Commerce partnered with the Smart Buildings Center Education Program, Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI), and San Timoteo Energy Associates, to develop and implement the innovative BEACON project, which aims to train and connect technical support with building owners statewide who need assistance in meeting the CBPS.
The BEACON Fellowship project will establish a cohort of at least 60 fellows over a three-year period. These fellows will provide energy services to owners and/or operators of large commercial and multifamily buildings, helping them achieve energy savings and comply with the CBPS. The fellows will be placed in communities for ten months, offering no-cost technical services to covered buildings in their area.
With this project, at least 2,000 buildings are anticipated to be served by BEACON Fellows, with a focus on Tier 1 and Tier 2 commercial and multifamily building owners who lack staff and resource capacity to comply with the CBPS.
About the fellowship
The first cohort of fellows will launch in June 2025 and will be placed with partners that can provide mentorship and guidance over their 10-month career-launching fellowship. To request BEACON fellow services, complete this BEACON service request form.
SEI will be the fellows’ employer of record. They will provide mentorship and project-scoping support and handle all HR needs such as payroll, health care, insurance, etc.
Fellows will receive training such as Green Building Practicum, Building Operator Certification, and CBPS compliance supported by Commerce, San Timoteo Associates, and the Smart Buildings Center.
Fellows will provide the following services to Tier 1 and Tier 2 building owners:
- Outreach and education
- Clean Buildings Portal support
- Energy benchmarking
- Support for energy management planning
- Support for operations and maintenance
- Support for exemption and incentive applications
Receive services
Are you interested in receiving services from a BEACON Fellow? Complete the BEACON interest form. Please note not all areas of the state will have a fellow assigned in the first cohort but your request may allow for a fellow in the future. Below are current fellow locations:
- South Seattle College (2 Fellows) – King County
- Everett Community College – Snohomish County
- Spokane Colleges (2 Fellows) – Spokane County
- Pierce County – Pierce County
- Pierce College – Pierce County
- Centralia College – Lewis County
- City of Bellingham – Whatcom County
- Wenatchee Valley College – Chelan County
Become a fellow
If you are passionate about addressing climate change, committed to making a difference in Washington communities, and want an exceptional opportunity to develop real-world skills for a career in the environmental sustainability field, the BEACON Fellowship may be for you. Our Fellows will be recruited through SEI’s Climate Corps Program.
For more information on becoming a Fellow, please visit SEI’s Climate Corps page.
Become a fellowship host
A fellowship host organization provides a dedicated workspace for the fellow as well as supervision and mentorship support. In exchange, the host receives support in complying with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard. The fellow can provide up to 25 percent of their time to support the host site. The fellow will also use the space as their primary office location while working to support other building owners in the fellow’s service area.
Interested in becoming a host? Complete the BEACON interest form.
About BEACON and DOE
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected the Building Efficiency and Clean Operations Network (BEACON), a Commerce project supporting Washington’s first-in-nation Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS), for a $10 million grant. The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. Learn more at Energy.gov.