Ten Tracks on Renewables and High Performance Building

Use the Track Selector bar on the right to see a summary of the track content.

Each 90 minute conference session receives 1.5 CEUs (continuing education units) from the following professional organizations: AIA, BOMI, BPI, GBCI*, InterNACHI, NAHB and NARI. *Pending approval. You must sign in at the beginning of each session to receive your credits.

Track 1: Renewable Energy

Track Chair(s): Rob Meyers, South Mountain Company; Bill Stillinger, PV Squared




Clean Energy Advancing on the Northeast

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cambridge Complex
Session Chair(s): Rob Meyers
Session Speaker(s): Bryan Garcia Meg Lusardi Andrew Savage

Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont are leading the way in the implementation of comprehensive programs for renewables. This session will explore the commonalities and the differences between them.


Financing Renewable Resource Projects

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cambridge Complex
Session Chair(s): Bill Stillinger
Session Speaker(s): DeWitt Jones Sara Ross Adam Wade

Here, the focus is on both conventional and innovative project financing for large and small clean energy projects. Case studies will present new methods for potential clean energy system owners to deal with the "first cost hurdle" of capital formation.


Smart Grid Update: Where We Stand

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cambridge Complex
Session Chair(s): Joel Gordes
Session Speaker(s): Roddy Diotalevi Paul Popinchalk

The term "smart grid" has been bandied about in one form or another since 2003, but most in the design community have not been fully informed of what it entails or how it may be of value in sustainable design. This session will trace the evolution of the technologies leading to the smart grid and the promise this technology holds for greater control over energy use, as well as certain perils it holds if not implemented in a responsible manner.


SRECs: State of the Market in the Northeast

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Cambridge Complex
Session Chair(s): Jason Gifford
Session Speaker(s): Yuri Horwitz Kapil Mohindra Kevin Quilliam

Is your SREC strategy optimized to current market conditions? This session will open with a summary of the current state of SREC markets in the Northeast and transition into an interactive panel discussion of the opportunities and risks presented by today’s solar policies and market structures. The goal of this session is for all attendees to walk away with a clear understanding of solar policy implementation in the region and the knowledge required to get maximum value out of their market participation. A panel of SREC market innovators will discuss what they believe to be the most viable policies, markets, and business strategies, and identify the greatest challenges to maximizing the economic value of Solar Renewable Energy Credits. The session is intended to provide insights to solar developers, installers, investors and hosts, as well as load-serving entities, and will include an extensive question and answer period.


Long Term Performance of PV & Solar Thermal Systems

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Cambridge Complex
Session Chair(s): Mark Durrenberger
Session Speaker(s): Everett Barber Thomas Hopper

An acknowledged industry expert evaluates the performance of more than 20 PV systems and 60+ flat plate vs. 15+ evacuated tube thermal systems.


Structural Codes for Solar Generator Installations

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8
Session Chair(s): Steven Weisman
Session Speaker(s): Juan Suarez Chris Vreeland

The equipment for PV and solar thermal systems is intended to last for decades. Here we address the systems' physical supports and the need for codes and standards for a safe, reliable solar infrastructure. As module prices continue to drop, investors and contractors are pushing for lower costs in the underlying infrastructure, leading some vendors to cut corners, whether deliberately or unwittingly. This presentation will address concerns that impact all solar energy consumers, decision makers and providers. Standards in solar are a large industry issue; they need to be highlighted.


PV Technology, Markets, Applications: Current Status and Future Prospects

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview Ballroom
Session Chair(s): Lori Ribeiro
Session Speaker(s): Mark Farber Steven Strong

Annual world PV production more than doubled to 24 Gigawatts in 2010 while module prices have dropped by approximately 50% in just the last two years. New policy initiatives and financing mechanisms are opening new opportunities worldwide and PV is now approaching Grid Parity in some markets. This session will address the current status and future prospects of the PV industry, examining the technology,the markets and the applications.


Track 2: High Performance Single Family

Track Chair(s): Michael Dobler, Michael Dobler Architect; Mark Price, Price Sustainability; Kristen Simmons, Passive House New England




High Performance Hybrid Wall Systems

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cityview 1
Session Speaker(s): Aaron Grin

This session will discuss the hygrothermal benefits and structural performance of a set of high R-Value hybrid wall systems. Based on our past experience in the Building America program, we have found that combinations of materials and approaches provide optimum performance. They set of hybrid walls proposed utilize a combination of exterior insulation, diagonal metal strapping, spray polyurethane foam and cavity fill insulation. Properly integrated, these provide effective thermal, air, moisture and water barrier systems in one structural assembly. The systems will be hygrothermally and structurally analyzed and the results will be presented.


High Performance at a Low Cost: Hitting the Sweet Spot in Maine

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cityview 1
Session Chair(s): Declan Keefe
Session Speaker(s): Alan Gibson Matt O’Malia

This session will explore the design, construction methods and energy data from Maine's first certified Passive House. Completed in 2010, the GO Home is the prototype for GO Logic, LLC, a design/build firm specializing in Passive House, near zero-energy and net-zero-energy homes. The firm's two partners will explain how this home achieves its unique combination of elegant design, near-zero-energy performance and livability while being built at the moderate cost of $150 per square foot. The home demonstrates that green construction can be affordable to a wide range of home buyers who will not sacrifice comfort or style by choosing a high-performance home.


