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We are so excited to share the dates for our 2026 BuildingEnergy Pro Tours Series!

BuildingEnergy Pro Tours are accredited tours of high performance buildings across the Northeast. Our tours allow members of our community to learn about all aspects of cutting edge projects, from design strategies and materials selection to construction techniques and energy systems. By attending a Pro Tour, you will learn directly from the project team showcasing their work while connecting with fellow attendees.

We'll share more details as the dates get closer. We hope you will join us at a Pro Tour near you!

For information about Pro Tour sponsorship opportunities, please visit here.

Event Date: Friday, May 8, 2026
Event Time: 12 PM - 4:30 PM
Location: Boston, MA
Event Cost: $35 Members / $45 Non-Members
CEU Information: AIA, Phius (pending)
Register Now

Join NESEA for our first Pro Tour of the year! We will be touring two six-story, 100% low-income buildings in Boston's South End, both currently undergoing an ambitious deep energy retrofit and electrification (VRF and AWHP, + central ERV), with residents in place.

Together, these two buildings provide the neighborhood with 102 units (totally over 100,000 square feet) of dedicated low-income housing. While both of the buildings are getting extensive internal and external work, including mechanical systems upgrades, they won’t be treated exactly the same. One of the buildings will be fully electrified and the second building will maintain gas DHW to compare operations of the two systems. Both buildings will be outfitted with VRF and central ERVs and refrigerant, condensation, and ventilation supply ductwork will be on the exterior facade prior to over-cladding with 4" thick insulated metal panels. Current energy modeling projects greater than 50% site EUI reduction.

Our day will start with an opening presentation from the project team, including the developer and architect, where attendees will learn about the history of these two buildings, the vision for the extensive renovation, the high-performance work being done there, and the financing strategies making this work possible. Attendees will then break into small groups to tour the buildings while hearing more from the interdisciplinary team of experts who made them possible. After the tour, we’ll regroup for a reception and Q&A, giving attendees the opportunity to chat with the day’s speakers and each other. We hope to see you there!

Event Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Event Time: 5 PM - 7 PM
Location: Downtown Boston, MA
Event Cost: free
Register Now

Join us on May 19th for a happy hour with conference speakers, members of the Content Committee, and fellow attendees. We'll celebrate the success of this year's BuildingEnergy Boston event, engage in some brief structured discussion, and have plenty of time to network and follow up on the themes and topics raised at the conference.

NESEA will provide light appetizers, and there will be a cash bar. We hope to see you there!

Event Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
Event Time: 1 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Sherborn, MA
Event Cost: $35 Members / $45 Non-Members
CEU Information: AIA, Phius (pending)
Register Now

Join NESEA for a Pro Tour of a new construction, custom single-family home in Sherborn, Massachusetts, designed to minimize embodied carbon, maximize operational efficiency, support healthy indoor air quality, and mitigate negative impacts to the immediate watershed, all while providing a beautiful and functional space tailored to the client’s lifestyle.

The client encouraged the design and construction team to go beyond their various high-performance best practices to evaluate materials, systems, and construction approaches that would help evolve the future of residential construction. The project team will share the options that were selected, ones that weren't, and the lessons learned from some 'firsts' for both the design and construction teams. The result is a modest and pragmatic home that balances durability, occupant health, and both embodied and operational carbon considerations while also pursuing PHIUS certification.

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Event Time: 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Venue: Online
Event Cost: free
Register Now

This is your opportunity to share your vision and help to shape the 2027 event! We will be holding this year's BuildingEnergy Boston Open Planning Meeting online on June 17 and will be asking questions such as:

• What new skills, knowledge, and solutions are most needed in our field today?
• How can we step up our game to meet new challenges and opportunities?
• What session topics and speakers would create an extraordinary learning experience at the BuildingEnergy 2027 conference?

The meeting will be interactive and paced to allow thoughtful conversation with other professionals from around the Northeast. You will also learn how you can become a member of the Content Committee, which reviews session proposals and guides their development into high-quality conference sessions. BuildingEnergy Boston will be taking place on March 10-11, 2027 at the Westin Boston Seaport District.

