Blog - Page 55 of 124 - Smart Buildings Center

The U.S. Department of Energy Announces the Buildings Upgrade Prize

January 18, 2023 By SBC staff

The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America with winning ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to leverage billions of dollars in funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, utility rebate programs, and many other sources to upgrade our existing buildings and help address climate change,” said Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Transforming existing buildings is a complex task. Each building has its own set of needs related to size, use, age, location, and more—there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Buildings UP is designed to build capacity within multi-stakeholder teams to develop a variety of solutions and drive the implementation of effective building upgrade initiatives across the country.”

Visit the US Department of Energy website or learn more about the Buildings UP Prize.

AESP Seeking Input on Flexible Demand Management Workforce Training

January 18, 2023 By SBC staff

The Smart Buildings Center has partnered with the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) on an exciting project that will change the future of energy workforce development, and we are looking for your input.

AESP is developing free, online, flexible demand management workforce training and needs your feedback on the proposed course outline.

To give feedback, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BENEFIT-NEEC

The initial course content plan addresses critical gaps in flexible demand management workforce education. Whether you are new to the field or have years of experience, you stand to benefit; this is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to rapidly upskill our entire community in demand management. To get it right, we need to know if the proposed course curriculum meets YOUR specific needs.

Please take a few minutes to provide your input by Monday, January 30^th, 2023.

A Proven Approach to High-Performance HVAC Improves Efficiency, Health & Comfort

January 18, 2023 By SBC staff

This resource is brought to you by BetterBricks

Very high efficiency dedicated outside air systems (very high efficiency DOAS) pair the highest performance HVAC equipment with key design principles to provide cleaner and safer indoor air, enhance indoor comfort, and reduce commercial building HVAC energy use. This approach has been demonstrated to reduce HVAC energy use by an average of 69% when compared to a code-minimum version of the existing equipment (often a packaged rooftop unit).

Very high efficiency DOAS consists of the following key elements:

A high efficiency HRV/ERV that features 82% or greater sensible effectiveness.
High-performance heating and cooling system that meets ENERGY STAR® performance standards.
Ventilation fully separated from heating and cooling.
Right-sized heating and cooling equipment.

To learn more about very high efficiency DOAS, including through case studies, research, and technical guides, visit: https://betterbricks.com/solutions/very-high-efficiency-doas

Webinar: Submetering in Municipal & Higher Education Buildings

January 10, 2023 By SBC staff

February 2, 2023
1:00-2:30pm PST
Register

Many building operations professionals across Washington state are busy developing strategies for meeting compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). Municipal and higher education buildings are two sectors that often share a unique challenge: calculating energy use intensity (EUI) in separate buildings that are metered together as part of a campus.

In partnership with Puget Sound Energy, the Smart Buildings Center brings you an engaging information session and panel discussion exploring the challenges and potential solutions in submetering as required when taking the EUI target (EUIt) path to compliance with CBPS. In this webinar, we’ll briefly discuss the EUIt path requirements and a technical overview of the submetering options available to meet compliance. O&M professionals in the field will share their on-the-ground experience with overcoming challenges and their strategies for moving forward to achieve compliance. Attendees will come away with practical resources for implementing submetering in their own facilities and will learn how utility incentive programs such as Strategic Energy Management (SEM) can help with implementing energy efficiency programs to help streamline the compliance process.

Register in advance for this webinar

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Seattle IFMA F5 Tower Tour – Jan 12th

January 10, 2023 By SBC staff

Smart Buildings Center partner, IFMA Seattle, will be hosting a building tour of the iconic F5 building at 9AM on January 12th. Registration is open and the tour will be led by the Manager of Corp. Operations at F5, Seth Anderson. This is a great opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at the systems that run a world-famous facility. You’ll also have the chance to go in-depth with Urban Renaissance Group’s Abdella Hussen with a focus on the mechanical systems as well as a sneak peek into the intricate conveyance systems by Alex Dyer of Kone Elevators. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to see a new side of this awesome modern marvel!

For more information or to register for the 12th click here!

Webinar: Retro-commissioning in K-12 Schools

December 22, 2022 By SBC staff

January 19, 2023 | 1:00-2:30pm Pacific Time

K-12 school superintendents and facility staff face many challenges to operating their buildings efficiently and effectively. Common challenges include funding and staffing issues. Deferred maintenance, antiquated systems, or even poorly operating modern systems can have a direct impact on learning outcomes. Retro-commissioning (RCx) is a process that optimizes building system performance by defining current operating requirements and identifying root causes of problems and energy saving opportunities. An RCx report can be useful evidence in securing funding for needed upgrades or efficiency measures that can often pay back favorably.

In partnership with Puget Sound Energy, the Smart Buildings Center brings you an engaging webinar exploring concepts of RCx specific to K-12 schools and the unique characteristics this sector brings. In this information session and panel discussion, O&M professionals working in the K-12 sector will share their experience with RCx initiatives. Attendees will come away with practical resources for implementing RCx programs in their own facilities and will learn how utility incentive programs such as Strategic Energy Management (SEM) can help with funding and implementation.

Register in advance for this webinar

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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