Rain, Rain, Go Away: Water Management for Walls

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cityview 1
Session Chair(s): Mark Price
Session Speaker(s): John Straube

Rain is the most important wetter of walls, but it’s not the only one. Occasionally, walls get wet from condensation, and sometimes they’re built with wet materials. So walls have to be designed to dry out — to the interior, to the exterior, or to both. If we eliminate rain as a source of wetting, most walls will be fine. That’s why it’s so important to drain everything and to focus on every element of rainwater management: the drainage plane, the drainage space, the flashings, and the weeps. If we pay proper attention to those key details, we will have done most of what is necessary to provide our buildings with dry walls (paraphrased from Joe's March 2003 JLC article)


The Emerging DER Baseline in the Boston Metro Area

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Cityview 1
Session Chair(s): Oliver Klein
Session Speaker(s): Brian Butler David Connelly Legg Henry MacLean

In this session we will compare a number of completed Deep Energy Retrofits completed in the Boston Metro area, establishing a model of construction costs, energy savings, ongoing monitoring and client satisfaction. We will review the fundamental components of a DER project from complete exterior skin retrofits to significant renovations and additions at the limit of the National Grid protocol. The group will outline their challenges and experiences as an energy efficiency manager, a builder and as an architect. They will portray the emerging baseline in energy savings and associated costs of the projects for the greater Boston area and will contrast this baseline with other sub-regions in the Northeast.


Finding the Right MPG for Existing Homes

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview 1
Session Chair(s): Nancy Hazard
Session Speaker(s): Ian Finlayson Kevin Galligan

The general public is beginning to be interested in energy efficient homes to save money on their utility bills, and yet there is no easy way for them to know how efficient the home they are planning to by is, how their existing home compares to other homes or how efficient they could make their own home. In this session, we will hear reports from two pilot projects that explore residential energy labeling systems that are being conducted around the country. We will present the experiences, including customer response and implementation rates in Western Massachusetts and Cape Cod, using the Earth Advantage Institute tool and the DOE Home Energy Score.


Creating a Zero Net Energy Building in a Historic Shell

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Skyline
Session Chair(s): Michael Berry
Session Speaker(s): Kimberley Quirk John B. Unger Murphy

This session details the story of the renovation of an historic house into a net zero energy building. The goal of the project was to achieve a LEED Gold or better rating and eliminate the need for any fossil fuels while retaining the character of the mid-nineteenth century shell. The systems designed to meet this goal include an innovative seasonal heat storage system with evacuated tube collectors, super-insulating and sealing the envelope, a low temperature hydro-air delivery system and careful modeling of heat requirements and system capabilities. This talk discusses the issues, challenges, measurements and current status of the project after the first year of occupancy.


Closing Forum

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview Ballroom
Session Speaker(s):

This session opens with a special presentation by Senator Jutta Blankau of the City of Hamburg, Germany, whose vision helped shape the energy-efficient future of Hamburg. Following the presentation, we will invite the group to think about their experience over the past three days at the BuildingEnergy Conference and consider: What have we learned? What future can we now design? Participants will be invited to join communities of practice that share their goals and interests.


Track 3: Boston Society of Architects - Residential

Track Chair(s): Mark Price, Price Sustainability; Kristen Simmons, Passive House New England




How Clear is Your Crystal Ball?

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Skyline
Session Chair(s): Kristen Simmons
Session Speaker(s): Mike Duclos Paul Panish

Modeled energy usage will be compared with actual energy usage for five homes in Eastern Massachusetts that were modeled using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), including some that achieved Passive House Certification. How close did the modeling get to the actual post-occupancy energy use? What caused the variations? How did occupant behavior affect the correlation? What lessons did we learn that can be applied not just to Passive House buildings but also to low-energy homes in general?


Your Mileage May Vary

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Skyline
Session Chair(s): Greg Krantz
Session Speaker(s): Marc Rosenbaum

South Mountain Company designed and built a neighborhood of eight net zero possible homes. They were submetered by major energy end use. The results after one year, during which only two of the eight achieved zero net energy, demonstrate how different actualy energy consumption can be from modeled predictions. These case studies offer lessons worth learning about variations in occupant energy use choices, effect of design massing on HVAC usage, where the energy goes in low energy use homes and other aspects of real world performance.


Making Existing Windows Work Better: A Practical Guide on the Myriad of Window Retrofit Options

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Skyline
Session Speaker(s): Peter Yost

Storm windows, insulating shades, sash replacements and awnings: What good news that we have so many ways to improve the performance of our windows. The bad news is there are so many ways to improve the performance of our windows! The question to be answered is how we can objectively compare the available options on price, thermal performance, ease of installation, ease of use, solar control, privacy and durability.


Indoor Air Quality and Comfort in High Performance Homes

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8
Session Chair(s): J.B. Clancy
Session Speaker(s): Peter Engelmann Kurt Roth

A marketing claim frequently made about high performance homes is that in addition to being extremely energy efficient, they are also more comfortable, have better indoor air quality and are healthier than "conventional" homes. But where's the research to back that up? Are well designed, tight buildings really more comfortable and healthier for the occupants? In this session, we will hear the results of an in-depth evaluation of thermal comfort for two zero energy possible production homes in Massachusetts. These homes were also evaluated for indoor air quality as part of a larger study done in conjunction with Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. We will hear the results of this research, learn how the testing was performed and how the analysis was conducted. Lastly, we will review what the implications this research might have for other, similar projects.


The Calculated Path to Zero Energy

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8
Session Chair(s): Andrew Webster
Session Speaker(s): Jordan Goldman Stephanie Horowitz

An architect and an engineer will discuss the collaborative design process and outcomes for two projects, both super-insulated high performance homes; one currently in design (new construction) and one completed (deep energy retrofit). The common theme is the use of energy analysis during the design process in order to achieve the desired combination of aesthetics and performance. The session will focus on energy modeling and its influence on construction details and systems in high performance buildings systems,including actual energy use information at a granular level. The projects address both traditional design in existing construction and contemporary design in new construction.