The planning meeting is free and open to all — NESEA Membership is not required to attend. For more information, contact Ben Sachs-Hamilton, Conference Director, at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org.

Join us in congratulating these NESEA members on their Lifetime memberships:

Rick Alfandre
Michaela Boren
Adam Hinge
David Pill
Danny Veerkamp

Lifetime membership is open to anyone who supports the NESEA mission of advancing the adoption of sustainable energy practices in the built environment by cultivating a community where practitioners share, collaborate and learn. 
Flexible installment payment options are available Learn more here...

To celebrate Earth Day, NESEA Staff decided to take some time to clean up trash from a few of the public parks in our beloved Greenfield, MA. It was a fun outing, with lovely spring weather, and we got quite a bit of trash and recycling off the ground and sorted. A nice reminder that everyone at NESEA prioritizes our planet's health, in big ways and small!

The BuildingEnergy NYC 2026 Content Committee will be meeting this month to begin the process of selecting sessions for this fall's conference. This meeting is private, open only to the NESEA Member-volunteers serving on this year's committee.

BuildingEnergy NYC will be taking place on Thursday, October 15 this year. You can read more about the conference, and its theme, here.

Please contact Ben Sachs-Hamilton, NESEA Conference Manager, at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org with any questions.

The ability to post on NESEA's Jobs Board is a benefit of NESEA Business, Academic, and Non-Profit Membership. Here are a few of this month's featured jobs:

Greenland, NH: Our design/build and cabinetry company is busy year-round with a substantial backlog that is committed to energy efficiency and fine craft. Our coverage area is typically the seacoast, NH and southeast ME regions. Read more...

Worcester, MA: We’re a team of passionate problem-solvers from diverse backgrounds, united by a shared commitment to client service and continuous learning. At Building Evolution, we foster deep collaboration. We teach, we explore, and we grow together, proactively generating solutions that make a real impact for building owners and operators, for building users, and for the broader community of stakeholders. Read more...

Portland, Maine: O’Brien Wood & Iron is a full-service building company that handles new construction, additions, remodels, renovations, restorations, and custom woodworking. We are based in Portland, Maine, and our focus is on providing excellent customer service and high quality craftsmanship with great attention to detail. We are looking for a Project Manager to join our growing team. Read more...

We like to help spread the word about upcoming member events and news items. Members can submit news items via this form or post events to our community events calendar, and we’ll try to include them in the next NESEA Monthly.

The Massachusetts Statewide ADU Resource Center centralizes information to make it easier for property owners to plan and build an ADU. The website includes typical cost ranges and a property look-up tool to help owners understand what they can build and what they may be able to afford.

The Pioneer Valley ADU Accelerator is a regional initiative that makes it easier for property owners in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties to build ADU’s by providing a curated list of manufacturers and builders offering repeatable ADU designs and transparent pricing.

There are 16 pre-designed ADUs available, each with pricing ranges from the builders. All of the designs are extremely efficient, fully electric, and qualify for the $15K Energy Star or $25K Passive MassSave incentive. About half offer accessible features, and about half emphasize low embodied carbon materials through intentional design choices. Read more...

NESEA Business members Wood to Stone were recently featured in the Berkshire Eagle, where they discussed their work, how the business has developed, and their longtime relationship with NESEA's Bottom Lines program. Read the article here...

Ready to launch your energy efficiency career? Apply for our Mentorship Program by Monday, May 18th for your chance to join our Summer 2026 cohort, starting on June 29th.

Our Rating Field Inspector (RFI) & HERS Modeler Mentorship Program provides an apprenticeship-style pathway into the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) industry. 

During the program, students will:

• Participate in Online Classes and learn about basic building science, applicable math skills, home energy-efficiency, and RESNET Standards. Classes run Monday–Friday from 5-7:30pm on Teams. RFI classes are 5 weeks total and Modeler classes are 12 weeks total.
• Gain Hands-On Experience by job shadowing skilled HERS Raters and through two Field Workshops in Worcester, MA with our Technical Director, Tim Poole. RFIs and Modelers will complete 20 hours of job shadowing on-site across MA.
• Become Career-Ready with Resume and Cover Letter Development Workshops and weekly Transition to Employment group meetings starting at the end of the first 5-7 weeks.
• Receive Personalized Support through weekly meetings with a Career Mentor - an experienced professional in the HERS industry - and weekly meetings with our Success Coach, Miranda Bushey.

