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2026 Vision Awards, April 8th @ Seattle Convention Center

March 5, 2026 By SBC staff

We’re proud to join the Seattle & Bellevue 2030 District for their 2026 Vision Awards, happening Wednesday, April 8th from 5:30pm-9pm at the Seattle Convention Center, Summit for an unforgettable evening celebrating leadership in sustainability and climate action.

The Vision Awards bring together 400+ leaders from across the built environment to recognize excellence in sustainability and climate action. Come celebrate the projects, partnerships, and people driving progress toward a more sustainable built environment.

Register Here: https://event.auctria.com/65298fec-c824-44f0-8aeb-ad038b64cc01/765b5d404c7e42b59a16e4bee53e5bf7
Location: Seattle Convention Center, Summit | Ballroom 3
Time: 5:30–9:00 PM | Wednesday, April 8

Filed Under: Featured Event

Smart Buildings Center Quarterly Look Ahead 2026

March 4, 2026 By SBC staff

Welcome to the Smart Buildings Center’s first Quarterly Look Ahead of 2026. Here’s the learning experiences you can look forward to this year:

SBX Plus

As part of our annual conference, SBX Plus aims to keep you connected to everything you can expect from the big show this November through a series of educational webinars. You won’t want to miss the topics below so register today!

SBX

And of course SBX will be held later this year in November on the 9 -10 in Seattle at the Bell Harbor Conference Center for the second year in a row! We had an amazing time last year with speakers, presentations, panel discussions and much more. We hope you will join us for SBX 2026 when registration opens later this year, in the meanwhile though, you can keep your finger on the pulse for all things SBX at sbxconference.org

The BOC Courses

theBOC.info is your one-stop shop to learn about upcoming courses and register for a Fundamentals, Level I, Level II or Multifamily course. It’s never been a better time to start your journey to becoming a certified Building Operator. Find out more about The Essential Credential and find a course starting in your region at www.theboc.info/find-training

NEEA Webinars

Our friends at NEEA are hosting several webinars in the coming months with a wide range of topics. You can find all the details for these webinars (and their recordings) at info.NEEA.org and register for these FREE one-hour sessions today!

Filed Under: Education & Training, SBC News, SBX, Webinars

WA Dept of Commerce is Hiring: Clean Buildings Performance Standard Compliance Specialist

February 20, 2026 By SBC staff

Are you looking for a change? The WA Dept of Commerce is hiring! Check out the job description below or click here for all the details: State of Washington Job Opportunities | Work that Matters

Clean Buildings Performance Standard Compliance Specialist (COM 3)
At the Department of Commerce, we’re reimagining what’s possible in government. We’re builders, thinkers, and change-makers, working at the intersection of innovation, community, and impact. From unlocking critical funding to fueling inclusive economic growth, we’re turning big ideas into real-world solutions that uplift people and places.Our agency’s strength lies in the diversity of our workforce and the breadth of the lived experiences and perspectives employees bring to the work. We believe equity is not just a value but a practice, which is reflected in how we design programs, engage communities, and deliver outcomes. We foster a workplace culture where curiosity is encouraged, bold thinking is welcomed, and collaboration drives our impact.

This job is a commitment to reshape systems so they work better for everyone. If you’re ready to challenge the status quo and build meaningful connections, we want to meet you.

Let’s build what’s next, together.

The Energy Division partners with diverse energy stakeholders to create a clean, affordable, and equitable energy future.

This position works within the Buildings Unit of the Energy Division. This position is responsible for providing advanced professional level program management and contract administration in implementing Washington State’s Energy Performance Standard for Existing Commercial Buildings, as well as additional buildings related initiatives and pilot programs. This position focuses on CBPS compliance, communications, outreach and technical assistance by working with internal and external stakeholders including state agencies, local government, building owners, and non-profit entities, in addition to federal and state program and policy staff. This position is grounded in a culture of creativity, collaboration, and self-motivation.

