SBC staff, Author at Smart Buildings Center

We’re Hiring! NEEC Administrative Support Specialist Position

November 14, 2023 By SBC staff

About NEEC and the Smart Buildings Center:
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) is a non-profit business association of the building efficiency industry. NEEC’s mission is to promote energy efficiency policies, programs and technologies that create jobs and foster economic growth and environmental improvement.
The Smart Buildings Center (SBC) is a 501c3 organization with a mission to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of smart buildings technologies and practices through education and demonstration. Through partnership with NEEC, the two organizations offer a physical meeting space in the Pacific Tower in Seattle and offer training, educational events and webinars, networking opportunities, and loan out diagnostic tools through the Center’s Tool Lending Library.

General Description:
NEEC is seeking a motivated Administrative Support Specialist to provide administrative support for the organization’s range of projects. In addition to supporting multiple projects and staff, this individual will have the opportunity to leverage their own knowledge and skills to streamline processes for efficiency and enable our staff to drive both NEEC and the SBC’s missions forward. The Administrative Support Specialist will support staff who manage projects such as the Energy Benchmarking Help Desk, the Smart Buildings Education Program, and the Building Operator Certification program. The role requires excellent customer service, organization, and verbal and written communication skills. The ideal candidate will also have the ability to prioritize multiple projects and comfort in serving as a point of contact to external stakeholders and internal staff. The position reports directly to NEEC’s Director of Education and Training and will work both independently and collaboratively throughout the organization, as well as with NEEC and SBC partner organizations as needed. This is a full-time position based in Seattle, WA with the latitude to work remotely.

For more information, click here for the full listing and contact details.

NWEC: Clean & Affordable Energy Conference on Dec 6th in Portland, OR

November 9, 2023 By SBC staff

Join the NW Energy Coalition for the 2023 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference!

Wednesday, December 6

8am – 7pm PT

Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Portland

Attend December 6th in Portland for the first in-person conference since 2019! Network with peers in the clean energy community, hear from expert panelists and keynote speakers, and stick around for our Clean Energy Awards reception. Panelists will discuss how utility planning should change to deliver equitable and affordable outcomes, the role of energy efficiency and distributed energy resources for vulnerable populations, and how the Bonneville Power Administration needs to modernize to drive forward the clean energy transition.

Members of the NW Energy Coalition are encouraged to stay and join our Member Meeting on December 7 from 8am – 11am.

For more information or to get tickets now visit: 2023 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference – NW Energy Coalition

Better Buildings: Workforce Accelerator Completed

November 1, 2023 By SBC staff

Cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades in U.S. buildings could save $100 billion each year in energy bills. From 2020-2023, the Better Buildings Workforce Accelerator convened and supported more than 40 workforce partners from across the country working to raise the level of building science and energy efficiency knowledge in the nation’s building-related workforce. The Accelerator focused on activities that build interest, streamline career pathways, and improve skills and we are proud to have played a partner role in the success of this program! Read more about the Workforce Accelerator here at the US Department of Energy Better Buildings Solutions site.

What does this look like in real terms? The US Department of Energy, NEEC and the BOC program have completed a case study that identifies the challenges, solutions, lessons and impact of the building accelerator. Join us as we analyze the outcomes of the Building Accelerator in the case study here.

PSE Presents EnergyCAP Training Webinars

October 24, 2023 By SBC staff

Do you need to benchmark your building but have questions about Puget Sound Energy’s EnergyCAP system? Do you need training on how to use the ECAP website? Puget Sound Energy is launching five new training sessions starting this week! You can join using the links below where you’ll get a crash course in the ECAP system and learn how to benchmark your building. This is a valuable resource for anyone who needs to benchmark their energy reporting for City of Seattle, or if you just want to learn more about the Benchmarking process in general.

Here’s a list of the dates of the training and the links you will need to access each lesson:

Thursday Oct 26th: Week One Training Link

Thursday Nov 2nd: Week Two Training Link

Thursday Nov 9th: Week Three Training Link

Thursday Nov 16th: Week Four Training Link

Thursday Nov 23rd: Week Five Training Link

WA State Clean Buildings Performance Standard News

October 24, 2023 By SBC staff

Next phase of rulemaking is underway

Now that the Clean Buildings Team has concluded rulemaking workshops related to the Clean Buildings expansion bill (SB5722), they enter the next phase of rulemaking. They’ve collected and reviewed all comments from the workshops and are preparing to draft the proposed rules for the CR-102 form.

The CR-102 form will include:

Proposed rules
Agency contact information
Intended adoption date
Public hearing details
Small Business Economic Impact Statement

The CR-102 is expected to be filed this month and will be shared through Commerce’s bulletin and the Clean Buildings webpage.

Public hearing and comments

An opportunity for public comment will follow publication of the CR-102. The next significant event is a public hearing on Nov 21, 2023 at 10 a.m.

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Upcoming Events

Workshop: Developing guidelines for Tier 2 incentive program
Register (SmartSheet)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes – Embracing Progress in the Pacific Northwest, please join us for a fun happy hour!

October 13, 2023 By SBC staff

Date: November 8, 2023

Time: 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Location: the Smart Buildings Center – 1200 12^th Avenue South, Suite 110, Seattle, WA 98144

Description: Join us for a fun happy hour event to celebrate the transformative shifts that have shaped our industry over the last 5 years, and explore the opportunities these changes present, and what we as an industry should do now to ensure we capture them. The event is entirely free and will include an array of exciting things including the unveiling of our organization’s new name, an interactive Q&A NEEC Board game (with prizes!), and plenty of time to network with one another over snacks, pizza, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Please RSVP so we can get a headcount. This is open to members and non-members alike. Hope to see you there!

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ch-ch-ch-ch-changes-embracing-progress-in-the-pacific-northwest-tickets-737609809797?aff=oddtdtcreator