Learn more here...

Event Date: May 15 
Time: 11:30AM - 4:00PM EDT
Location: Online

Climate change is no longer a future concern—it's reshaping what buildings must do right now. Reimagine Buildings: Designing for Survivability brings together leading practitioners to explore how the built environment can protect, sustain, and support the people inside it, even under the most extreme conditions.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

• High-Impact Insights – Hear from experts who are pushing the boundaries of Passive House adoption, from large-scale multifamily projects to institutional buildings.
• Engage & Connect – Take part in interactive Q&As, live chats, and meaningful networking with a global community of peers.
• Continuing Education Credits – Earn AIA HSW, Phius, and PHI credits while deepening your expertise.

Whether you're a designer, developer, builder, or policy advocate, this virtual conference offers practical, actionable strategies you can bring to your next project. Register here...

Event Date: May 15
Location: Howard Gittis Student Center
1755 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122

For 16 years, the Green Building United Sustainability Symposium has been a cornerstone event for regional leaders committed to driving sustainability forward. As we continue to face challenges in building a more sustainable future, our collective efforts are more important than ever.
Attend a day of thought-provoking discussions, exclusive site tours, and inspiring speakers who are shaping the future of the built environment. Connect with architects, designers, policymakers, engineers, and advocates working toward real-world solutions that prioritize health, equity, and sustainability. Register today!

Carpenters, Builders, and Residential GC's: learn high-performance building install skills BEFORE you need them with a client. Studio HPDC's course combines building science and control layer basics with hands-on practice with plans, mock-ups, and frequently used tapes and materials - all inside Studio HPDC's "High-Performance Barn."

The next session starts June 2. Get your Workforce Training Fund tuition reimbursement grant application in by May 11 - MA Builders, your team could attend for free! All the information and registration can be found here...

The Building Tech Forum returns to Tufts on August 6th, and BE+ is seeking an exceptional lineup of presenters! This is your opportunity to show off cutting-edge innovations and demonstrate leadership advancing the sustainability of the built environment. Proposals for 5-minute lightning talks are due May 29th.

Download and share the BTF ‘26 Call for Presentations to help BE+ deliver an impactful and engaging Building Tech Forum! We’ll feature 45 x 5-minute dynamic presentations spotlighting building technologies, innovations, and products changing the game for how we build, renovate, and operate.

In partnership with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) through the Building Performance Exchange, one of three track rooms will focus on Existing Building Upgrades, Interventions and Innovations, with deeply discounted presentation fees! Learn more here

On June 3, join us at NYU for Urban Green Council’s annual conference, NYC Next: 2026 Building Trends! Hear from a special panel of experts in sustainable buildings about the key forces transforming NYC’s built environment. Learn strategies to advance decarbonization and build climate resilience, while keeping affordability front and center. Read more...

Studio G Architects, a Boston-based architecture firm known for its commitment to sustainability and community enhancement, is proud to announce the recognition of a 2026 Achievement Award from CREW Boston for its role in designing the new campus for Franklin Cummings Tech in Nubian Square. CREW Boston is the region's leading professional organization promoting the advancement of women within the commercial real estate industry. This award recognizes projects and women leaders that demonstrate innovation, collaboration, and meaningful impact across Greater Boston’s commercial real estate industry. Read more...

One of the many benefits of having your organization become a NESEA Member is the ability to share your open positions on our Jobs Board. This is a great way to reach the skilled professionals in the extensive NESEA community. Whether you are posting a position for an experienced candidate or an internship opportunity for someone new to high-performance building, the NESEA Jobs Board puts your listing in front of the right people.

Posting a job to NESEA's Jobs Board is a benefit of business, academic, non-profit/government memberships. Questions about NESEA Membership? Contact Katie Schendel at kschendel@nesea.org.