 Register today for Hope, Health, and Climate I hope you can join us next week for our two-part online event series, Hope, Health, and Climate coming up on Thursday, December 8th and Friday, December 9th. Thanks to our sponsors and hosts, registration is free for both programs so reserve your spot today so you don’t miss this special conversation series. Hope, Health, and Climate: a Climate Solutions online Event Series Friday, December 9 from 12pm-12:30pm PT
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Job Opportunities: Seattle City Light
THE DEPARTMENT
Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle’s electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.
The Customer Energy Solutions (CES) division of Seattle City Light implements the longest continuously operating municipal energy conservation initiative in the country. The Program Delivery team is responsible for promoting and delivering the utility’s portfolio of customer demand-side management programs to its commercial, industrial, multifamily, and institutional customers
The Job(s):
Energy Program Delivery Section Manager
Customer Energy Solutions is hiring an Energy Program Delivery Section Manager to oversee the sales & delivery of our customer energy programs. As a direct report to the Director of Customer Energy Solutions, the position will supervise a team of 2 Energy Management Analyst (EMA) Supervisors and a Consulting Engineer, while leading a team of 14 dynamic, customer-focused EMAs. (Closes Tuesday, 11/15 @ 4pm PT)
Energy Management Analyst Supervisor
Customer Energy Solutions is hiring an Energy Management Analyst Supervisor to facilitate the delivery of clean energy programs and services to the utility’s commercial, industrial, multifamily, and institutional customers with a focus on outreach, opportunity assessment, and program implementation. As a direct report to the Energy Program Delivery Section Manager, the position will lead a team of 7 Energy Management Analysts (EMA) who help our customer owners and community partners meet their evolving energy needs, while striving to be their most valued and trusted energy partner. (Closes Tuesday, 11/15 @ 4pm PT)
Our Mission Is Changing
The following update was written by NEEC’s Executive Director Kerry Meade.
Hello everyone! It has been a while since we shared a general organizational and industry update with you, and I am excited to be reaching out today, as I have some news to share and there are many industry updates to ponder as well.
Over the last few years, many of us have felt excited and hopeful about the role our industry is playing in the transition to a carbon-free economy. We applauded when Washington State passed the Clean Buildings Performance Standard and then expanded it in 2022. We celebrated the passage of 100% Clean Electricity in Washington and then again in Oregon. We cheered for the passage of the Climate Commitment Act, the Clean Fuel Standard and the Move Ahead Washington Act. We also supported the 2022 adjustments to the public Energy Conservation Projects definition, which was broadened to include greenhouse gas reductions, among other changes. We’ve also been tracking various federal funding announcements and the work that will happen once awarded. And who could forget the recent passage of the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, certainly not any of us who have participated in countless related webinars. A whirlwind of new laws, new plans, new programs, new opportunities, and new terminology has bombarded us, leaving us all feeling like there is a lot going on, to say the least. Throughout this time of unprecedented industry momentum, our organization strategized with our Board of Directors to examine the work of our membership and our partners, and the meaning of all these new policies, programs, and words to chart a new course for NEEC in this emerging new world.
For over 30 years, the Pacific Northwest has been a place where energy efficiency plays a central, prioritized role in stabilizing our energy forecast and assuring we build and maintain the most affordable and efficient energy infrastructure possible. The pressing demands to decarbonize our economy, and therefore our energy system, have over time, changed the nature of our work as an organization and redefined what is needed to fulfill that continued ambition for an affordable and reliable energy system. As our regional vision shifts to the carbon-free economy that is essential to a world in which human life can continue to sustain itself and thrive on Earth, we recognize that the NEEC mission of yore needs a refresh.
After much contemplation, the Board, leadership, and staff have landed on a new Vision and Mission for the organization:
We envision a world with net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and our mission is to eliminate carbon emissions from building energy use through market-based thought leadership, education, and advocacy.
This change in our mission is a small but impactful shift in NEEC’s definition of what was once known as the energy efficiency industry. The work you have done over the last 30 years has built a system and approach to buildings that will enable the work that is to come in the next 30 years and beyond. In the coming months, we will open our doors to a broader membership –one that is inclusive of energy efficiency, demand response, onsite renewables, battery storage, and other building level services, technologies, and interventions that support overall building decarbonization. This shift is because we have heard our stakeholders telling us that there is more that buildings can do to decarbonize energy use and that while energy efficiency remains an essential part of this effort, achieving our shared vision requires we look at energy efficiency as a part but not the whole of a building’s decarbonization plan. This shift in our thinking and our mission will provide NEEC staff the focus it needs to effectively advocate for change in historic systems, laws, and regulations that are currently hindering our industry’s ability to work with and through utilities and building owners and managers to decarbonize their building energy use and change the way they think about and use energy.
We will continue the quiet (but challenging!) work of drafting objectives and strategies to unleash the potential of our industry and usher in our shared vision of a world with net zero carbon emissions by 2050. And we certainly hope to hear from you as well and will look for opportunities for you to work with NEEC and one another to help us shape the voice of our industry as we advocate for the essential role that buildings will play in transitioning to a carbon-free economy.
Online Training: Washington State Clean Buildings Performance Standard – What do installers, vendors & building operators need to know?
Tuesday, November 1st
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Description
This free training will provide an introduction to the Washington State Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) and highlight tools and resources available to installers, vendors, and building operators to assist building owners with energy efficiency improvements that may be required for standard compliance.