Energy Performance of Natural Buildings

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Skyline
Session Chair(s): Kate Stephenson
Session Speaker(s): Jacob Deva Racusin Ace McArleton

This panel will provide an alternative perspective of high performance buildings through an examination of the building science behind modern straw bale, timber frame and plaster construction. Through analysis of research conducted using blower-door testing and infrared thermography, panelists will discuss thermodynamics and hydrodynamics, look at why problems occur (or don't) and discuss means to improve these high performance designs for tomorrow's buildings. Case studies will be presented on seven different single family residences built between 2007 and 2010 in Vermont and New York.


Closing Forum

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview Ballroom
Session Speaker(s):

This session opens with a special presentation by Senator Jutta Blankau of the City of Hamburg, Germany, whose vision helped shape the energy-efficient future of Hamburg. Following the presentation, we will invite the group to think about their experience over the past three days at the BuildingEnergy Conference and consider: What have we learned? What future can we now design? Participants will be invited to join communities of practice that share their goals and interests.


Track 4: Multifamily Buildings

Track Chair(s): Erica Brabon, Steven Winter Associates; Bernice Radle, Buffalo Energy




Results! Results! Results!

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 1
Session Chair(s): Eric Ast
Session Speaker(s): Edward Connelly Lindsay Robbins Marc Zuluaga

You want energy usage results from the experts in the Northeast? Here you go. This session will give an overall view of multi-family retrofit project results from New York and Massachusetts. Participants will discover what does and does not work, where the problems were and also will hear the success stories of major multi-family programs.


The State of Affordable Housing

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 1
Session Chair(s): Erin Brandt
Session Speaker(s): Martin Dunn Maureen Friar Andrew Giglio

This session will focus on the current and forthcoming conditions of affordable housing on the national and state level. Attendees will gain insight into potential budget cuts, changes in regulation and the hurdles facing developers through three key perspectives; federal and state, financing and lending, and affordable housing developers.


New Construction: Success Stories and Lessons Learned

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 1
Session Chair(s): Kelly Westby
Session Speaker(s): Chris Benedict Steven Bluestone

Both Chris Benedict and Steven Bluestone have great track records on new construction in the multi-family world. They are not afraid to take risks and it has paid off. Chris Benedict will explain her Passive House design and other new construction results. In early 2010, "The Andrew," a 50-unit affordable housing rental building in Queens, New York was completed. Extensive research into systems that were essentially "off the shelf" led the Bluestone Organization to produce a building that has proven to be one of the best energy performers to date and did not cost them anything extra to build than a typical structure.


Deep Energy Retrofits: Exterior Cladding Research and Case Studies

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 1
Session Chair(s): David Ruggiero
Session Speaker(s): Peter Baker Heather Clark

This presentation will showcase research conducted on the short and long term deflection of cladding installed directly on strapping that is fastened to the framed wall through exterior insulation. Utilizing lessons learned from the 192-unit Castle Square Apartments Deep Energy Retrofit in Boston, Massachusetts, this presentation will provide technical, financial and development details of how to use an enclosure driven strategy to achieve groundbreaking energy savings.


360 Degrees of Multifamily Buildings

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 1
Session Chair(s): Spencer Lawrence
Session Speaker(s): Erica Brabon Bernice Radle

If you want to know more about what it takes to retrofit, maintain or construct a multifamily building in an energy efficient manner, then this session is for you. This session will be presented by leaders in the multifamily field, and they will be discussing retrofits of historical buildings, real energy savings results, new construction, financing, operations and maintenance, tenant education techniques, going green beyond the retrofit and more. This session aims to provide you with a solid overview of everything multifamily.


From Past to Future: The Green Mill Renovation

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 1
Session Chair(s): Jason Wilson
Session Speaker(s): Thomas Hartman Mike Schofield Kohta Ueno

Retrofitting historical buildings is really tough, but we have the experts here to give you a case study that proved to be worth the hassle. This case study will focus on the constraints posed from mill renovation, from materials to existing components to historical preservation restrictions. Issues surrounding mechanical ventilation and achieving unit compartmentalization will also be discussed.


Closing Forum

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview Ballroom
Session Speaker(s):

This session opens with a special presentation by Senator Jutta Blankau of the City of Hamburg, Germany, whose vision helped shape the energy-efficient future of Hamburg. Following the presentation, we will invite the group to think about their experience over the past three days at the BuildingEnergy Conference and consider: What have we learned? What future can we now design? Participants will be invited to join communities of practice that share their goals and interests.


Track 5: Campus & Community

Track Chair(s): Bonny Bentzin, GreenerU; Marc Sternick, Dietz & Company Architects, Inc.




Student Dorms as Passive House: Case Studies from Very Energy Efficient Large Scale Buildings

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 2
Session Chair(s): Mark Hellen
Session Speaker(s): Peter Engelmann Stefan Knust

The Passive House Standard has been applied on a variety of buildings in Europe, from single family homes to production halls and offices. In student dorms, it finds its implementation in yet another building typology. Specific characteristics of these buildings are high occupant density and the absence of common zoning. Living, working and sleeping take place within a single room. Modeled energy usage will be compared to actual post-occupancy energy usage for the dormitories. What caused the variations between the modeling and actual use? Hear about the lessons learned that can be applied to other energy efficient large buildings, not just those that were built to the Passive House standard.


