Blog - Page 2 of 64 - Smart Buildings Center

NEEC & SBC Welcome New Team Member

May 23, 2022 By Britton Rife

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) and Smart Buildings Center (SBC) are pleased to announce that Mark Willard has joined our team!

As Assistant Project Manager, Mark’s primary role is to provide support to the City of Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking Help Desk and the Building Operator Certification (BOC) program. He has extensive customer service, administrative, and outreach experience that he brings to these responsibilities. Mark has a BA in Public Policy from the University of Washington and has provided non-partisan policy support during two Washington State legislative sessions. His previous role was Committee Staff to the Washington State Senate’s Housing & Local Government Committee during the 2022 legislative session. Mark’s interest in energy efficiency comes from his passion for problem solving. He believes energy is one of the most fundamental and consequential issues of our time due to the risks and opportunities presented in the field. Mark enjoys spending time with his fiancé, his Australian shepherd, and his two vintage Mercedes-Benzes.

NEEC and SBC are proud to welcome Mark to the team!

New Resources: Understanding Your Building’s Path to Carbon Neutral

May 23, 2022 By Britton Rife

Buildings are one of the largest and fastest growing sources of climate pollution in Seattle, responsible for more than one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions pollute our air, accelerate climate change, and harm people’s health and the environment, disproportionately impacting communities of color and people with lower incomes. Many U.S. cities, including Seattle, are developing Building Performance Standards (BPS) that set long term targets on climate-polluting emissions from buildings. To help building owners get started, the City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment has developed new case studies, most of which include cost estimates. View the case studies here.

Upcoming Lighting Design Lab Courses

May 23, 2022 By Britton Rife

Energy Management Systems Part 1
Thu, May 26 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 1 of 2. Getting the most energy savings out of your HVAC requires building systems to be capable of adjustment, such as variable speed drives or demand limiting, as opposed to simple on/off control. However, these strategies often add a higher level of complexity making it more challenging to keep persistent energy savings over time. Energy Management Systems and Analytics are often offered up as a solution to this problem. This course will provide a deep dive exploration on the reality of energy management systems and how they are not a one-size-fits all endeavor and how each one needs its one requirement and parameter for success.

Energy Management Systems Part 2
Thu, Jun 02 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 2 of 2. Getting the most energy savings out of your HVAC requires building systems to be capable of adjustment, such as variable speed drives or demand limiting, as opposed to simple on/off control. However, these strategies often add a higher level of complexity making it more challenging to keep persistent energy savings over time. Energy Management Systems and Analytics are often offered up as a solution to this problem. This course will provide a deep dive exploration on the reality of energy management systems and how they are not a one-size-fits all endeavor and how each one needs its one requirement and parameter for success.

Commercial Refrigeration Part 1
Tue, Jun 14 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 1 of 2. This course reviews elementary refrigeration concepts, components, and configurations of refrigeration systems. It delves into various types of control strategies for restaurants, grocery stores, cold storage, and industrial applications, and it examines case studies that focus on energy efficiency measures. Finally, students are invited to investigate areas of special interest, such as evaporative condensing units, CO2 refrigeration, etc.

Commercial Refrigeration Part 2
Thu, Jun 16 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 2 of 2. This course reviews elementary refrigeration concepts, components, and configurations of refrigeration systems. It delves into various types of control strategies for restaurants, grocery stores, cold storage, and industrial applications, and it examines case studies that focus on energy efficiency measures. Finally, students are invited to investigate areas of special interest, such as evaporative condensing units, CO2 refrigeration, etc.

Adjustable Speed Drives/Variable Frequency Drives Part 1
Tue, Jun 21 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 1 of 2. Attendees will learn about adjustable speed drives and their practical/ proven energy and efficiency applications. This course examines the evolution and application of adjustable speed drive technology, manual/automated control strategies, and the short/long term benefits on energy savings and equipment. Furthermore, this course dives deep into the electrical principles of adjustable speed drives, common issues, the value of preventative maintenance, common troubleshooting solutions, and investigates real world success stories.

Adjustable Speed Drives/Variable Frequency Drives Part 2
Tue, Jun 23 | 10am-noon | FREE

DAY 2 of 2. Attendees will learn about adjustable speed drives and their practical/ proven energy and efficiency applications. This course examines the evolution and application of adjustable speed drive technology, manual/automated control strategies, and the short/long term benefits on energy savings and equipment. Furthermore, this course dives deep into the electrical principles of adjustable speed drives, common issues, the value of preventative maintenance, common troubleshooting solutions, and investigates real world success stories.

