Upcoming Events • NESEA News • Jobs Board • Community News • Featured Benefit

Conference Date: 10-15-26
Location: Convene 237 Park Ave., NYC
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NESEA's BuildingEnergy NYC conference and trade show is a chance to immerse yourself in a full day of networking and intensive learning with your peers from the fields of design, construction, engineering, policy, finance, and beyond.

This year's conference theme is Collaborate, Communicate, Convince. As our industry faces urgent decarbonization timelines, rising climate risks, and legislative stalling around climate‑positive design, this year’s BuildingEnergy NYC conference calls on practitioners to work across boundaries, share knowledge with clarity and purpose, and exercise our influence on the many stakeholders who shape our collective future.

Our Keynote Address will kick off a full day of curated sessions, presented by experts in the field and reviewed by a volunteer committee of NESEA Members. The day will also include community networking events and presentations from conference sponsors.

We hope you will join us in NYC on 10/15 to learn, make new connections, and to add your perspective to these vital discussions. We have a limited number of discounted Early Bird tickets, which are selling fast, so don't wait to register!

Interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at this year's conference? Space is limited, so write to sponsorships@nesea.org to sign up today.

Event Date: Friday, September 4, 2026
Event Time: 1 PM - 5 PM
Location: Burlington, VT
Event Cost: $35 Members / $45 Non-Members
CEU Information: AIA (4 LU|HSW)
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This Friday NESEA returns to Burlington, VT for an in-depth Pro Tour of a new, all-electric high school and tech center. We’ll be visiting a 250,000 square-foot campus, with over 70 learning spaces, each with natural light, including a modern library, a 750-seat auditorium, a gym, and common spaces of various sizes to best meet flexible community needs.

Burlington's new high school, replacing the former building that was demolished in 2023, demonstrates significant progress on the City's Net Zero Energy goals. The final form of the project reflects careful attention to detail and energy use and incorporates extensive feedback from the local community. The City and building experts behind the project hope this campus can be an example for sustainable school construction in New England and beyond.

Event Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Event Time: 1 PM - 5 PM
Location: Amsterdam, NY
Event Cost: $35 Members / $45 Non-Members
CEU Information: AIA, Phius (pending)
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This October Pro Tour takes us to the New York Capital Region, where we will learn all about a new, 3-phase Passive House development project. When complete, this development will total over 200,000 square feet and provide a total of 168 Passive House-certified units, making it one of the largest Phius-certified projects to date.

Our event, led by hosts Black Mountain Architects, gives the NESEA community the opportunity to see the project while it is under construction. The team behind this development set ambitious goals: meet the rigorous Phius Zero 2021 standard, achieve true Net Zero energy, minimize embodied carbon, and specify low-maintenance systems — all within the budget of a typical market-rate development. Pursuing Phius Zero certification for the first time, they meticulously addressed envelope thermal performance, air tightness, and component selection, all of which also contribute to co-benefits including occupant health and comfort and building resiliency.

The project recently achieved Phius Design Certification for all buildings. Embodied carbon reduction was tackled through assembly and component analysis and the specification of low-carbon materials. HVAC systems were configured to maximize efficiency within Passive House parameters.

This should be a very insightful tour - we hope to see you there!

You can see the full schedule of our 2026 BuildingEnergy Pro Tours Series below. 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.

Vermont Businesses For Social Responsibility (VBSR) - Burlington, VT
Wythe Windows - Ramsey New Jersey

See all member organizations on NESEA's Business Member Directory. Learn more about business, academic, and non-profit/government membership on our website.

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 Fall 2026 BE the Future scholarship.

We will be awarding a limited number of scholarships to individuals in the following categories:

1. Emerging Professionals: Individuals who have been working in their fields for less than five years.

2. Current Students: Individuals who are current students including voc/tech, college, and graduate students.

Each scholarship includes:

• a one day pass to BuildingEnergy NYC on October 15
• one year NESEA Membership benefits, including professional development and networking opportunities
• a pass to attend a BuildingEnergy Pro Tour

If you know a current student (including community college, undergraduate, or graduate students) or an emerging professional who could benefit from connection to NESEA's resources and community, please help us spread the word!

Applications are due by 11pm on October 1, 2026.

SAVE THE DATE: January 8-10, 2027

Have you ever left an NESEA event and wished you just had more time to get to know those cool people? Join us for a weekend of winter fun for NESEA community members who want to hang out with fellow nerds. With Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, Vermont as our home base and clubhouse, we will play together, share stories, ask questions, and build community while enjoying all Vermont has to offer in the winter.

This is a member-driven event that aligns with many of NESEA’s Core Values:

• We care about each other and our community
• We challenge ourselves and each other to grow
• We innovate
• We have fun together

Choose your own adventure with a variety of activities throughout the weekend. If you’ve got an idea for an activity, we welcome it. It’s not a conference; it’s just fun!

Registration will open soon. In the meantime, we want you to save the date and let us know what types of activities you'd be interested in to inform the planning process. No commitment required at this point; we want your ideas and will reach out to let you know when registration opens.

Fill out this interest form to let us know what sounds like fun to you, and we'll keep you posted as soon as registration opens.

