Call for Proposals September 23 – October 21
Review Period October 25 – December 5
Notification of Status Early December

The theme of BuildingEnergy Boston 2023 is Scalable Solutions. As the need for more buildings collides with the growing climate crisis, now is the time for practical, scalable building design and construction solutions that meet the needs of both the planet and the people who live here. To meet this challenge, we need to reach beyond the relatively small network of early adopters and climate activists, improving how we communicate our ideas, developing solutions that work on a large scale, and building a workforce of informed and willing practitioners.

For this year’s conference, we are particularly interested in proposals that present clear, inspiring, and scalable solutions in the areas of:

• People — Improving our communication and building a broader consensus around the importance, urgency, and feasibility of sustainable building practices
• Buildings — Significantly increasing the number of buildings we work on in order to meet climate goals, while not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good
• Training — Building the robust, dedicated, and diverse workforce necessary to make this all possible

Questions? Speaker suggestions? Want to talk over a proposal idea before submitting or join the conference committee? Contact Ben Sachs-Hamilton, Conference Director, at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org

The Baker-Polito Administration announced $2.8 million in grant funding, provided through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), to nine Massachusetts community-based organizations to support over 199 Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE).

Awards were given to Emerald Cities Collaborative, Browning the Green Space, Greentown Labs, Greater New England Minority Supplier Diversity Council, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Center for Women and Enterprise, The Compost Collaborative, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, and SRGE, the Construction Incubator.

NESEA is thrilled to receive this support to further our mission of advancing sustainability practices in the built environment and cultivating a just and equitable cross-disciplinary community where practitioners are encouraged to share, collaborate, and learn.

Learn more

Event Date: Friday, October 21, 2022
Time: 1pm-5pm
Location: Warren, NH
Cost: $25 Members / $35 Non-Members

Join NESEA in the White Mountains for a Pro Tour showcasing a high performance institutional building that combines the traditional character of a mountain lodge with ambitious performance goals.

Event Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Venue: Online
Cost: Free
 
Join us for the 2022 NESEA Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 1.

Whether you’ve been a NESEA Member since the beginning or are just curious about NESEA’s work and mission, this is the event for you. Members and non-members alike are welcome.

NESEA's Executive Director, Board Chair, and Treasurer will provide a report summarizing our last fiscal year (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022). In addition to learning about our recent work, participants will have the opportunity to network through virtual breakout rooms.

Elections for NESEA's Board of Directors are coming up soon! This year, 7 NESEA Members are running for 4 open seats on the board. Our membership will elect 3 individuals, and the Board will then appoint 1 additional individual. Voting is open to all NESEA Members, and closes on November 3rd.

We will be sending out more information about the candidates and how to vote in the near future!

We were delighted to host our annual awards reception, NESEA Night, in New York City for the first time on September 14th 2022. It was a great evening that brought our community together to honor three outstanding individuals and to have some fun! We would again like to congratulate our award winners, Katrin Klingenberg, Anna Heath and Richard Renner.

You can view photos from the reception here.

Hosting Organization: Helm Construction Solutions
Event Date: October 4th - October 25th, 2022
Time: 3:30-5pm
Cost: $600
Venue: Online
 
What is a Lead Carpenter? What are the challenges that a Lead Carpenter regularly faces? What tools and techniques are available to make a Lead Carpenter successful? HELM’s Lead Carpenter Training is for current and aspiring Leads who are looking to build their management and leadership skills. In four (4) hour and a half long sessions, we will explore what it means to be a Lead Carpenter- the job description, how to set a project up for success, and how to lead a team. We’ll also provide a portfolio of sample documents to support your process. Learn More...

Hosting Organization: Eversource
Event Date: Thursday, October 6, 2022
Time: 8:45am-3:30pm
Cost: free
Venue: Online

Eversource is excited to invite NESEA members to their 6th annual Zero Energy Conference. At this virtual, no cost, conference you can learn from industry experts about the latest in zero energy building design, planning, and construction. This event is free to all architects, builders, general contractors, and anyone who wants to learn more about zero energy commercial and residential buildings. Register and learn more

Host: Bart Bales, PE MSME
Event Date: October 12, 2022
Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm CDT
Cost: $319
Venue: Online 
 

Learn about air-source heat pumps, mini-splits and ducted units for space heating and energy recovery ventilators for provision of fresh air. 

This webinar will be covering:

• Heat Pumps
  
• Heat and Energy Recovery Ventilators
  
• Air-Source Heat Pumps for Space Heating
• Integrating Ducted Air Source Heat Pumps with Energy Recovery 
• and more

Learn More...

Dates: October 13, 2022 - November 17, 2022
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
Cost: free

The E-Contractor Academy is an 6-week program designed help women- and minority-owned contracting businesses build capacity to successfully participate in energy efficiency retrofits in affordable housing offered by Mass Save and Action for Boston Community Development. Over 200 businesses have completed the program with 40+ working in the Massachusetts market. The spring E-Contractor Academy will be hosted on-line using Zoom on Thursday evenings from 6-8pm from October 13 to November 17, 2022.