Greening the Academe: Tales of Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Solving a Multi-Faceted Problem

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 2
Session Speaker(s): Erin Nunes Cooper Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham

Higher education institutions are stewards of small communities characterized by diverse populations, landscapes and multiple building types that vary in age, use and construction. As such, they can illuminate the symbiotic connections between institutional culture and the built environment, and can provide a testing ground for modeling approaches toward environmental sustainability and energy efficiency in urban communities.


Sustainable Campuses / Sustainable Communities

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 2
Session Chair(s): Blake Williams
Session Speaker(s): Benjamin Carlson David Dixon Robert Francis

Spurred by the desire to be more competitive for those seeking a lively urban setting and to strengthen their role as regional economic engines, three leading American universities are pioneering new approaches to partnering with host cities and surrounding neighborhoods to create more sustainable campuses, communities and regions. Join us as we review the different approaches these three universities are taking.


High Performance in the Ivy League: High Performance Results fro an Integrated Design Process at MIT & Modifications for Long-Term Performance at Harvard's LEED Platinum Building

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 2
Session Chair(s): Kate Goldstein
Session Speaker(s): Kevin Bright Walter Henry Marc Rosenbaum

In the new building for the Sloan School of Business, MIT set out to design, build and operate a building that would significantly advance the level of building performance on campus: expectations were met or exceeded. The 46 Blackstone South building at Harvard University underwent a transition from LEED NC (Platinum) to EB (Platinum) following an ongoing commissioning program to accelerate energy performance. This session will describe the integrated process used to obtain high performance results at MIT, important findings from Harvard's ongoing work at their first double LEED Platinum building, the objectives adopted for both projects and the strategies implemented to achieve them. This session will include measured data through a lively dialogue between dynamic speakers on two projects, bringing the Ivy League into a league of their own.


A Gateway to Renewable Campus Energy

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 2
Session Chair(s): Helen Aki
Session Speaker(s): Dan Arons David Madigan Simon Shaw

New York State University's College of Environmental Science and Forestry currently imports all its consumed energy. In 2009, ESF released a five-point strategy containing 40 initiative to drive CO2 emissions to zero by 2015. The following year, construction began on a new Campus Gateway Building. Join us as we examine the wide and varied design issues and as we discuss program definition, right-sizing, costs, funding and scheduling.


Occupants and Users: The Under-Recognized Influence on Success or Failure to Campus Resource Consumption and Costs

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 2
Session Chair(s): Bonny Bentzin
Session Speaker(s): Carl Ian Graham Walter Henry Susan D. Pranger, AIA Dallase Scott

This session will focus on the often overlooked component for success or failure in efficient campus operations and resource consumption - the building users or occupants. The session will include a lively discussion with all the presenters on this critical stakeholder group, common failures and strategies for success.


Transitioning Buildings, Facilities, Campuses and Communities to Energy Independence: From Electricity Consumers to Electricity Generators

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 2
Session Chair(s): Marc Sternick
Session Speaker(s): Grahame E. Maisey

The ACUPCC, Challenge 2030, Sustainable Cities and Transition Towns, along with many other initiatives, have generated a keen interest in moving facilities and communities toward a sustainable and sometimes zero carbon footprint. An Energy Master Plan (EMP) is essential to facilitate a successful carbon commitment. In this session, we will develop protocols, define the parameters that a sustainable, high performance facility should attain, and explain how to achieve them through comprehensive design strategies, including integration design strategies, computer simulation and information modeling strategies.


Track 6: Health Care

Track Chair(s): Laura Notman; James Petersen, Petersen Engineering, Inc.




Central Plant Energy Source: How Do I Decide?

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 3
Session Chair(s): James Petersen
Session Speaker(s): Steve David Christine McKiernan Robert Waters

Choosing the most appropriate energy source for your central plant is more complicated than ever. This presentation will provide comparative analysis of various energy sources including electricity, oil, gas, solar thermal and biomass. What is the future of energy supplies and costs? What are the emissions and environmental impacts of each? The second part of the presentation will take a close look at biomass boilers and their possible applications in central plants.


Senior Living Long Term Care: Case Studies in Energy Master Planning and Certification

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 3
Session Chair(s): Kristopher Tiernan
Session Speaker(s): Maureen Mahle

Two case studies describe how to certify Continuing Care and Nursing Home facilities using different rating systems. In the first, a new facility set and achieved its goals for healthy indoor air quality, environmental stewardship, and energy efficiency, earning LEED for Homes Platinum. The second case study describes how an underperforming existing facility used an energy master plan to enhance occupant comfort and also qualify for the new Energy Star Nursing Home Label.


Showdown at the Seaport: Health Care Ventilation and Radiant/Induction Cooling

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Harborview 3
Session Chair(s): Elizabeth Galloway
Session Speaker(s): Edward Allen Robert Rutkowski

Participants will learn how to depart from the "business as usual" approach of HVAC system selection to incorporate sustainable objectives in health care design. Contrasting the tried-and-true approach with the need for conservation and responsible development, the presentation will explain how many of the goals from each side of this debate overlap and demonstrate how radiant and chilled beam cooling systems can be successfully applied while meeting or exceeding the requirements of comfort, control and hygiene.


Health Care Transforms Its Mindset and Market

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 3
Session Chair(s): Martine Dion
Session Speaker(s): Janet Brown Paul Lipke

Health care leaders are finding sweet spots with programs that positively impact patients, the community, the global environment and the bottom line. The importance of energy is rising from health care's boiler room to the board room. In this presentation, real-world examples from across North America will illustrate some surprising lessons learned on topics like leading for sustainability, health care strategic energy master planning, "Greening the Operating Room," and energy efficient best practices.