Attend the USGBC Smart Building Summit – May 11th & 12th!

April 25, 2022 By Britton Rife

Hear from building and technology experts about integrated, high-performance buildings.
On May 11 and 12, participate in the first Smart Building Summit, hosted by USGBC’s Pacific region communities. This event will bring together diverse players to discuss the optimization of the design and operation of integrated, high-performance buildings. Join industry leaders in exploring opportunities to advance how smart buildings can support climate, health, equity and resilience. The program will feature a keynote address from futurist Saul Griffith and other luminaries. Read a Q&A with Saul here.

The initial program

In addition to inspiring keynotes from Saul Griffith and others, the two-day summit will feature four program sessions. Each session will be followed by a hosted industry conversation to dive deeper. Preview the four main sessions below and find additional information at www.usgbcsmartbuildings.org.

The Challenge of Smart Building Integration
In this session, panelists will discuss the challenges of integrating new climate and other building technologies so that they speak to one another, work together, and can be managed by the building engineers through a single software platform. Smart technologies include energy and lighting controls, building management systems, dynamic glazing, air quality, occupancy sensors, security, and elevators. Challenges and solutions will be presented.

Smart Building Operators: The Workforce of the Future
Evolving technologies in integrated high-performance buildings require skilled personnel to operate increasingly complex buildings and are raising the bar on advanced skills needed to operate IoT-connected and -optimized systems. As a result, owners are facing a workforce gap in highly skilled labor, while at the same time new opportunities for high-road jobs are emerging. In this session, we will explore workforce development challenges in the evolution of smart buildings and discuss opportunities to support high-road jobs for vulnerable communities.

Optimizing Smart Buildings and the Grid
In the future, smart buildings will not only manage their performance but also serve as flexible, clean energy resources to the electric grid. This panel discusses the technologies enabling that transformation, as well as the challenges in integrating legacy energy infrastructure.

State-of-the-art AI and Machine Learning in Buildings
AI and machine learning will become critical for all buildings in the future. This session will examine what will be necessary for best-in-class buildings and their operation. We will hear from early adopters and academic researchers expanding possibilities for buildings of today and tomorrow.

Smart Buildings Center subscribers can receive a 20% discount on registration by following the link below.

Register Now!

Smart Buildings Exchange Preliminary Agenda Now Available!

April 19, 2022 By Britton Rife

The preliminary agenda for Smart Buildings Exchange 2022 is now available at sbxconference.org/agenda! The free, three-day virtual event to be held August 22-24 will explore the market opportunity for smart buildings through interactive conference sessions featuring a mix of panel discussions and case study presentations on the future of energy services and the built environment, grid-interactive efficient buildings, the role of smart buildings in carbon emission reductions, and more.

View the agenda and register for free today!

In-Person Networking Events
On August 24th, regional in-person networking events featuring a livestreamed conference session on how smart technologies can support building performance reporting will be held. If you are interested in hosting an in-person SBX networking event in your region, please contact Britton Rife to coordinate. Recommended guidelines for hosting the in-person networking events can be found here. Stay tuned for more details as plans are developed!

Sponsorship Opportunities
For more information about ways your organization or business can participate in the conference, please download our Sponsorship Prospectus or contact Stan Price for customized sponsorship/partnership opportunities.

Register for free today!

Tool Lending Library Case Study – Hospital Electricity Use

April 13, 2022 By Britton Rife

Photo credits: Walt Vernon, Mazzetti/2020

The Smart Buildings Center Tool Lending Library supported a yearlong project led by Mazzetti, a health care engineering, planning, and design firm, to study electricity use at eight hospitals across the country.

During the pandemic, Mazzetti, on behalf of the Fire Protection Research Foundation, studied electrical demand in hospitals. Although the study initially planned to look at electrical loads in multiple occupancies, after the pandemic started, Mazzetti realized there was a unique opportunity—for the first time in a hundred years, since the 1918 flu pandemic—to look at electrical loads in hospitals during a pandemic.

Mazzetti borrowed Fluke 1730 3 Phase Logging Power Meters from the Tool Lending Library to measure electrical loads at hospital panels. These meters were installed at hospital panels and helped in conducting a robust study.

Read the full case study