As the Washington State Energy Code (WSEC-C) continues to advance toward higher-performing buildings, design teams are increasingly challenged to understand and address the impacts of thermal bridging within the building enclosure. This session explores practical approaches for identifying, evaluating, and improving thermal bridge performance using data-driven methodologies and highly visual analytical tools. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of how enclosure design decisions influence whole-building energy performance and occupant comfort. The frameworks presented will illustrate the relationships between key enclosure performance variables, enabling design professionals to make more informed decisions while prioritizing the areas with the greatest impact on energy efficiency and code compliance.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the performance limitations of building enclosure types early in the design process. 
• Quantify the impact of thermal bridging in the context of effective R-values and whole building energy performance.
• Understand the disconnect between building enclosure performance commonly constructed to what is assumed in current energy codes and design. 
• Assess early design options by using data driven guidance and smart data visualization.

Register: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/7017932125074/WN_xklBgq3LTBK-zv2JqWU1fQ

Sponsors: 

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)

Moderator:

Teresa Moroseos, UW Integrated Design Lab

Presenters: 

Jamie McKay, Glumac

Date: Nov 17, 2026 from 12-1 via webinar

CEUs: 1.0 AIA HSW or Certificates of Completion

Registration Link:

https://washington.zoom.us/meeting/register/2ad2XZM8RReTc2GyKrVLrQ#/registration

Sponsors: 

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)

Moderator:

Heather Burpee, UW Integrated Design Lab

Presenters: 

Teresa Moroseos, UW Integrated Design Lab

Pia Westen, SHKS Architects

Andi Burnham, Delta E Consulting

Date: Sep 30, 2026 from 12-1 via webinar

CEUs: 1.0 AIA HSW or Certificates of Completion

Description:

Architects make many design decisions that shape envelope performance, yet UA trade-off analysis is often viewed as outside their scope. This webinar introduces the UA trade-off pathway as a practical design and compliance tool for commercial buildings under WSEC 2021. Participants will learn the fundamentals of U-factor and total UA analysis, how the trade-off pathway differs from prescriptive compliance, when it can provide useful design flexibility, and how envelope design strategies can be evaluated using the WSEC Webtool.

Topics will include:

• Why architects should care about UA trade-off analysis
• UA basics: a building science overview and what UA means
• Prescriptive compliance versus the UA trade-off pathway
• When UA trade-off analysis is useful, including examples from practice
• Where U-factors come from
• Demonstration of using the WSEC Webtool to conduct a UA trade-off analysis

The webinar will also briefly discuss when the Total Building Performance (C407) pathway may be appropriate for projects requiring additional flexibility, as well as upcoming code considerations, such as thermal bridging calculations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the basic concepts of U-factor, envelope area, and total UA, and describe how they relate to building envelope performance.
2. Distinguish between the prescriptive envelope compliance pathway and the UA trade-off pathway under WSEC 2021.
3. Recognize common sources of U-factor information, including code lookup tables, manufacturer data, and calculated assembly values.
4. Understand the basic workflow for using a UA trade-off tool to evaluate envelope design options and support energy code compliance documentation.

Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) helps K–12 schools fund critical facility upgrades through verified energy savings. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI) are co-hosting an upcoming webinar that will introduce the fundamentals of ESPC and demonstrate how schools, as well as other municipal and state facilities, can benefit from this proven project delivery approach.

Using the K–12 market as an example, this webinar will provide an introduction on getting started with ESPC (“ESPC 1.0”). Panelists will discuss topics relevant across the MUSH market (municipalities, universities, schools, and hospitals), including best practices for selecting and contracting with an energy service company (ESCO), strategies for avoiding common pitfalls, and lessons learned from successful ESPC projects.

Featured panelists include:

·    Anisa Heming, U.S. Green Building Council – Center for Green Schools

·    Dan Dowell, Johnson Controls

·    Christopher McIntyre, Warren County Kentucky Public Schools

 

The discussion will be moderated by Kathryn Chelminski and Dana Robson (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), along with Jeff Vincent of NCSI. The webinar will include opportunities for audience engagement and is intended for K–12 school leaders, state and local agencies, ESCOs, and other stakeholders interested in energy performance contracting.

This webinar is the first in a four-part series exploring ESPC opportunities across the MUSH market. Future sessions will include:

·    ESPC for state and local governments

·    ESPC financing structures

·    Using the newly updated ESPC Model Documents

 

The series will also highlight the eProject eXpress (ePX) online platform, which enables MUSH organizations to track energy savings, manage project information, and securely store and share ESPC project data.

Thursday, September 17th at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern to learn how ESPC can help schools and other public facilities improve infrastructure, reduce energy costs, and achieve long-term operational savings.

Register for the webinar here: https://go.lbl.gov/espc-K12-webinar