Patient Room Displacement Ventilation: From Theory to Practice

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 3
Session Chair(s): Howard McKew
Session Speaker(s): Arash Guity Manoh Tsukii

Displacement ventilation is an increasingly used sustainability approach that reduces both first cost and operating costs with improved performance resulting in lower air flow rates. How does it work for infection control in a patient room? This panel of design engineers will summarize four years of research and provide design recommendations, including layout, first cost and energy savings potential.


Design Strategies for Patient Centered Sustainable Design in Complex Health Care Facilities

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 3
Session Chair(s): Laura Notman
Session Speaker(s): Christopher Baylow Gregory Heiges Jacob Knowles Angela Watson

This session will present the design process for two complex and sophisticated health care facilities. The facilities differ in many respects: Urban vs. suburban, high-rise vs. low-rise, long term care vs. cancer treatment. However, both address the need to simultaneously optimize patient care and energy use. Presenters will discuss the design decision making process and strategies for selecting systems and building envelope designs that deliver high performing facilities integrating the goals of healing environments and energy use reduction.


Can Energy Conscious Design Include a One-Year Guarantee from the Designer & Builder?

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Harborview 3
Session Chair(s): Howard McKew
Session Speaker(s): Bill Aalerud Robert Biggio Paul Hanbury James Liston

Healthcare owners are paying attention to building performance and asking design teams and builders to deliver buildings that perform to design expectations. This panel of experienced healthcare owners, contractor, and system design engineer will address questions such as: If LEAN Construction can assure a reduction in design and construction waste, why can't it also assure a reduction in energy consumption? Can the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), Warranty Phase instead be the Performance Phase, holding the IPD Team accountable for operational energy consumption success? What is required for design teams and builders to take ownership of the "ultimate deliverable," a building that works as intended? Should the design fee and construction profits be linked to one-year's operational performance? Come join the discussion on the future of results oriented healthcare building delivery.


Track 7: What the Pros Want To Know

Track Chair(s): F.L. Andrew Padian, The Community Preservation Corporation; David Stecher, IBACOS, Inc




22nd Century: Can Your iPhone (or Android) do an Audit?

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Speaker(s): Lester Shen Tom Spielman

Young and old practitioners have been creating applications for iPads and smart phones for years (well, two years for an iPad). See the latest and fastest tools to make your life in the field easier. This session was highly rate at BuildingEnergy11 by both experienced and new users that have trouble using their phones.


Building Resilience for Climate Risks

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Chair(s): Joel Gordes
Session Speaker(s): Katherine Silverthorne Alex Wilson

This session will examine not only why we need to create buildings and communities that are resilient to the impacts of climate change (heat waves, intense storms, sea level rise, flooding, etc.), but also how to ensure that these buildings and communities will fare well in the aftermath of such events - when we may experience extended power outages, interruptions in heating and transportation fuels and prolonged water shortages. Building design, effective land-use planning, and local food systems will all be addressed.


Smart Buildings: Can They Be Smarter Than We Are?

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Speaker(s): Joe Phillips

IBM gave us home computers, software, portable computers, and now they are into buildings and cities. Can the Giant who made us all learn about computers help us learn about better buildings and cities? Learn from the Director of IBM's Smarter Buildings/Smarter Cities about the direction in which this initiative is going and their goals and current successes.


Energy Modeling: Stop Wasting Your Time

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Speaker(s): Michael Blasnik

Numerous studies have known that sophisticated energy models can be very inaccurate due to multiple factors, while simpler models can lead to greater accuracy if they employ better assumptions. Join one of the best building science researchers as he walks us through the pitfalls of too much detail and the beauty of simplicity in energy modeling.


When Walls Work and When They Don't

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Speaker(s): Chris Schumacher

Chris Schumacher will talk about his research with several industry partners called the thermal metric projects - how to measure the thermal performance of full-scale wall assemblies over a range of pressure and temperature differentials. He will discuss the final results of this research and some of the implications in the field.


Oops, the Envelope is too Good! (Now I Can't Find a Small Enough HVAC System)

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Speaker(s): John Straube

By working hard on the thermal enclosure, your reward is finding out that you can't find a properly sized piece of equipment to heat or cool it. It's a chicken and egg problem; manufacturers won't make the systems without a great enough demand for installation, and builders can't spec them if they don't exist. Listen to the newest and oldest technologies, and solutions to this not-getting-any-better problem. Bring your questions and solutions.


Testing for Air Leakage in Large Commercial Buildings

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Speaker(s): Larry Harmon Collin Olson

These pioneers have analyzed and tested millions of square feet of commercial property, from factories to LEED platinum new construction. Learn the good and bad news about leaky commercial buildings, including simple and complex testing and evaluation techniques.


Track 8 (Wed.): High Performance Mechanicals

Track Chair(s): Robb Aldrich




The New All-Electric Home

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Waterfront 3
Session Chair(s): Robb Aldrich
Session Speaker(s): Joseph Swift Andrew Webster

In the past few years, new heat pump technologies have become available that make using electricity for space and water heating much more practical and cost effective, even in the cold northeast. Speakers will discuss current mini-split heat pump and heat pump water heater technologies and present data from many monitored systems in the northeast. Speakers will also present data from homes where heat pumps were combined with PV to effectively achieve zero energy.


What To Do With Steam?

