There are still a limited number of early bird passes available, but they are selling quickly, so don't delay registering if you want to take advantage of the discount, which will be ending next Monday, February 6. Early bird conference passes are $540 for NESEA Members and $600 for non-members. For all pricing info, including other special pricing discounts, click here. (Please note that you must be logged in to access member pricing.)

BuildingEnergy Boston 2023 will take place at the Westin Boston Seaport District March 28-29. We hope you will join us for 2 days of education, conversation, and inspiration as we connect around the conference's theme of Scalable Solutions.

As part of our ongoing efforts to welcome more students and new professionals into our programs and community, NESEA is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2023 BE the Future scholarship cycle from students and emerging professionals.

Each scholarship includes:

• a day pass to BuildingEnergy Boston (for March 28)
• an invitation-only lunch for scholarship recipients and program supporters
• a one year NESEA Membership
• a pass to attend a BuildingEnergy Pro Tour

Applications are due February 26, 2023.  Learn more...

Current NESEA Members have the option of attending BuildingEnergy Boston (March 28-29) as a participants in our volunteer work-exchange program.

We describe volunteering as a work-exchange because in return for your help during part of the conference, you get to attend part of the conference for free. The opportunity to volunteer is only available to current NESEA Members. Assignments are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. You can read more about the program and find the instructions to apply here.

Event Date: Monday, February 6, 2023
Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm or 4:00pm-5:30pm 
Location: Roxbury, MA
Compensation: $100 for attending a session and completing a post-event survey.

If you identify as Black, Indigenous, a Person of Color, a Woman, or as a member of another group underrepresented in the AEC industry and related fields, then you may be a candidate for BuildingEnergy Access, a new program NESEA intends to launch to better support your work.

On February 6, NESEA will be holding the first in a series of conversations with members of our community who come from historically marginalized groups and would like to get more from NESEA’s resources and programming. As we begin this phase of program development, we are specifically looking to connect with business owners or individuals who serve in a leadership/managerial role within their organizations.

Program development for BuildingEnergy Access is funded by a grant from MassCEC. If you are interested in learning more about BuildingEnergy Access or sharing your feedback, but cannot attend either of the two sessions on February 6 or are not from an underrepresented group, please contact Florence MacGregor at fmacgregor@nesea.org.

Hosting Organization: Building Energy Exchange
Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Where: hybrid in-person/online
Cost: free

On February 16, NESEA Executive Director Florence MacGregor will join Building Energy Exchange for a conversation about her career path and her impact in strategic and equitable community-building and programming efforts within the building industry. Hosted by the Women in Sustainability & Energy (WISE) series, this event welcomes attendees to participate in an engaged Q+A session and pose questions for Florence before and during the program.

 NESEA’s Strategic Plan articulates that we will “build on and expand emerging professionals programming” as a top priority over the next five years. As a reflection of that priority, the theme of this issue of BuildingEnergy is workforce development. This issue features articles drawn from the experiences of our community; a mix of challenges, solutions, experiences, case studies, and personal stories. Read now...

In partnership with The Compliance Mentor Group, NESEA is running a year-long career exploratory program that brings students from Boston-area voc/tech schools together with professionals in the high performance building industry. The program, titled BEST (Building Energy Scholars Team), is funded by a grant administered through MassCEC.

On January 24, BEST participants visited the new Arlington High School, and three companies involved with the project spoke to the students about their work. Thank you to HMFH Architects, Bala Consulting Engineers, and Consigli Construction for making the event possible.

On January 24, our BuildingEnergy NYC Open Planning Meeting brought together a wide cross-section of the NESEA community to discuss the content they would like to see represented at the conference. We were delighted with the in-depth and thoughtful conversations happening throughout the meeting. It's participation like this from our community that drives our content and keeps our conference sessions useful, relevant, and on the leading edge of innovation.

Missed the meeting, but still want to be involved in conference planning? We are seeking new members for our Content Committee, which reviews session proposals and guides their development into high-quality conference sessions. Contact Ben Sachs-Hamilton at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org to learn more. It's also not too early to start thinking about proposing a session — our call for proposals will open in April!

Seth Lawrence-Slavas, President of NESEA Business Member Wright Builders, Inc., is pleased to announce that he has completed his acquisition of company Founder Jonathan A. Wright’s interests, ensuring both a smooth ongoing transition of leadership, and a continued commitment to the sustainability and business culture goals that have defined the company. Jonathan will continue to serve Wright Builders, Inc. as a Senior Advisor, supporting long term client relations and ongoing signature projects, but without day-to-day responsibilities. He will continue consulting to organizations interested in carbon reduction, electrification, and sustainable practices, as well as advancing his writing and woodworking projects. Read more... 

Hosting Organization: Umass Amherst
Event Dates: Monday, February 6, 2023 to Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Cost: $580/credit
Address: online
  
The UMass Dept. of Environmental Conservation and Clean Energy Extension offer an online professional certificate in offshore wind for professionals and grad students seeking to prepare for industry career opportunities. Registration now open for the Spring 2023 course: Offshore Wind Energy – Environmental Impacts, Siting, Permitting, and Stakeholder Engagement. Read more...

Hosting Organization: ASES
Event Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm
Cost: free
Address: online
  
The sun is a natural and reliable source of energy. Solar Energy can be used to create electricity, heat buildings, heat water, distill water, cook food, dry food, dry clothes, and power electric vehicles. This webinar will focus on how the sun can heat homes by incorporating basic Passive Solar design strategies to provide from 20-90% of a home’s heating needs with little cooling penalties. Passive Solar energy can lower heating bills and allow PV (photovoltaic) systems to be downsized. Learn how the movement of the sun, siting, building shape, window placement, overhangs, porches, building mass, and insulation work together to warm and brighten homes.

The webinar will include examples and design tools by various passive solar experts such Mark Rosenbaum, P.E., Net Zero Energy Instructor; Christopher Gronbeck, Solar Tools Developer, Sustainable by Design; Orlo Stitt, Passive Solar Builder, The Stitt Energy Group, as well as others. Read more...

Hosting Organization: HELM Construction Solutions
Event Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 to Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Time: 3:30pm-5:00 pm
Cost: $900
Address: online

Join us for an interactive deep dive into the fundamentals of good pre-construction and project management practice. This 7-session virtual series will include hands-on exercises, tools, and templates to support emerging project managers and estimators.

(10% discount if you register 2 people from one company) Read more...

Hosting Organization: Building Energy Exchange
Event Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Time: 1:00pm-2:00pm
Cost: $15
Address: online

Learn the basic principles and best practices of Passive House construction in this one-hour introductory course. The Passive House Construction Primer is a slightly more technical version of our original Primer, and is ideal for contractors, tradespeople, and anyone else interested in gaining an overview of high-performance construction strategies.

Instructor: John Rockwell, Manufacturers Representative, SIGA

Read more...

NESEA depends on nearly 60 volunteers to help make BuildingEnergy Boston a success. We use a work-exchange model: in exchange for working during part of the conference, you get to attend part of the conference for free.

Any current NESEA Member who would like to serve in the role of volunteer is welcome to apply for a position. Good candidates are friendly, organized, and have schedule flexibility during the conference. In keeping with NESEA's goals of inclusivity, the volunteer program also makes the conference accessible to people who may not otherwise afford to attend. Learn more...