News
SWA is excited to announce ReTune DC, a free training series for professionals and small business owners to build knowledge, hands-on experience, and connections to career and project opportunities in building retuning.
Washington, DC | June 22, 2026 — Emerald Cities Collaborative’s DMV Region, in partnership with Steven Winter Associates (SWA) and supported by the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), is excited to announce ReTune DC, a free training series for professionals and small business owners to build knowledge, hands-on experience, and connections to career and project opportunities in building retuning. The program cohort will begin in August 2026 and include in-person and virtual sessions with daytime, evening, and weekend training slots to accommodate working professionals and business owners. In collaboration with leading local building retuning firms, ECC will also place eligible entry- and mid-level participants in paid externships for up to six weeks.
To learn more or apply for ReTune DC, visit emeraldcities.org/retunedc2026. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on July 29, 2026.
What is retuning? Building retuning is the process of making an existing building and its energy systems operate more efficiently—often at low or no cost—by identifying and correcting operational problems. Retuning can reduce energy costs, extend equipment service life, improve comfort for building occupants, and prevent emissions that fuel the climate crisis.
With thousands of existing buildings across the District facing rising operating costs and evolving building performance requirements, ReTune DC arrives at a crucial moment for residents and businesses to build practical skills that can help facilities save money and improve quality of life. The program will prioritize participants and demonstration projects in communities facing the highest barriers to energy improvements, including Wards with the lowest rates of compliance with DC’s Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS)—currently Wards 5, 7, and 8. This approach will help emphasize the immediate value of equipping local professionals and small firms to support affordable building efficiency improvements where they are most needed.
“Retuning is the essential next step in a long line of work that’s been done to make the built environment more sustainable in DC,” said Bob Hayes, Senior Building Systems Engineer at SWA and trainer for ReTune DC. “By educating the workforce on low-cost, high-impact system tweaks, we can ‘tune-up’ our buildings to run more efficiently—a necessity as utility costs continue to rise and summers get hotter.”
About ReTune DC Trainings: The cohort-based technical training will include interactive classroom sessions about building systems and equipment, energy analysis, the retuning process, and local regulations, policy, and environmental justice context.
Participants will also receive:
“ReTune DC plays a critical role in helping the District achieve equitable decarbonization,” says Katie Bergfeld, Associate Director for the Building Performance Division at the Department of Energy and Environment. “ECC demonstrates a consistent commitment to community‑centered implementation through this initiative, ensuring that small building owners, affordable housing providers, and mission‑driven organizations have access to high‑quality support that is often out of reach; their approach aligns with the District’s priorities to reduce energy burdens, expand access to clean energy solutions, and strengthen the resilience of our built environment.”
Emerald Cities’ DMV Region is one of the newest regions of the national nonprofit Emerald Cities Collaborative, launched in 2023 under the leadership of Tabaris Smith, Regional Director. The region works to address climate resilience while collaborating to reduce barriers that low-income workers, residents, and firms have historically faced. ECC DMV advances this work through programs such as the DC Contractor Incubator, Green Access Program, and Energy Democracy Program. To apply for ReTune DC, visit emeraldcities.org/retunedc2026 by 11:59 p.m. on July 29, 2026.
For additional questions or media inquiries, contact eccdmv@emeraldcities.org.
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