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Smart Buildings Center

Energy Efficiency Innovation Center, Tool Library & Data Visualization

OSE: 2026 Building Decarbonization Grants, Applications Open Through 8/10

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2026 Building Decarbonization Grant Program Now Accepting Applications!

The Building Decarbonization Grant program is open to applications through August 10 and will award up to $4 million for projects at BEPS-covered buildings. These grants will help fund engineering design and capital retrofit projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from recipient buildings ahead of BEPS compliance deadlines. As in 2025, OSE will prioritize buildings like nonprofits, affordable housing, senior housing, and other facilities serving frontline communities, as well as buildings whose current energy data show them exceeding upcoming BEPS greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) targets. However, all buildings covered by BEPS are eligible and encouraged to apply. All grant information is posted on the Building Emissions Navigator webpage.

Key Details

  • Eligibility: Buildings must be covered by Seattle’s BEPS to be eligible. These include multifamily or nonresidential (i.e., commercial) buildings larger than 20,000 square feet.
  • Application: Apply via the link on the Navigator webpage. In the coming weeks, OSE is hosting two information sessions on Zoom, with pre-registration required. The sessions will be recorded and posted on the Navigator webpage.
  • Deadline: Submit the online application form by August 10, 2026, at 8 PM to be considered.
  • Technical Assistance: Free technical assistance is available to applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Buildings owned or occupied by nonprofit organizations, or serving Seattle’s Frontline communities will be prioritized, but all buildings are eligible. Apply for assistance now!

Building Emissions Navigator Coaching Cohorts

To help you understand BEPS and develop your path to compliance, the City of Seattle provides support through the Seattle Building Emissions Navigator. The Navigator offers free group training and customized technical assistance for your building — and it’s available to building operators, owners, and property management teams.  

Three cohorts are currently underway, and the Navigator will host at least one additional cohort starting this fall:

  • Virtual cohort with four monthly workshops, starting September 16

Before enrolling in the program, you must attend a one-hour online info session or watch the info session recording. Then email [email protected] to request an enrollment form.

Portland OR Job Openings at Franklin Energy!

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Are you looking for a new role in the Portland, OR area? Our friends at Franklin Energy are hiring! If you’re interested in any of these roles, click the links in the job title below to be taken straight to the job listing.

Franklin Energy is redefining the clean energy future as the only integrated provider of comprehensive solutions, combining unmatched expertise in strategic consulting, program delivery, product solutions, and design/build services. Powered by our advanced AI-driven technology platforms, we deliver seamless, tech-driven support across the entire energy service ecosystem to accelerate impactful change and ensure an unmatched customer experience. Since 1994, Franklin Energy has been a trusted partner in protecting communities and our planet, paving the way for a sustainable future for all. Learn more at www.franklinenergy.com and join us in leading the clean energy revolution.

Strategic Energy Management – SEM Coach

We are seeking an Energy Coach with 2+ years of experience to join our team. This role is central to supporting energy efficiency programs in the Pacific Northwest, with a primary focus on Strategic Energy Management (SEM). The Energy Coach will work with multiple commercial building owners and occupants to help identify and implement Operations and Maintenance (O&M) strategies that drive energy savings. A key aspect of this role is managing multiple program participants and projects, ensuring strong coordination, follow-through, and accountability.

The ideal candidate is an excellent communicator, highly organized, and eager to learn. They will have experience engaging customers, leading energy conversations, and supporting organizations in adopting sustainable energy practices.

SEM – Senior SEM Statistical Analyst

We are seeking a Senior Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Statistical Analyst to lead advanced Measurement & Verification (M&V) for commercial and institutional buildings. This role requires a strong understanding of building systems, energy use patterns, and how these factors influence whole building regression models. The ideal candidate combines technical depth in energy analytics with practical knowledge of building operations to drive accuracy, consistency, and innovation in our M&V processes.

Coolkeeper – Field Technician

This position is responsible for performing the installation, removal, modification, inspection, and/or service of a specific type or set of types of Direct Load Control devices while exhibiting safe, courtesy, and helpful behavior and maintaining compliance with company standards.  Services are targeted to the residential markets.

Happening This Week at the Smart Buildings Center

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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

 

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

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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

SBX 2026 Event Format, Early-Bird Deadline & Call for Speakers

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The SBX 2026 conference theme, “Accelerating Performance at the Speed of Innovation,” reflects both the urgency of the moment and the opportunity in front of us. As technologies advance and pressures on the built environment intensify, buildings are being asked to do more: reduce costs, improve resilience, respond to grid needs, support occupant outcomes, and deliver stronger performance in an increasingly complex operating environment. SBX 2026 will create space not just for inspiration, but for debate, problem-solving, and clearer pathways to action.

Each day of the event features a different format, outlined below, designed to provide opportunities for building solutions together through hands-on collaboration in workshops, and inspiring industry-wide action with real-world applications, scalable solutions, and lively discussion and debate.  

Event format

DAY 1: Workshops — Roll Up Your Sleeves
November 9, 2026 | Half-day (11am-5pm)
Day 1 is a highly interactive, workshop-driven format designed for participants who want to actively shape the future of the smart buildings market. Participants will engage with peers, share real-world experiences and perspectives, and identify barriers slowing market growth and the tools, strategies, and approaches to overcome them. Day 1 sets the stage by doing the hard work: aligning perspectives, surfacing friction points, and creating actionable insights that inform the rest of the conference.

DAY 2: Big Ideas, Applications & Broader Perspectives
November 10, 2026 | Full-day (8am-5pm)
Day 2 is a dynamic, full-day conference featuring keynotes, engaging panels, lively debate and networking. With a focus on building owner needs, real-world applications, financing models and scalable solutions, Day 2 will be valuable for building owners, executives, and decision-makers looking for insights they can apply across portfolios. While Day 1 is about doing the work, Day 2 is about sharing it, challenging it, and scaling it—bringing together big ideas and practical insights in a format that encourages debate, inspiration, and action.

Early-Bird Deadline Aug 15th – Register Today!

 

Call for Speakers – Deadline July 17th

This year’s agenda topics center on one question: what will it take to move smart buildings from promising projects to genuine, repeatable scale? The agenda digs into the practical barriers and opportunities that matter most right now—financing structures, policy alignment, AI-driven operations, and what it will take to make smart buildings the norm rather than the exception.

SBX is built on practitioner knowledge and real-world experience. We’re actively looking for speakers, panelists, and moderators who can bring grounded, honest perspectives to our attendees — not polished sales pitches, but genuine insight from the work you’re doing in the field. We’re especially interested in voices from:

  • Building owners, managers, and operators
  • Engineers, commissioning professionals, and energy managers
  • Sustainability and decarbonization leaders
  • Utility and policy experts
  • Technology providers with real-world deployment stories
  • Finance and capital professionals working on building performance

Interested in speaking or have speaker suggestions? We want to hear from you!
Ready to share your expertise or know great speakers who should be considered? Complete our speaker suggestion form to tell us about yourself or the suggested speaker(s), areas of expertise, and which topics would be a good fit. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and our programming team will be in touch with those whose experience aligns with our conference themes.

Submit Speaker Suggestion Form by July 17th!

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SBX 2026 is where the Pacific Northwest’s smart buildings community comes together to do the hard work of figuring out what’s next. Whether you join us as an attendee, a speaker, or a sponsor, we hope to see you there.

Questions? Reach us at [email protected]

More information: www.sbxconference.org

FEA: Turn Goals into a Facility Strategy

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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 in APPA‘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 >> APPA Resources on Strategic Planning and Asset Management 

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. [Learn more about Facility Condition Assessment best practices] 

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

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