations Closing

We’re coming to the end of the Operator of the Year nominations! Please check out the blog post for all the details and get your nominations in at this form by midnight (PT) tomorrow, 6/12. We have some excellent candidates this year and can’t wait to announce the winner in the weeks to come.

Filed Under: Featured Event, Webinars

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News & Articles

Happening This Week at the Smart Buildings Center: Behind the Benchmarking Help Desk: Meet Jessica Cherry and Shino Severson

August 14, 2026

Smart Buildings Center July Wrap-up

August 12, 2026

SBC Announces 2026 BOC Operator of the Year!

August 11, 2026

SBX 2026 Keynote Announcement & Early-Bird Deadline (8/15)

August 7, 2026

Happening This Week at Smart Buildings Center: BOC earns Energy Skilled Recognition from DOE

July 31, 2026

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