Compliance Review and Technical assistance
Tasks include:
• Review and approve applications for exemption, incentives, and compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard
• Track compliance applications, conduct administrative reviews, analyze trends to improve efficiencies, and enforce CBPS application sampling protocols.
• Collaborate with CBPS technical team in implementing and developing policies that incorporate energy efficiency into programmatic framework
• Provide information and technical assistance to promote best practices in existing building energy use to building owners and operators.
• Coordinate and/or conduct training and provide technical assistance to public policy makers, staff and service providers.
• Develop and present programmatic, contract management, and other training onsite, at conferences, and workshops.
• Collaborate with Management Analyst in the development and maintenance of spreadsheets, databases and information systems to allow for quality program evaluation and management.
• Develop reference materials that help tell the story of the State and Federal programs and other assigned programs.
• Respond to requests for information from stakeholders, state and federal legislators, public associations, and private citizens.
• Prepare written reports, analyses, resources, and publications as required.

Communications, outreach and education
Tasks include:

• Employ short and long-range strategic communications and outreach planning for assigned programs in collaboration with Agency Communications team/Energy Communications Lead.
• Create materials, templates and tools for customer and industry use such as compliance tools, flow charts, and user’s guides in collaboration with Agency Communications team/Energy Communications Lead.
• Design education campaigns for assigned programs by identifying needs using customer feedback, assessing existing resources and creating new education materials.
• Develop and monitor key performance metrics for communication, outreach and education in program delivery in alignment with agency and division goals in collaboration with Agency Communications team/Energy Communications Lead.
• Develop and maintain communications and outreach tracking systems to connect with program metrics.
• Develop plans for corrections or improvements, as required based on customer feedback.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve coordination of services in communities.
• Develop and maintain cooperative community relationships with grantees, service providers and communities.

Cross Agency collaboration and workgroup participation
Tasks include:

• Participate in agency-wide project workgroup opportunities including outcome measures, contracting risk workgroup, strategic breakthrough initiatives and other opportunities that align with the duties of this position.
• Provide regular updates to division staff and management on work of these cross-agency initiatives.

Required Position Qualifications:
Any combination of seven (7) total years of experience. This could be gained by a combination of relevant education beyond high school equivalency and/or professional-level experience in sustainability, public administration, public policy, accounting or related field of study.
Experience must include the following:
• Two years of experience in the following:
o commercial building energy efficiency project design, development, installation and/or verification
o community, trade, and/or economic development
• One-year experience creating presentation materials and conducting presentations and training.
• Knowledge of and experience working with commercial building efficiency standards and protocols such as Energy Star Benchmarking, ASHRAE level I and II audits, building commissioning or building tune ups
• Knowledge and understanding of basic building design principles and standards
• Intermediate level experience using word processing software, building and editing spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel, Smartsheet, and use of internet for research
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and build partnerships among people with diverse and challenging interests

Education involves study in sustainability. public administration, public policy, accounting or related field.

Examples of how to qualify:
• 7 years of experience
• 6 years of experience and one year of education
• 5 years of experience and two years of education
• 4 years of experience and three years of education
• 3 years of experience and four years of education
• 2 years of experience and five years of education
• 1 year of experience and six years of education

Required Position Competencies:
• Maintain thorough knowledge and expertise of applicable statutes, regulations, policies, procedures, and technical specifications guiding commercial building energy use in WA State
• Ability to develop tracking and reporting systems and track performance of complex programs.
• Translate policy and goals into actionable procedures, requirements, and policy direction.
• Ability to identify best practices and establish systems to coach and assist contractors to increase capacity and performance level.
• Leadership and influence–Leads through change and adversity, makes the tough call when needed, builds consensus when appropriate, motivates and encourages others.
• Customer Service–Handles customer questions and complaints, communicates with customers, handles service problems politely and efficiently, always available for customers, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Teamwork–Meets all team deadlines and responsibilities, listens to others and values opinions, helps team leader to meet goals, welcomes newcomers and promotes a team atmosphere.
• Results Focus–Targets and achieves results, sets challenging goals, prioritizes tasks, overcomes obstacles, accepts accountability, sets team standards and responsibilities, provides leadership/motivation.
• Organizational Savvy–Operates within the organization’s formal and informal structures, builds allies and relationships across departments, uses allies to build consensus and create results, is appropriately diplomatic, understands others’ roles and perspectives, can sell projects and ideas across the organization.
• Computer Skills–Skilled in the use of computers, adapts to new technology, keeps abreast of changes, learns new programs quickly, use computers to improve productivity.

