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REMINDER: Join the Retrofit “Reality Check” Webinar June 14th! Part of Net Zero Buildings Week

June 12, 2023 By SBC staff

Last week we posted about the exciting events happening this week as part of Net Zero Buildings Week! We don’t want you to miss out so here’s a friendly reminder to check out all the events happening this week as well as the Retrofit Reality Check Webinar, more details for that below.

On June 14 – as part of Net Zero Buildings Week – Slipstream will host a webinar that confronts the realities that experts who deliver building retrofits encounter.

Click here to register now.

Wednesday, June 14

11:00 a.m. to noon Central Time

For more information be sure to follow the New Buildings Institue and our partners at SlipStream.

Next Week is Net Zero Buildings Week!

June 7, 2023 By SBC staff

Did you know? Net Zero Buildings Week is the 12th through the 16th of June! There’s lots of ways to engage and share your ideas, stories, and experiences, let’s take a look at what you can expect this year and ways you can contribute.

Sign-up & Participate on Social Media

Net Zero Buildings Week is a social media campaign aimed to showcase and promote the benefits of net zero buildings for a clean energy future. Our theme this year is Decarbonize For Good – to showcase how reducing emissions from the built environment can benefit people and communities as a whole. Use the hastag #Decarb4Good to share your stories with the community!

Wednesday is the Retrofit Ready Reality Check Webinar. Don’t miss the opportunity to be a featured part of this event! You can submit your content here.

A Full Week of Content!

Each day from the 12th through the 16th will have it’s own theme and events! We don’t want you to miss any of them so here’s a quick rundown of what to expect, you can find more details at the link above.

Monday: Demystifying Decarbonization
– Linkedin Live Event hosted by P2S Inc: 10:00 am PT
Tuesday: Net Zero in Schools
– Linkedin Live Highway to Healthy Schools Webinar Encore, hosted by NBI: 11:00 am PT
Wednesday: Existing Buildings
–Retrofit Ready Reality Check Webinar, hosted by Slipstream: 11:00 am PT
Thursday: Embodied Carbon
–Young Voices, Big Impact: How Engaging the Next Generation Can Inspire Action to Reduce Embodied Carbon Webinar, hosted by Carbon Leadership Forum: 11:00 am PT
Friday: Visions for the Future
–Climate Art Workshop with Nicole Kelner: Envisioning the Future of the Built Environment, co-hosted by Urban Land Institute and NBI, 10:00 am PT
-Twitter Spaces Event hosted by Urban Land Institute, time TBD

Who’s Participating?

You can find a complete list of partners and participants at the link above. Interested in adding your organization to the list? You can contact the organizers here. For more information be sure to follow the New Buildings Institue and our partners at SlipStream.

We hope to see lots of engagement on social media next week for this exciting weeklong event! Don’t forget to use the hasthag #Decarb4Good to tell your stories and join enlightening discussions during Net Zero Buildings Week!

A Tool for the Future: Commercial and Industrial Energy Rating Label

June 2, 2023 By SBC staff

Energy Rating labels for commercial and industrial pump systems were created by the Hydraulic Institute in 2020 to foster an easier, streamlined way to determine the efficiency of a pump. Prior to the creation of the label, purchasers had to manually calculate efficiency based on multiple factors, which could lead to missed opportunities for improved energy performance and savings.

The label, also known as the Commercial & Industrial or C&I Pump Label, features numbers and measurements that indicate how much more efficient a specific pump is, compared to the federal baseline for pumps allowed to be sold in the United States. The primary feature of the label is the Energy Rating (ER) number. This number is derived from the Pump Energy Index—written as PEI on the label—a metric from the U.S. Department of Energy that is based on a uniform performance procedure all pump models are tested against.

This information is reflected in a numerical range from Most Consumptive to Least Consumptive. The higher the number, the less consumptive—or the more efficient—the pump. For example, a pump with an ER60 is 60% more efficient than the minimum required by law, or ER0. This number not only represents the lab-tested performance, but also allows you to calculate exact performance for your specific situation, based on pressure, flow, and run hours.

Even though the pump’s estimated annual savings is not provided, it can be calculated by using the information provided on the label, the net positive suction head required, run hours, and other features. Each of these elements are crucial to determine the pump’s function, operation, and savings.

Read on at BetterBricks Blog for more information on how this label is changing how we visualize energy use data!

SBX2023 Session Highlight: Indoor Environmental Quality

June 1, 2023 By SBC staff

Join us virtually for the Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) 2023 Indoor Environmental Quality session on August 16th from 1:30 – 3:00 pm PT. Christopher Meek with the University of Washington’s Integrated Design Lab will moderate the discussion between IEQ experts Seema Bhangar (US Green Building Council), Vivian Loftness (Carnegie Mellon University), and Stephanie Taylor (Building4Health). You don’t want to miss this session — register now!

Session description
While the Covid pandemic certainly shined a bright light on the importance of healthy indoor environments, creating and maintaining indoor environmental quality has a pre-Covid history and a post-Covid challenge. The ROI of health and comfort conditions is expressed in employee recruitment, retention, and productivity. This session will explore the lessons learned from this reinvigorated focus on healthy indoor air and technologies that were deployed during the pandemic and their measured or perceived benefits.

Register for free today!

Don’t Miss Protecting Puget Sound Tomorrow, 5/31!

May 30, 2023 By SBC staff

Join the Seattle 2030 District tomorrow 5/31 for an invigorating discussion that will help our members and other landowners meet the district’s stormwater challenges and support the recovery of Puget Sound. Larry Epstein, Deputy Director of the Puget Sound Partnership will discuss the state of the sound and the importance of engaging the private sector in the goals for recovery. Jeremy Febus, Civil Engineer with KPFF; and Rachael Meyer, Landscape Architect for Weber Thompson will share case studies of progressive stormwater projects for commercial sites. Ellen Southard, the 2030 District’s stormwater consultant will discuss ways for zero lot line projects to meet the goals of stormwater reduction through our new Watershed Investment Fund.

Get your tickets here!

SBX2023 Session Highlight: Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

May 23, 2023 By SBC staff

Join us virtually for the Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) 2023 Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs) session on August 15th from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm PT.

Session description
Continued progress toward the electrification of the built environment creates both a massive challenge and an opportunity for eliminating carbon emissions. The challenge of new loads from electrification on the utility system requires enhanced abilities for shifting, shedding, and modulating those loads to the mutual benefit of the building owner and serving utility. The effort to scale grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) is well underway. What are the risks to all parties in getting this wrong? This session will bring together voices from the nation’s leading national laboratory on GEBs with building owners and service providers who are deploying GEBs strategies in commercial and institutional buildings across the country.

Speakers
Tanya Barham, Community Energy Labs
Courtney Blodgett, Edo
Rich Brown, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Jingjing Liu, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
David Logsdon, Seattle City Light (moderator)
Scott Spielman, Ecotope

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