Presenter’s bio
Rebecca Sheppard is a Senior Project Manager at the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council and Smart Buildings Center. She holds an MBA, is a Building Operator Certification (BOC) Level II graduate and has a certificate in Construction Management from the University of Washington. Throughout her career including her time as a Resource Conservation Manager, she has worked on various building retrofit projects, energy management and analysis, project management, and capital projects.
Successful completion of the training provides 2 points towards maintaining your Building Operator Certification (BOC) Credential and .20 IACET CEU’s towards the renewal of other industry certifications, certificates and licenses.
Register Here
This training is funded and supported by:
Video – Very High Efficiency DOAS: How It Works and Why It Matters
This resource is brought to you by BetterBricks
In commercial buildings across the U.S., outdated or inefficient HVAC systems waste a staggering amount of energy and money, while also creating unhealthy and uncomfortable indoor environments. However, research and field studies have proven there’s an optimal approach to HVAC design that can significantly improve indoor air quality and occupant health, comfort and productivity, while maximizing energy-cost savings. Learn how this optimized, high-performance approach to HVAC combines high-efficiency equipment with design best practices to make widespread commercial HVAC deficiencies a thing of the past. Watch the video linked below to learn more.
Learn more about Very High Efficiency DOAS at: https://betterbricks.com/solutions/very-high-efficiency-doas
Webinar: Draft Emissions Targets for Seattle Building Performance Standards, October 25th at 12pm
Join the Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) for a technical webinar at which OSE and SBW Consulting will share the draft greenhouse gas intensity targets under consideration and the analysis conducted to inform the targets. Presentations will be followed by the opportunity for comments and questions. OSE will also provide a brief overview of the proposed policy and the updated timeline.
This webinar is a follow-up to open houses in April and June that provided detailed background and the draft policy framework. Recordings and slides from those events are available at www.seattle.gov/building-performance-standards.
- Date: October 25, 2022 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm
- Location: Online via Zoom
- Pre-register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3nqYS-oWSo-v6_dCnCagNg
This webinar will be recorded and posted on the OSE website afterwards.
About the Policy: Performance standards are a powerful tool to reduce climate pollution and transition toward cleaner, healthier buildings where we live and work. This policy is projected to reduce emissions from Seattle’s buildings (in total) 27% by 2050. This policy would gradually phase out carbon pollution from existing nonresidential and multifamily buildings over 20,000 sq. ft. through mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets beginning 2026 for the largest nonresidential buildings. Targets would become more stringent over time, to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Visit www.seattle.gov/building-performance-standards for more information and timeline.
Job Opportunity: Building Climate Policy Advisor, City of Seattle
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
We are recruiting for a Building Climate Policy Advisor to implement and develop successful building energy climate policies to reduce emissions and energy use to meet Seattle’s climate goals of carbon neutrality by 2050. This is a job with enduring impact.
In this job, you will:
- Ensure programs and policies are equitably, efficiently, and effectively crafted, implemented, measured, and improved to gain the greatest impact in the near term
- Lead all data, database, and analysis work to maximize resources, measure success, identify impact lags and emerging barriers to progress
- Oversee and direct the work of staff supporting Benchmarking, Building Tune-Ups, and Building Emissions Performance Standards, three of Seattle’s largest climate policies
- Share information and recommendations with OSE teammates, citywide colleagues, elected officials, and community members with differing levels of technical understanding
- Coordinate and lead multiple ongoing IT projects with IT department and consultants
The position application recruitment process closes on Tuesday, November 1st promptly at 4:00 PM. View the full job description and application requirements here.
Energy Efficiency Day 2022: Pledge to Make Your Next AC a Heat Pump
By: Neil Kolwey, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
Energy Efficiency Day is less than a week away. Want to celebrate by doing something impactful to decrease your home’s energy use and carbon emissions while saving money in the process? Pledge to make your next air conditioner a heat pump.
Many homeowners are already aware of the benefits of installing more efficient LED light bulbs, or of a programmable thermostat that adjusts the air-conditioning (AC) or heating when nobody is home. With the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the rebates and tax incentives included in it, more and more homeowners should consider replacing their AC with a heat pump, especially when their AC is at the end of its useful life.
To learn more, please visit: https://energyefficiencyday.org/energy-efficiency-day-in-2022-all-about-the-heat-pump/
Seattle 2030 District 2022 Energy Competition
Seattle 2030 District is hosting its 2022 Energy Competition that will offer viable energy saving solutions to an affordable housing building that will serve as a model for the clean energy future through exemplary building performance. The competition is underway and the winner will be announced in November – December, however, they are still accepting teams if you’re interested in getting involved.
Washington Building Electrification Grant Program
The Washington State Department of Commerce is preparing to make $9.7 million of total funding available under the Clean Energy Fund Building Electrification grant program. The program will award funding to eligible projects that advance all-electric buildings by deploying smart technologies to demonstrate grid-interactive efficient buildings, or installing high-efficiency electric equipment to reduce the use of fossil equipment. Eligible applicants include for-profit companies, non-profit organizations, state and local governments, Tribal governments, retail electric utilities, and individual owners of multifamily residential or commercial buildings. Applicants are eligible for reduced match requirements based on the percent of total project costs dedicated to reducing energy burdens and meaningfully engaging priority communities, and providing workforce development and partnership opportunities.
Commerce anticipates opening the grant for applications in October 2022.
Please visit the Clean Energy Fund Building Electrification website for more information on the program and announcements on the release of the solicitation.