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Waterfront 3
Session Chair(s): Woody Tunstall
Session Speaker(s): Bart Bales Jonathan Flothow

Before fans and pumps, steam was the way heat was distributed through buildings, and many older buildings still use steam for space and service water heating. Two practitioners with decades of experience will discuss two ways to improve the efficiency and performance of older steam systems; converting to hydronic and improving the steam system.


Home Heating: Condensing Boilers and Tankless Water Heaters

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Waterfront 3
Session Chair(s): Gregory Pedrick
Session Speaker(s): Lois Arena Armin Rudd

Using hot water to heat homes is not new, but newer condensing boilers and tankless water heaters may offer strategies to improve efficiency and reduce first costs. Researchers have evaluated many different system configurations and found that achieving high efficiency and performance is not necessarily straight forward. This session will include research findings and practical guidelines for using these systems effectively in homes.


Track 8 (Thurs.): Renewable Heating

Track Chair(s): Ian Finlayson, MA Dept. of Energy Resources (DOER); Robert Rizzo, MA Department of Energy Resources; Neil Veilleux, Meister Consultants Group




How Renewable Heating Can Become New England's Next Major Cleantech Growth Market

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Waterfront 3
Session Chair(s): Neil Veilleux
Session Speaker(s): Dwayne Breger Charlie Niebling Laura Richardson

Thermal energy use comprises approximately one-third of U.S. energy consumption, representing a significant source of fossil-based carbon emissions. Locally produced renewable heating such as solar thermal, biomass thermal, geothermal and biodiesel provides significant potential for regional job creation, economic growth and green house gas emission reductions. However, renewable heating does not receive comprehensive policy support at the federal, state or regional level. In this session, policy-makers and experts from across New England will discuss how policies can drive vibrant growth of New England's emerging renewable heating market.


How Hamburg Will Generate 100% of Heat and Electricity from Local Renewable Resources

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Waterfront 3
Session Chair(s): Galen Nelson
Session Speaker(s): Jan Gerbitz Uli Hellweg

Uli Hellweg, Managing Director of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Hamburg and colleges will discuss how the City of Hamburg has used local renewable heating resources to plan and develop an innovative district heating network. Mr. Hellweg's team will describe the leadership, planning and technical resources needed to create heating grids that will provide 100% of heating from renewable resources by 2050. Technical discussions of thermal projects in Hamburg include re-purposing a World World II era bunker into a thermal storage unit; incorporating deep geothermal into district heating; and piloting a "distributed generation" renewable heating association to serve the district heating grid.


Project Innovation and Renewable Heating in the Northeast

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Waterfront 3
Session Chair(s): Robert Rizzo
Session Speaker(s): Christopher Beebe Jake Goodyear Debra Hall Tim Van Epps

Project development requires foresight, intensive planning and a creative attitude to realize successful implementation of renewable heating options whether for homeowners, housing authorities, municipal buildings or commercial and industrial settings. This session will highlight the conversion of an oil heat company in western Massachusetts to a renewable energy company, the installation of various renewable thermal technologies in affordable housing, and a “cold weather” air source heat pump technology that can provide 100% of a facilities heating and air conditioning requirements. Combined, our speakers will address opportunities, roadblocks and innovative deployment of renewable thermal projects throughout the state.


Closing Forum

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview Ballroom
Session Speaker(s):

This session opens with a special presentation by Senator Jutta Blankau of the City of Hamburg, Germany, whose vision helped shape the energy-efficient future of Hamburg. Following the presentation, we will invite the group to think about their experience over the past three days at the BuildingEnergy Conference and consider: What have we learned? What future can we now design? Participants will be invited to join communities of practice that share their goals and interests.


Track 9 (Wed.): Green Financing

Track Chair(s): Darien Crimmin, WinnDevelopment




Green Financing 101

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Waterfront 2
Session Chair(s): Darien Crimmin
Session Speaker(s): Dana Bourland

This is an introductory session covering the fundamentals of energy efficiency financing. The goal of this session is to help energy professionals better understand the basics of lending and underwriting required to finance efficiency projects. The session will attract a diverse group of BE12 attendees, and participants will benefit from a crash course in real estate finance. The session will also review a green loan mechanism developed by Enterprise Community Partners, a leading national nonprofit promoting sustainable, affordable housing.


Innovations in Green Financing

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Waterfront 2
Session Chair(s): Darien Crimmin
Session Speaker(s): Birud Jhaveri Chrissa Pagitsas Scott Wisdom

The ability to finance energy improvements is critical to the emerging energy-efficient economy. The past few years have witnessed unprecedented levels of “free money” becoming available from state and federal sources to support green projects. As these funds recede, private financing of energy retrofits through conventional and non-conventional lending will garner more attention. This session will demonstrate new and innovative ways that banks, utilities and government agencies are lending to finance efficiency retrofits.


Green Venture Capital

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Waterfront 2
Session Speaker(s): Zaid Ashai Brad Wurtz

This session will focus on Clean Technology investments for Point Judith Capital, including investments in companies like Earth Aid, Nexamp and Power Assure. Attendees will learn what venture capitalists are looking for and the kinds of opportunities they are funding.


Track 9 (Thurs): Game Changers ?

Track Chair(s): Satpal Kaur, Chris Benedict, R.A.; Karl Munzel, Real Goods Solar; Fred Unger, Heartwood Group, Inc.




