Remote Learning Calendar | Remote Learning Library

Smart Buildings Center

Energy Efficiency Innovation Center, Tool Library & Data Visualization

Job Opportunity: Buildings and Energy Advisor, City of Seattle

By

The Department
The Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) develops and implements citywide environmental policies and programs that propel our city toward a sustainable, equitable, and carbon neutral future.

The Job
The Building and Energy Advisor develops plans, policies, and programs to achieve sustainable, energy-efficient, and carbon neutral buildings in Seattle’s public and private sectors.  This work prioritizes racial equity and environmental justice and aligns with our work to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Specifically, you will develop and implement Greenhouse Gas reduction and energy efficiency approaches and policies for commercial and multifamily building sectors.

To be successful, you are committed to:

  • Helping solve the problem of climate change in ways that are equitable and economically feasible
  • Asking the right questions, listening, and involving BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee communities
  • Doing research, thinking creatively, and finding new or refining current ideas to solve problems
  • Using your understanding of building science and mechanical systems to reduce greenhouse gases

View the full job description and application requirements HERE

Job Opportunities: O’Brien360

By

Company Summary
OʼBrien360 is a 30-year-old sustainability consultancy based in Seattle and dedicated to integrating sustainable building expertise, thoughtful analysis, and a collaborative approach toward catalyzing positive outcomes in the built environment. From project conception to occupancy, OʼBrien360 delivers value and performance to clients across the entire project arc.

Vision
Equitable advancement of the built environment toward positive life cycle impacts.

Mission
Integrate sustainable building expertise, thoughtful analysis, and a collaborative approach to catalyze positive outcomes.

For more information about OʼBrien360 and our green building consulting work, please visit www.obrien360.com.

Open Positions

Business Operations Manager

Commercial Rating Systems Project Associate

Commissioning Engineer ‒ Entry Level

Multifamily Green Building Project Assistant

Washington Clean Energy Fund Grants Available 

By

Up to $4.6 million available for new round of Grid Modernization grants

Commerce is pleased to announce a new application period is now open for the Grid Modernization grant program under the state’s Clean Energy Fund. Up to $4.6 million is available through a competitive award process.

To support a wider range of the state’s utilities, this round of funding provides support for earlier-stage pre-design and design activities for future capital projects. The available funding supports electric utilities in deploying grid modernization projects that facilitate integration of renewable energy sources, deployment of distributed energy resources, and sustainable microgrids.

Only retail electric utilities are eligible to apply, however priority will be given to applicants that demonstrate partnership with federally-recognized Tribal governments and/or non-profit organizations serving Tribal communities or vulnerable populations.

Commerce is also prioritizing projects that:

  • Support the deployment of capital assets that benefit federally- recognized Tribal governments, Tribal communities or vulnerable populations.
  • Demonstrate meaningful community engagement and/or co-creation of project design and outcomes.
  • Use new or innovative products or services, or which deploy a proven technology using a novel approach.

Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on May 18, 2021.

Find more information, including examples of past projects and all application materials, on Commerce’s Grid Modernization webpage.

The Grid Modernization program is funded through Washington state’s Clean Energy Fund (CEF). The CEF invests in projects that provide a public benefit to Washington communities through deployment of clean energy technologies that save energy and reduce energy costs, reduce harmful air emissions, or otherwise increase energy independence for the state.

Clean Buildings RCM Webinar Series

By

Clean Buildings – Getting to Efficiency

A four-part webinar series

WSU Energy Program no-cost webinars for Resource Conservation Managers, Energy Managers, and Sustainability Managers at public facilities in Washington State (others welcome to attend as space allows)

Operations & maintenance (O&M) and energy management plans (EMP) required for the Washington State Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) are the focus of this four-part webinar series hosted by the Washington State University Energy Program and presented by Neil Bavins, BOC instructor. While much attention is given to the pathways of compliance for CBPS, this series explores the CBSP requirements of developing EMP and O&M plans, as well as beginning to reduce building energy use.

Each webinar has up to an hour of presentations and a half hour for Q&A. Please register for each separately.

Efficiency through the Clean Buildings Performance Standard

March 30, 12:00-1:30 Pacific

Gain an understanding of how to use the CBPS and ASHRAE 100 Standard, on which the CBPS is based. Components of the CBPS, including various roles will be discussed. Building Tune Ups as a beginning strategy will be introduced, and explored more fully in the next webinar.