INTERESTED? Let us know by filling out this short form

Our 2026 Pro Tour Series continued in August with two fascinating building tours. First, we toured an affordable Passive House development in Dorchester, MA that employed off-Site panelized construction to meet their ambitious goals.

From there, we changed tack to focus on the newly completed headquarters of a nature conservancy in Keene, NH. This recently completed net-zero energy building demonstrated how high-performance, low-carbon goals can be achieved within a typical nonprofit construction budget when sustainability goals are established early.

Our thanks go out to the attendees and sponsors who made these events possible. We hope to see you at a Pro Tour near you soon!

When: Sept 12, 2026
Location: Ashfield Lake

A small crew of NESEA Members, along with some members of NESEA staff, are working on a lighted boat display celebrating Ashfield's commitment to sustainability and clean energy for their inaugural aquatic parade this September. Our thanks go out to the NESEA Members who joined the project for their ideas and encouragement!

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:

Boston, MA: West Work is an emerging architecture office committed to advancing design excellence with low-carbon materials and net-zero construction across housing, higher-education, and civic projects. We are seeking a full-time Staff Architect with 3+ years of professional experience who is passionate about enhancing the built environment through sustainable design and adaptive reuse. Read more...

Rochester, NY: Sustainable Comfort, Inc., a green building and energy efficiency consulting firm specializing in multifamily housing, is seeking an Energy Rater / HERS Rater to join our growing field team. Ideal candidates will have experience in residential energy efficiency, building science, construction, engineering, weatherization, energy auditing, HVAC, or a related field. HERS Rater certification and direct building performance experience are preferred. Read more...

Portland, ME: This is a varied, hands-on role for someone who enjoys staying organized, solving problems, and working independently. The Office Manager oversees office administration, HR support, communications, and bookkeeping while helping improve systems and processes as the company grows. Read more...

New York, New York: We are looking for a talented, experienced Architect / Project Manager eager to become an integral part of our studio. pHdesign is a New York City–based architecture practice focused on renovation, adaptive reuse, and high-performance residential projects. Our work is design-driven and environmentally responsible, with the Passive House Institute (PHI) standard used as a design and evaluation tool. 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.

Event Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
Event Time: 9 AM - 7 PM
Hosting Organization: New York Passive House
Venue: Parsons The New School
Event Cost: Various pass types available

Regenerative Metropolis is New York Passive House's annual symposium exploring the future of regenerative design and the built environment.

This year's theme, Regenerative Economics, brings together architects, engineers, developers, policymakers, economists, and sustainability leaders to explore a central question: What is regenerative design?

Hosted as part of Climate Week NYC, the symposium features keynote speaker John Fullerton, founder of Capital Institute and author of Regenerative Economics, along with an outstanding lineup of industry leaders advancing Passive House, circularity, adaptive reuse, and systems thinking. Read more....

We're having a party - and we want YOU to come! It's our annual celebration of a job well done - and our first ever High-Performance Building Reunion. Each of Studio HPDC's activities and programs is successful because of the generosity of our high-performance building community. Let us show you your impact, and all that is ahead of us in 2026 - 2027. Read more...

Event Date: Monday, October 5, 2026 - Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Hosting Organization: New Buildings Institute
Venue Address: New York, NY
Event Cost: Various pass types available

This fall, GTZ Forum 2026 will bring together hundreds of public- and private-sector leaders to advance affordable, high-performance buildings that support people, communities, and the planet.

Over two immersive days, attendees will engage with meticulously curated content designed to accelerate market growth and forge relationships that drive real impact. This isn't just another conference; it's where strategic decisions are made, and meaningful partnerships form. From building tours and workshops to inspiring keynotes and a new poster session opportunity, the Forum prioritizes hands-on experience and honest conversations about what's working and what isn't.

Join us in New York City, October 5-6, 2026, where governance, technology, and the industry zeitgeist converge. Learn more...

Event Hosts: American Solar Energy Society
Dates: October 19-21
Location: Austin, TX (Palmer Events Center)

For more than five decades, the National Solar Conference has brought together researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, educators, and advocates to share technological innovations and strategies advancing renewable energy.

Our friends at ASES have shared a discount code for the NESEA Community for an additional 15% off at registration: use the code GOSOLAR at checkout! Learn more...

Event Date: November 4th, 2026
Event Time: 4 PM - 9:30 PM
Hosting Organization: BuiltEnvironment Plus
Location: 20 Western Ave | Allston, MA
Various Pass Types Available

Your Showcase. Your Projects. Your Community.

Once a year, the Built Environment Plus community gathers to celebrate industry success in greening the built environment at our annual Green Building Showcase.

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. Read more...

"We use the NESEA Member badge to communicate to our potential clients and our collaborators that we support a great organization that supports us in our endeavor to change the built world for the best."

-Reggie Lebel, President & Foreman, Emerald Builders

Displaying the NESEA Member Badge on your website, social media accounts, or in your email signature lets the world know you support NESEA's vision of a vibrant and resilient built environment that supports climate justice and equity. If you are not a NESEA Member, learn more about NESEA Membership here. If you have a question about your membership status, contact Katie Schendel, kschendel@nesea.org.