Who Should Attend? Women- and minority-owned contracting businesses in energy efficiency trades who are looking for the business skills needed to expand their skill and scope. Typical participants in the E-Contractor Academy program meet some or all of the following criteria:

• Women and/or Minority-owned Business Enterprise
• Contractors performing or supporting weatherization (air sealing & insulation), mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work on residential retrofit project scopes.
• Contractors in supporting trades such as pre-weatherization barrier mitigation (e.g., removal of asbestos, vermiculite, mold & moisture issues) are strongly encouraged to apply. 
• Contractors interested in expanding their capabilities to serve growing markets such as energy efficiency retrofits in affordable housing.

 Learn more...

Hosting Organization: mindful MATERIALS
Event Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Time: 2:00pm-3:00pm
Cost: Free
Location: Online
  
In March of this year, mindful MATERIALS held a webinar in partnership with the authors of the Lighting Advocacy Letter to talk about the power of demand, asking for transparency in lighting, and introduced a toolkit for action. 6 months later, we're reconvening for a conversation - as a group and in breakouts - to talk about what has happened since then. What have designers learned, tested out, explored? Where have you seen success, had missteps, been frustrated? How can we all learn from each other's experiences? This will help inform iterations of the toolkit, plus your experience may inspire someone else to start. Even if you weren't able to join the first webinar, we encourage you to watch the recording and attend this conversation if you're interested in advocating for holistic sustainability and health in lighting design. Learn more...

Hosting Organization: MassCEC
Status Details: Opened August 11, 2022
Award Potential: Up to $2,000,000
Application Deadline: October 21, 2022 – 5 PM EST
 
MassCEC seeks proposals of innovative financing solutions to support commercial building retrofit projects (including, but not limited to office, mixed use, 4+ unit multifamily residential, retail, institutional projects) that would result in a building that is consistent with Massachusetts’ net zero 2050 greenhouse gas emission goals by eliminating onsite combustion of fossil fuels for heating, domestic hot water, and cooking and implementing current best practices for energy efficiency, including establishing a well-insulated and low-infiltration envelope. 2050-Ready Buildings may also incorporate solar, storage, or other demand response/distributed generation technologies. Learn More...

Hosting Organizations: Touch a Trade
Event Date: October 22, 2022
Time: 10am-4pm
Cost: Free
Venue: The Connecticut Antique Machinery Association
 
Become an apprentice for a day, take home a skill for life. Touch a Trade’s goal is to spark interest in working with your hands. The event will offer youth and adults alike the opportunity to safely participate in trades, crafts, and self-sufficiency skills with their own hands. Planned activities include carpentry, woodworking, masonry, welding, plumbing, electrical wiring, and planting a garden, along with arts and crafts, pumpkin carving, and giant bubble making for younger attendees. Local food and music will be on offer for participants of all ages to enjoy. Special guest Tom Bodett, founder of HatchSpace, popular NPR storyteller and of Motel 6 fame, will host the event. Learn more...

Get 10% off a one-day or two-day Core Conference ticket by using code: nesea2022

Hosting Organization: Phius
Event Date: Pre-Conference workshops (Oct. 25-26) Core Conference sessions (Oct. 27-28)
Cost: Core Conference Ticket – $695 / Single-Day Ticket – $395
Venue: Palmer House in Chicago, IL

PhiusCon (formerly North American Passive House Conference) is the leading passive building conference for climate-specific zero energy design, construction, and building science expertise. Last year's conference in Tarrytown, New York, highlighted the tremendous strides being made in passive building adoption on the East Coast, and we are thrilled to share the exciting advancements percolating in the Great Lakes region this year! From significant policy advancements in Michigan to a planned "sustainable square mile" on Chicago's south side, the Midwest is currently a hotbed for passive building. There's no better place for PhiusCon 2022 than the heart of it all -- Chicago! Learn more...

Hosting Organization: SunBug Solar
Event Date: Thursday, October 27, 2022
Time: 11:00 am
Cost: Free
Venue: Zoom 
 
In 2018, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (MA DOER) established the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program. This program carries special incentives for solar systems that allow “dual-use,” defined as solar on farmland where the land continues to be used for agricultural purposes. These facilities are also referred to as “agrivoltaic” systems. This presentation will offer an overview of the guidelines for dual-use, provide a close look at the economics of a dual-use system, and outline the process for planning and installing such a system. Learn more... 

Hosting Organizations: Built Environment Plus
Submission Deadline: September 30th, 2022
Event Date: October 27th, 2022
Time: 5:00pm – 9:30pm
Cost: Free
Venue: Harvard University’s Science & Engineering Complex

Once a year, the Built Environment Plus community gathers to celebrate industry success in greening the built environment at our annual Green Building Showcase. This year we are thrilled to hold the event at last year’s Green Building of the Year award winner — Harvard University’s Science and Engineering Complex.

Join us for a night of project boards, short presentations, discussions, and awards. Attendees include architects, engineers, contractors, developers, owners, facility managers, building users, lenders, suppliers – everyone who plays a role in designing, operating, and constructing the built environment. Learn more...

Hosting Organizations: Helm Construction Solutions
Submission Deadline: November 1st

Survey: 2022 Compensation Survey for Design and Building Professionals in the Northeast

This survey is designed to provide a snapshot of current wages and benefits in our region, broken down by state and company size. We will share a summary report of the anonymous, aggregated data with anyone who participates in January 2023. Please feel free to share the survey with others in our industry - the more data we can generate the better! Learn more...