Register for Webinar 1

 Tune Ups for Clean Buildings

April 21, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm Pacific

Building Tune Ups are a great strategy to prepare for compliance with the energy management plan and O&M plan sections of the CBPS, and at the same time start reducing energy use. Attendees will walk through a Tune Up process, and detailed attention will be given to finding efficiency measures in building systems.

Register for Webinar 2
Energy Management Plans for Clean Buildings

May 19, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Pacific

A requirement for compliance with the CBPS is to develop and maintain an Energy Management Plan (EMP). The components of an EMP, and how to develop such an EMP, will be examined, including training, capital management plans, and schedules.

Register for Webinar 3

 O&M for Clean Buildings

June 9, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Pacific

Learn about what must be included in the O&M plan, as required by the CBPS. Elements such as inventory, performance objectives, and O&M tasks will be explored, as well as a more detailed look into O&M measures for HVAC.

Register for Webinar 4

Washington State University Energy Program promotes and supports RCM programs with webinars, publications, technical assistance, monthly newsletters, and more. Visit the WSU Energy Program RCM website.

For more information, contact Karen Janowitz at janowitzk@energy.wsu.edu.

These free webinars are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program through the Washington State Department of Commerce Energy Division.

Tool Lending Library Helps Oregon Facilities Evaluate Building Performance

By

The following is from the Energy Trust of Oregon blog.

Improving your building’s energy efficiency starts with understanding how equipment and building systems are actually operating.

Energy Trust of Oregon has partnered with the Smart Buildings Center, a regional resource for energy efficiency, to give commercial and industrial building owners and managers free access to diagnostic tools that gather performance information on their systems and buildings. By borrowing the tools at no cost (with free shipping thanks to Energy Trust), users can get a baseline level of building performance and actionable information to finetune their system without the steep investment of purchasing tools that are only used once or twice a year.

The Tool Lending Library offers 85 different types of tools for loan—more than 1,000 pieces of equipment—including data loggers, power meters, lighting loggers, infrared cameras, liquid and air flow measurement devices, and much more. Borrowers also get help with proper tool use and access to an online library of tutorials.

JELD-WEN, manufacturer of energy-efficient doors and windows, is a believer in the library’s value. Energy is in high demand across the company’s 80-acre Klamath Falls campus to power buildings, mechanical equipment, compressed air systems, motors and more. As participants in Energy Trust’s Strategic Energy Management offering, the company is committed to reducing energy use and improving operational efficiency. JELD-WEN’s internal energy team has leaned on the library’s resources to help them identify energy-saving opportunities throughout their facilities.

Jim Knolle, plant electrician, and Kyle Grant, swing shift lead, have worked side-by-side on JELD-WEN’s energy team to implement the company’s energy-saving initiatives. Over the past year, they’ve relied on the Tool Lending Library to help them gather deeper information on system operations and identify areas of improvement.

Recently Knolle borrowed data loggers to help evaluate real-time power consumption and performance in the company’s dry kilns “In some cases, we were shocked to learn how much energy we were using, and in other cases, how little.”

Data collected about temperature swings and fan speeds in the dry kilns helped Knolle address a problem with over-drying wood that was causing unnecessary product loss. The evaluation led JELD-WEN to upgrade the kiln system controls, which has helped to streamline the drying process, improve schedule efficiency and reduce waste.

Knolle is so pleased with the Tool Lending Library that he’s recommended it to others. “It is a great place to get resources that most companies don’t have. As we continue to seek energy efficiency improvements, we’ll take advantage of the library’s tools to help us do so.”

To borrow tools for your site, visit www.smartbuildingscenter.org/tool-library.

Better Buildings Building Resilience Resources & Tools

By

Resilience is increasingly important for Better Buildings partners and the broader marketplace. More than 80% of companies polled in the 2019 EEI survey rated resiliency as extremely or very important when making energy and building infrastructure investments. At last year’s Better Buildings Summit more than 950 attendees joined sessions on the topic of resilience.

To help you build on your energy efficiency improvements and increase your organization’s resilience by mitigating risks from natural disasters and other stressors, we created the Efficiency-Resilience Nexus.

Use the nexus to find solutions specific to your organization’s goals, whether you’re implementing new energy efficiency technologies, decreasing the energy demand on facilities, minimizing vulnerabilities to climate-related impacts, finding financing, or just deciding where to start.

RESOURCES FOR ALL STAGES OF IMPROVING RESILIENCE:

CONTACT US
info@smartbuildingscenter.org
206-538-0832

Smart Buildings Center is a project collaboration with Northwest Energy Efficiency Council

NEEC logo