Data That Bares All

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Waterfront 2
Session Chair(s): Satpal Kaur
Session Speaker(s): Edward Connelly Jeffrey Perlman

This session will focus on the Gifford Perspective. Look at the utility bills and track how buildings actually perform. By automatically scraping their real data for gas, oil, electric and water bills, how do creative companies change building energy usage? Does compelling presentation of real utility use data impact occupant behavior ad building operations? Will easily understood utility performance benchmarking impact real estate markets? Innovative pioneering companies will discuss their services, business models and approaches to using "the real data" on how buildings actually perform in the real world.


The Future of Natural Gas

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Waterfront 2
Session Chair(s): Fred Unger
Session Speaker(s): Michael Aucott Tim Bigler

This session explores the future of natural gas, recent shale gas discoveries and the implication of natural gas supplies and prices for renewable energy, conservation, the environment, energy security and economic volatility. For decades, many have viewed natural gas as the preferred transitional fuel on our path toward renewable energy economic parity and a clean energy future. With some experts now projecting decades or even centuries of cheap, plentiful natural gas supplies, what are the implications? What drives gas supplies and prices? What is the real deal with natural gas?


Energy Subsidies and the Future of Solar. Where Do We Go From Here?

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Waterfront 2
Session Chair(s): Karl Munzel
Session Speaker(s): Carrie Cullen Hitt Jigar Shah

What's the story on energy subsidies? Where have they been? Where are they headed? The solar industry has seen remarkable growth over the last decade, but is still a tiny fraction of our overall energy supply. How dependent is the industry on subsidy? What is the path to competitive grid parity for solar? What is the likely impact of changes in subsidies on the horizon? What would sensible energy policy entail? Leading experts talk about energy subsidies and the future of solar energy.


Closing Forum

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview Ballroom
Session Speaker(s):

This session opens with a special presentation by Senator Jutta Blankau of the City of Hamburg, Germany, whose vision helped shape the energy-efficient future of Hamburg. Following the presentation, we will invite the group to think about their experience over the past three days at the BuildingEnergy Conference and consider: What have we learned? What future can we now design? Participants will be invited to join communities of practice that share their goals and interests.


Track 10: Whole Systems in Action

Track Chair(s): Jess Lerner, Green on the Inside; Jamie Wolf, Wolfworks Inc.




Whole Systems in Practice, in Place: Where Do You Fit In?

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cityview 2
Session Chair(s): Jamie Wolf
Session Speaker(s): Bill Reed Kate Stephenson

By understanding whole systems, we can reintegrate our buildings and our communities with life on earth. To do this work we need to shift attention from technical to living systems, from compromise to reconciliation, from the project to the place and the living systems that sustain it. Let's open the integrated design toolbox and look at the resources and relationships being put to work for a project at the Yestermorrow school in Vermont.


Is One World Enough? Thriving Within Planetary Boundaries

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cityview 2
Session Chair(s): Amelia Amon
Session Speaker(s): David Foley Jon Foley Tyler Volk

By 2050 the human population may reach 9 billion. Economic growth rates, if continued, would lead to an average material standard of living comparable to middle-class Europeans today. This poses immense challenges in energy, agriculture, land use, resources, water and pollution. Can we begin envisioning these challenges? What "planetary boundaries" affect our growth and consumption and what might these challenges imply for design, engineering and construction?


Working With Living Communities

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Wednesday, March 7, Cityview 2
Session Chair(s): Jesse Selman
Session Speaker(s): Diego Angarita Horowitz Ben Falk M.A.L.D. Dillon Sussman

What does it take to create healthy communities culturally, economically and ecologically? We will examine inspiring case studies where human communities and natural communities are interacting and successfully building on one another. We will show tools for working with living systems, including innovative forms of agriculture and place regeneration. We will learn what working with living systems teaches us about creating community while engaging with both the natural world and the built environment.


Finding Your Place in the Next Economy

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, March 8, Cityview 2
Session Chair(s): John Abrams
Session Speaker(s): Marjorie Kelly Terry Mollner

Our economy is based on constant growth, but the growth economy is likely to skid to a halt (or it may have already done so). Many are working on the transition to a new steady-state economy, but what will it mean for us? John Abrams will convene a conversation with several leading practitioners and advocates for the New Economy.


Evolving Beauty: Nature's System of Design

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview 2
Session Chair(s): Amelia Amon
Session Speaker(s): Justin Good David Rothenberg

Evolving cycles through pattern, creativity and affinity create beauty over millennia. Design is also an iterative process, searching for cohesion while maintaining exuberant gestures. We'll explore aesthetics as a way to unify problem solving, even at the scale and complexity of energy systems. Harmonized systems benefit the larger systems that contain them and sustain those within them. We will probe why animals, humans included, innately appreciate such patterns of interconnection and why nature is beautiful.


Whole Systems Practices for Urban Areas: Greening the Harbor and City Neighborhoods

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview 2
Session Chair(s): Henry MacLean
Session Speaker(s): John Dalzell Antonio Di Mambro Anamarija Frankic

The restoration of complex ecosystems, whether natural or man-made, is best approached through a whole-systems framework. This session will explore two innovative initiatives seeking to restore and revitalize our urban environments; the Greening of Boston Harbor and the Greening of the City of Boston. Through these eco-urban initiatives, we will examine the scope and tools of whole-system practices and how an integrated approach to environmental, economical, and social restoration is revitalizing this metro area.


Closing Forum

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Thursday, March 8, Cityview Ballroom
Session Speaker(s):

This session opens with a special presentation by Senator Jutta Blankau of the City of Hamburg, Germany, whose vision helped shape the energy-efficient future of Hamburg. Following the presentation, we will invite the group to think about their experience over the past three days at the BuildingEnergy Conference and consider: What have we learned? What future can we now design? Participants will be invited to join communities of practice that share their goals and interests.


