We were so excited to attend the Green Jobs Green Futures Summit last week and we hope we saw you there! We brought plenty of educational materials and showcased some of the many tools you can find in our Tool Lending Library. It was so wonderful to see so much interest in green jobs, and in making a difference to create a greener more sustainable future for us all. Check out some of our pictures from the event below, we hope to see you in person at the next one!
Smart Buildings Exchange 2023 Session Recordings Available!
Last week the third annual Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) delivered a value-packed three days of conversations focused on the market opportunity for smart buildings and their role in our clean energy future.
The conference kicked off with an Opening Plenary featuring industry leaders discussing strategies to accelerate the pace of making buildings smarter, more efficient and carbon free.
Following the Opening Plenary session were sessions on Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, Data in Context, Being Smart About Variable Occupancy, and Moving Beyond Fault Detection & Diagnostics.
The second day of the conference began with a Plenary Session on Smart Approaches for Building Electrification & Carbon Reduction. The day continued with sessions on Independent Data Layer, Building Rating Systems & Certifications, On-Site Renewables & EV Charging, and Indoor Environmental Quality.
The third and final day of the conference focused on Planning Your Strategy for Smart & Efficient Upgrades and was held in-person in Seattle and featured welcome remarks from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell followed by discussions on how buildings can operate smarter and more efficiently with an aim to eliminate carbon emissions from the built environment.
All SBX session recordings are now available on the Smart Buildings Center YouTube Channel so you can watch any you missed and rewatch any you enjoyed.
Thank you to all sponsors, planning committee members, speakers, and attendees who helped make the event a success!
SBC Announces 2023 BOC Operator of the Year!
The Smart Buildings Center (SBC) and Building Operator Certification (BOC) program are proud to announce the 2023 BOC Operator of the Year: Malachi Rein, Director of the Building Energy Exchange St. Louis!
Each year, BOC requests nominations for people working to improve the energy efficiency of their work environment using skills they learned in the BOC program. We received many impressive 2023 nominations detailing how methods learned in BOC classes are helping people make improvements in their work environments, but Malachi’s story stood out among the rest.
In his current role at the Building Energy Exchange St. Louis, Malachi uses his technical expertise and experience on Facilities Management teams to help others create understanding, projects, and plans for implementing efficiency projects and practices in their buildings. He does this through outreach and education, direct conversation, and providing and connecting ideas to resources and incentives.
After completing BOC Level I training while working as a Project Manager in the Facilities Management Division of a large local government, Malachi began compiling cross-departmental utility data totaling several million dollars. He shared it as a baseline for discussion with management about the nature of an aging central mechanical plant. Malachi also developed and presented a campus submetering strategy. This illustrated the value and importance of energy benchmarking and has resulted in a new effort to benchmark all 3.2 million sf of their portfolio. The effort to publicly share benchmarking data allows for a nimble reaction to operational issues, informed capital planning, and enlightened decision-making by public officials who represent the issues of nearly 1 million citizens.
After Malachi gained increasing responsibilities and trust in his career, his expertise and passion led him to be appointed as the Director of the Building Energy Exchange St. Louis. Malachi now uses his position to empower building owners across the St. Louis region, including those who need to comply with the City of St. Louis’ Building Energy Performance Standards. He believes in the investment in building operators who instrumentally support society and have great potential to be needed agents of positive change in their everyday work and advocates for more people to have the opportunity to attend BOC training.
The SBC and BOC program applaud Malachi on his efforts and congratulate him on being named as 2023 BOC Operator of the Year!
Know someone who deserves recognition for their work in the industry? Nominations will open for the 2024 BOC Operator of the Year award in May, so stay tuned!
Join us for the Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) In-Person Event!
Planning Your Strategy for Smart & Efficient Upgrades
Thursday, August 17th | 8am-1:30pm Pacific Time
Pacific Tower | Seattle, WA
Please join us in-person in Seattle for the third and final day of Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) 2023 on Thursday, August 17th! The event is free and includes a buffet-style networking lunch and will feature leaders from Washington State, the City of Seattle, and other industry influencers discussing Washington State’s building performance standards, newly developed City of Seattle building emission standards, innovative financing mechanisms, and tools and resources to help building owners and managers plan, finance, and act to accelerate the pace of change in meeting these state and city requirements.
The agenda for the day is below. Space for the in-person event is limited and registration closes on August 14th, so please register here now if you would like to attend: https://sbx2023_in-person.eventbrite.com/ (Note: this registration is separate from the August 15-16 virtual conference registration)
8:00am – 9:00am Registration & Networking
9:00am – 9:05am Welcome by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell
9:05am – 10:00am Building & Emission Performance Standards
10:00am – 10:50am Planning for Performance Compliance
10:50am -11:00am Networking Break
11:00am – 12:00pm Project Financing Options & Resources
12:00pm – 12:30pm Taking Action – Case Studies
12:30pm – 1:30pm Complimentary Buffet Lunch
As an incentive for attending the in-person event, we will randomly select a grand prize winner of a $250 gift voucher to the beautiful Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, WA (can be used at any U.S. Hyatt property). Ten more lucky attendees will win Amazon gift cards. Register now to secure your spot and then attend in-person to be entered into the drawing!
Register now!
Pump System Fundamentals (PSF) Course hosted by Seattle City Light & NEEA 8/9
Smart Buildings Center will be hosting Hydraulic Institute/Pump Systems Matter staff from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Wednesday, August 9, for a live, instructor-led event, co-sponsored by Seattle City Light and BetterBricks.
The Pump System Fundamentals Live Instructor-Led
Course is a training designed to educate attendees about the fundamentals of pump and system design.
Topics include system hydraulics and calculations, pump and system curves, system components, factors affecting reliability and energy consumption, and control.
Learn more with this informational flyer. Interested in attending? Register here! Don’t miss out on a special 25% discount using the code below.
WA Tier 2 Building Compliance Cost and Cost Savings Survey
The Washington State Department of Commerce and consultant, Energy System Engineers, is conducting a survey to help understand the costs and cost savings on Washington small businesses related to the Washington State Clean Buildings Expansion Law which is only related to buildings between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet and multi-family over 20,000 square feet (Tier 2 buildings). If you or your company own multiple buildings, please fill out the survey once per building.
Tier 2 Building Compliance Costs/Cost Savings Survey (surveymonkey.com)