To Apply Click Here

Filed Under: Jobs

Energy Benchmarking for the Clean Buildings Performance Standard

February 11, 2026 By SBC staff

Join us for a comprehensive webinar designed to guide building owners, managers, and energy professionals through the process of benchmarking buildings for Washington State’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS).

 

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this webinar, attendees will know how to:

  • Create and configure a Portfolio Manager account
  • Add properties and assign activity types
  • Benchmark properties with complex configurations (e.g., shared meters)
  • Upload and manage utility data using multiple methods
  • Connect the Energy Star Portfolio Manager with the Clean Buildings Portal.

Date: February 25th, 2026

Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 PM

REGISTER

The webinar will be recorded and shared through this website.

Filed Under: Featured Event, Webinars

Smart Buildings Exchange 2026 Update

February 9, 2026 By SBC staff

Please save the date for the Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) 2026 in-person Fall Conference on November 9-10, 2026 in downtown Seattle! Registration, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and a call for session topics and speakers will open soon, but for now we’d like to call your attention to the year-round virtual component of the event, the SBX Plus Virtual Series.

We invite you to register for the first SBX Plus Virtual Session on Wednesday, February 18th from 11am-12pm Pacific Time on Thermal Energy Networks as a Driver for Building Decarbonization. Experts from McKinstry and the Building Decarbonization Coalition will share insights on how thermal energy networks enable efficient heating and cooling while significantly reducing building-related carbon emissions. Register at the link below to learn how these systems integrate with electrification strategies and support long-term decarbonization goals for campuses, districts, and portfolios.

Register for the Feb 18th SBX Plus virtual session here!

Important note: Full SBX Conference registration is not yet open. If you register for the February SBX Plus Virtual Session, the $79 registration fee will be credited toward a full SBX Conference pass (including access to the in-person and entire virtual series).

To ensure you get the discount, please select the single webinar option for February 18 and enter “SBX” in the discount code field at checkout. We’ll follow up with details on how to get your discount when the full registration becomes available.

Filed Under: Education & Training, Featured Event, SBC News, SBX, Webinars

Bellevue Clean Buildings Incentive Program

January 27, 2026 By SBC staff

The City of Bellevue is helping large buildings (20,000+ sf) to reduce energy use, save on costs, and comply with WA State Clean Buildings Law. Clean Buildings Incentive Program is re-launching its interest list for free building energy services including energy benchmarking, scoping assessments, incentive navigation, and compliance reporting support – an estimated $18,000 value. 

Free Training Webinars: WA Clean Buildings Law Compliance

Friday, January 29th, 11AM to 12PM: Clean Buildings 101: Intro to Clean Buildings Law, Incentives, and Support


Tuesday, February 10th, 11AM to 12PM: Clean Buildings 102: Benchmarking , Energy Management Plans, and Operations & Maintenance Programs


Wednesday, February 11th, 11AM to 12PM: Clean Buildings 101: Intro to Law, Incentives, & Support for Multi-Family Properties

Filed Under: Education & Training, Webinars

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News & Articles

SBX 2026 Sponsorship Opportunities

April 1, 2026

OBEP Fellowship Case Studies Series, McMinnville Community Center

March 30, 2026

Celebrating the First Cohort of BEACON Fellows

March 26, 2026

Facilities Expos in April!

March 25, 2026

CalFlexHub 2026, April 15

March 23, 2026

Contact Us

Smart Buildings Center
Pacific Tower
1200 12th Ave. S., Suite 110
Seattle, WA 98144

206-538-0832

[email protected]

Smart Buildings Center is a project collaboration with Building Potential

        

Smart Buildings Center · Pacific Tower, 1200 12th Ave. S., Suite 110, Seattle, WA 98144 · 206-538-0832

© 2026 · Northwest Energy Efficiency Council