Join the Smart Buildings Center Education Program (SBCEP) on December 1st, 2020 for Giving Tuesday, a global day of Giving!

Launched in 2012 as a charitable answer to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday retail shopping days, Giving Tuesday is a worldwide movement to encourage giving and celebrate generosity. You can support SBCEP this Giving Tuesday and together we can continue to work to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of smart buildings technologies and practices through education and demonstration.

SBCEP is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that believes the smarter use of technology and practices in the built environment, particularly as they relate to building operations and management, will enable a cleaner, healthier and more productive future. We seek to establish thought leadership in the Pacific Northwest for smart technology within the commercial and residential building sectors, and pursue our objective through the following pillars of activity: delivering training programs to educate the building workforce of the future; enabling industry leading demonstration projects; and connecting the industry through hosting and participating in smart buildings events.

We welcome your support to help us sustain our educational programs.

Click here to support SBCEP this Giving Tuesday! Any and all levels of support are greatly appreciated and go a long way. Thank you!

The Smart Buildings Center (SBC) is pleased to become a partner in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Buildings Workforce Accelerator (BBWA). Officially launched in 2020, this three-year initiative seeks to raise the level of building science and energy efficiency knowledge in the nation’s building-related workforce.

The goal of the BBWA is to set the U.S. on a course toward a more energy-efficient and high-performing building stock. Accelerator partners include educators, workforce training providers, industry practitioners, trade associations, utility agencies, and government agencies. As a partner, SBC will gain access to a variety of resources, including opportunities to receive technical assistance from building science experts. Partners will also share their own best practices and contribute to developing guidance, case studies, and educational materials.

SBC looks forward to participating in the initiative and working with DOE and Accelerator partners to build interest in and streamline pathways for building efficiency careers. SBC intends to contribute to efforts to improve building workforce skills by utilizing updated curriculum and educational tools in SBC’s national Building Operator Certification (BOC) program. BOC is a competency-based training and certification program for building engineers and maintenance personnel. BOC graduates make their buildings more comfortable, efficient and environmentally friendly while providing energy and resource savings to building owners and organizations.

As buildings become more efficient and technologically advanced, the next generation workforce needs to be prepared to develop, integrate, install, and diffuse energy-efficient and smart buildings technologies. “We are proud of the work the BOC program does to elevate the profession of the building operator through training and certification, and we are excited to work with DOE and Accelerator partners to ensure training pathways for a diverse and qualified building efficiency workforce that enable high performance buildings,” said Melanie Danuser, SBC Director of Education & Training.

Reports show that cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades in U.S. buildings could save close to $100 billion annually in energy bills. However, these savings are only possible if the U.S. invests in preparing a workforce of qualified people who understand building science and energy efficiency. Through collaboration with the Accelerator partners, this initiative aims to build awareness about building efficiency careers, streamline pathways to building efficiency careers, and improve workforce skills. This three-year effort will support the vision of the U.S. building workforce as a global leader in delivering quality efficiency products and services to American residents and businesses, thereby increasing energy affordability across the economy.

To read more about the Better Buildings Workforce Accelerator, please visit: https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/accelerators/workforce

Seattle’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory shows that city-wide emissions have stopped decreasing, and in some cases are beginning to increase; the City of Seattle will not be able to make significant progress towards emissions reduction without decarbonizing our energy supply. The City is exploring policies and programs that would transition Seattle away from fossil fuels to zero-emissions energy in our cars, trucks, buses, and buildings.

The City of Seattle is seeking input from you on how such a transition may affect your business or employment and what you may need for this transition.

If you identify as either a fossil fuel-related or clean energy-related business or organization, or an intensive user of either, please complete this 10 to 15 minute survey, linked below, by Thursday October 8th. Your perspective will provide invaluable input into policymaking processes. All information will be treated as confidential and not shared with any third party.

Survey Link: https://arcg.is/eCGmK0