The Smart Buildings Exchange virtual conference, August 24-25, will dive deep into the role of smarter buildings in a changing energy landscape. Day 1 of the event will feature an engaging discussion on the importance of workforce skill development in meeting the needs of the smart, clean and efficient buildings industry.

Workforce Skill Development for a Smart Building Future

Creating and maintaining a building environment that is healthy, comfortable, and productive for occupants has always been challenging. That challenge is growing exponentially today as building systems become more sophisticated and employee expectations for their indoor environment become a critical component of talent acquisition and retention. These challenges are creating need for new skills and abilities for all who bear the responsibility for making buildings work better. Leading building owner/manager organizations and the Biden administration’s Better Buildings program effort are focusing on the issue of workforce development. This session will bring practitioners from the front lines of workforce development to talk about how training programs are addressing this need from entry-level to on-the-job training and how these programs open the door to a more diversified workforce in this important area.

Panelists include Melanie Danuser, Smart Buildings Center, Lindsey Falasca, Building Innovation Hub, and Madeline Salzman, U.S. Department of Energy. The discussion will be moderated by Diane Levine with the IFMA Foundation.

View the full conference agenda and register for free today!

Join the conversation about the role of smarter buildings in a changing energy landscape at the free virtual Smart Buildings Exchange August 24^th and 25^th! During Day 1, experts from the utility and building owner/manager sectors will discuss grid-interactive efficient buildings and the opportunites they provide for performance and accelerating smart cities and the clean energy transition.

Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings; August 24th, 10:30 am
Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB) are changing the historic relationship between the electric utility and the buildings they serve. Today, utilities face unprecedented challenges – and opportunities – to modernize their infrastructure, eliminate carbon emissions, and remain reliable, resilient, and affordable in their energy services. Creating a smarter and more dynamic two-way communication environment with their customers offers a smart approach to building the 21st century electric utility. GEBs deploy smart technology that allow building operators to shed, shift, and modulate their building loads in response to electric grid reliability, price signals, and operational needs. This will be ever more important as electric vehicle charging becomes more common. Building owners can optimize their operations and their energy costs especially in the emerging trend toward dynamic pricing structures for electricity. This session will bring together expertise from both the utility and the building owner/manager perspective to talk about the value streams inherent in GEBs.

Panelists include Cara Carmichael, Rocky Mountain Institute, James Dice, Nexus Labs, Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, The Brattle Group, and Mary Ann Piette, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The discussion will be moderated by Lucie Huang from Seattle City Light.

View the full conference agenda and register for free today!