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Webinar: 2020 City Clean Energy Scorecard

September 30, 2020 By SBC staff

Tuesday, October 6, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

Which cities are leading the United States in clean energy efforts and which are falling behind? Join us to learn and discuss the findings of the 100-city scorecard, the most comprehensive national report tracking city progress toward climate goals.

As cities struggle to safely put people back to work and recover from the COVID-19 recession, our speakers will explore what cities are doing and can do better to advance energy efficiency and renewable power — critical tools for creating jobs, lowering utility bills, building resilience, reducing pollution, protecting health, and mitigating climate change. Speakers will also focus on the ways their programs are based on community input and designed to serve all residents.

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DOE Announces $80 Million 2020 BENEFIT Funding Opportunity

September 30, 2020 By SBC staff

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) 2020 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This funding opportunity will provide up to $80 million for projects that enhance energy demand flexibility across buildings and the grid, enabling greater affordability, increased energy productivity, and improved occupant comfort.

The BENEFIT FOA has been issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Building Technologies Office since 2014. This year’s FOA broadens DOE’s investments in cutting-edge, energy-saving building technologies, systems, and practices that will impact various segments of the buildings industry.

The FOA includes topic areas on advanced building construction, workforce development, and a variety of building technologies, including advanced lighting, HVAC, and thermal energy storage, among others.

How to Apply

More information, submittal requirements, and instructions for applying to this FOA (DE-FOA-0002196) can be found on the EERE Exchange. To be eligible for consideration, a concept paper must be submitted no later than November 5, 2020 by 5:00 p.m. ET.

Questions about this FOA may be submitted to [email protected] no later than three business days before the application deadline. Please note, feedback on individual concepts will not be provided through Q&A.

Submission Deadlines

Submission Deadline for Concept Papers: November 5, 2020 by 5:00 p.m. ET
Submission Deadline for Full Applications: January 20, 2021 by 5:00 p.m. ET

To read more about this FOA, visit the EERE Exchange.

Smart Buildings Week Recap – Webinar Recordings Now Available

September 24, 2020 By SBC staff

Thanks to those of you who participated in Virtual Smart Buildings Week last week! We enjoyed hosting these compelling discussions and really appreciate our panelists sharing their knowledge and insight. If you missed the sessions or would like to watch them again, the recordings are now available on the Smart Buildings Center YouTube channel.

Using Data and Analytics to Improve Performance
This opening session explores the here and now of smart buildings, systems typically involved in a smart strategy, data analytics and integration management, interoperability opportunities/challenges, and the smart buildings of tomorrow.

Watch Recording
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Grid Enabled Efficient Buildings
This session covers the “classic” demand response programs and actions, the dynamic two-way communication between buildings and the utility, how both building owners and the utility derive value from having this grid interactive capability, and ideal program features that would help make GEBs a reality.

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Achieving Persistent Operational Performance
This session examines the nexus of building operations and technology, finding plug-and-play and interoperable platforms, the role of human systems in optimizing the operation of buildings, addressing the root causes of building inefficiencies, and bridging the IT/OT divide.

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Creating Intelligent Spaces
This closing session explores how IoT is transforming the world and built environment; how smart technologies and practices lead to improved organizational productivity, better space utilization, and more efficient and healthier buildings; and key considerations that can help building owners and operators make a successful transformation to buildings that are more agile, flexible, efficient, and productive.

Watch Recording
Download Slides

Thank you again for joining us for Smart Buildings Week, and stay tuned for announcements about upcoming smart buildings events!

PSE Elevate Your Business’s Energy Efficiency Challenge

September 24, 2020 By SBC staff

Enter to win a custom grant covering up to 100% of your project with the Elevate your Efficiency Challenge.

Invest in energy efficiency, we’ll cover up to 100%

Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE) Custom Grants program is launching something exciting for 2020 (we could all use some good news!).

The Elevate your Efficiency Challenge is a limited-time-only extension of PSE’s standard custom grants program, which normally offers incentives for energy savings at $0.35 per kWh and $5 per therm, up to 70 percent of an energy-efficiency project’s costs.

With the Elevate your Efficiency Challenge, PSE business customers can earn $0.50 per kWh and $7 per therm, covering up to 100 percent of a project’s costs. This is a chance to tackle an entire energy-saving upgrade, earn a bigger grant and possibly have the bill covered entirely. That’s a big deal!

Read more about this exciting new challenge, and then get your project proposal submitted by Dec. 1, 2020.

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Ask the Lighting Experts: What 1:1 Replacement Means for Energy Savings and Light Quality

September 24, 2020 By SBC staff

There’s a lot of buzz about the benefits of luminaire level lighting controls (LLLC), from space flexibility to simplicity of installation and beyond. Now, a new research study shows LED retrofits with luminaire level lighting controls have the potential for big energy savings and high quality of light – but without the big price tag.

For this first-of-its-kind research, experts from the University of Oregon and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) studied a 1,000 square foot office space, analyzing the amount of energy saved when fluorescent lights were individually retrofitted with an LED equipped with LLLC compared to a complete redesign.

Join us for a free, virtual event on Thursday, October 1, at 10 a.m. PT as the researchers behind the study unveil the results and discuss the lighting implications as we look at the future of commercial spaces.

To attend, you must register in advance HERE.

Have questions you want to ask? Feel free to submit them ahead of time in the questions/comments box when you register. Or, send them to [email protected].

Commercial Window Upgrade Opportunity

September 24, 2020 By SBC staff

For a limited time, buildings owners who upgrade their low-performing single or double pane windows with secondary windows can receive an incentive of up to $10,000 by participating in a field test run by Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), in partnership with local utilities. In addition to this incentive, owners will receive special pricing from the six participating manufacturers, 15-30% off the material cost depending on the manufacturer. Additional participant benefits may include incentives, professional photography and marketing, and technical support from NEEA. If you’re looking to improve your envelope, increase tenant comfort, and reduce outside noise and air infiltration, this is a great opportunity to leverage technical support and product discounts, while the building is empty or partially empty.

To see if your office or hospitality building qualifies for the field test or to learn more, email Jordan Pratt from Energy 350 at [email protected].

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