Last month the fourth annual Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) delivered a value-packed three days of conversations focused on the market opportunity for smart buildings and solutions to some of the challenges currently facing the commercial, corporate, and institutional real estate industries.

The conference kicked off with a virtual Opening Plenary featuring industry leaders discussing the public, private and tax credit resources that will catalyze the decarbonization of the built environment. Following the Opening Plenary were virtual sessions on Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings as a Utility Resource, Indoor Environmental Quality – Field Results Inform Operational Practices, Planning & Implementing Campus-Scale Decarbonization, and Making Buildings Smarter – Live Demonstration.

The second day of the conference began with a virtual Plenary Session on Innovations for an Electrified & Decarbonized Future which examined where we are with the pace of innovation – technology, construction, finance, and policy – and what more we need to do to go further faster. The day continued with virtual sessions on Building Owner/Manager Guide to Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, Choosing the Smart Buildings Platform Right for You, Fault Detection & Diagnostics – Real World Lessons for Field Service, and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Reporting – Losing the Acronym, Improving the Result.

The third and final day of the conference was held in-person in Seattle and featured opening remarks from Dawn Lindell, General Manager and CEO of Seattle City Light, followed by panel discussions with leaders from Washington State, Oregon, Colorado, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on how different jurisdictions are structuring building performance standards, and how existing building commissioning can offer an initial path to standard compliance.

Thank you to all sponsors, planning committee members, speakers, and attendees who helped make the event a success!