Workshops - Tuesday 3/6/2012

Track Chair(s):




Canceled, Sorry!!!- Large-Scale Multi-Family Done Right

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Peter Baker Philip Kerrigan Jr., PE Ken Neuhauser James Petersen Betsy Pettit

Castle Square Apartments, Boston, a 1960s-era affordable property, is the largest Deep Energy Retrofit in the US taking place right now, involving 192 of its 500 apartments. The project will slash energy usage by 72 percent, whereas the typical energy efficiency measures only result in an average energy savings of about 30 percent. Doing what is typical is not going to make enough of a difference in reducing our carbon footprint, and the Castle Square project represents a fascinating case study in going well beyond average measures. This project is especially interesting because it is not a gut rehab. Residents will stay in their apartments during the renovation, with minimal disruption. In addition to dramatic energy savings, the renovation of Castle Square Apartments is expected to achieve LEED Gold Certification. The renovation will utilize green building materials, improve indoor air quality, and reduce water consumption. Castle Square Apartments is not a fancy luxury apartment complex or one-off project. It is low- and moderate-income housing, owned by residents, the Castle Square Tenants Organization, 501(c)3, with minority interest held by Winn Companies. Residents are the key drivers for this Deep Energy Retrofit approach. This workshop will be led by Betsy Pettit of Building Science Corporation and will include presentations by several key members of the Castle Square team.


Pathways to Net Zero

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Mike Duclos R. Carter Scott

This workshop will take you, step-by-step, from designing and building to Code, to Energy Star, to Stretch Code and finally all the way to Net Zero and Passive House. What does it take to get from one level to the next? Learn what changes you must make with regard to construction details, mechanical systems, materials choices and design decisions. Hear about the most cost effective ways to move from one level to the next. For residential architects and custom builders new to high-performance construction but looking to regain a competitive advantage in today's marketplace, this is the workshop to attend.


The Secret is in the System: Better Products, Better Profit, Better for the Planet

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6, Cityview 2
Session Speaker(s): Linda Booth Sweeney Sara Schley

The climate is a system; NESEA is a system; your business is a system. All systems, regardless of scale, can be described and analyzed using the same tools. Systems thinking is able to analyze break-downs in small organizations such as design or construction firms just as effectively as it can identify problems on macro scales, such as natural resource depletion issues or "the tragedy of the commons." This workshop will provide participants with the tools they need to begin to comprehend the various components of systems in action, to understand where a system may be under-performing or failing outright, and to identify the leverage points that will enable those working on or in the system to apply the least effort to effect the greatest positive change.


Testing for Air Leakage in Big Buildings

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Terry Brennan Gary Nelson Collin Olson

If you're a commercial building architect, developer or management company, large-building blower door tests are in your future. Air-leakage control plays a key role in managing fire risks, moisture and odors. LEED for Homes Mid-Rise and EPA's MFHR are all highlighting compartmentalization within large buildings as a priority, but very few people know why or how to do large-building blower door tests. This hands-on workshop will be led by a top team of practitioners, including Terry Brennan and Gary Nelson.


Understanding Inefficiency and Potential Retrofits in Multifamily Buildings

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Erica Brabon F.L. Andrew Padian Bernice Radle

Multifamily Buildings are notoriously inefficient as compared to single family homes per square foot for numerous reasons. Often very profitable, these buildings' owners are not prone to messing with success; they fail to see energy efficiency as both a profit center and a complaint reduction device. Further, studies show that efficient multifamily buildings have lower vacancy rates and more stable tenancy, further increasing cash flow. This class will discuss the science of multifamily building efficiency in the morning, and in the afternoon will it will take you to a multifamily building for a walk-through to see how a multifamily building energy audit is performed.


Energy Basics

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6, Beacon Hill Complex
Session Speaker(s): Matt Root

Do you know how much energy you home uses or how that compares with similar homes? If you double the insulation in your house, will you cut your heating energy in half? How many photovoltaic panels will it take for your house to get to Net Zero Energy? Just what does Net Zero Energy mean, anyway? If you have lots of questions that you're too embarrassed to ask, this workshop is just the place for you. We will cover the basics of energy usage, heat loss and heat gain, fundamentals of building science, rules of thumb, renewable energy and a host of other topics. You will start the morning as a novice but will end the afternoon as an expert.


Canceled, Sorry!!! Sustainability & Resilience Planning

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Joel Gordes Maureen Hart Donald Watson

Sustainability is a much-used but still often confusing term first defined in the 1987 book, Our Common Future. It is defined there as meet[ing] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This workshop will set out the blueprint for what concepts make up sustainability, going beyond the popular but limited concept of solar panels and LEED buildings. We will explore how participants may apply many of these same principals and will speak on the need to include resiliency into sustainability, not just in our buildings but more holistically into community design. Also included will be how practitioners can develop metrics to measure their progress toward these ends and the tools to accurately determine this. Join us as we take our knowledge and apply it to why we need to make resiliency an important element of planning and design and as we discuss some ways in which we can accomplish this.


Deciding How to Heat Your House or Building

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Bart Bales Stan Swiercz

Bart Bales, PE, MSME of Bales Energy Associates, presents this workshop developed as a co-venture by Bales Energy Associates and the Center for Eco Technology. In an interactive format, heating engineer Bart Bales will guide participants through the process of choosing the best heating system from the perspective of the design decision-maker: builder, architect, heating contractor, engineer, or owner. Scenarios that will be considered include designs for retrofits (an existing building with either an old hot water boiler or an old steam boiler) and designs for new systems for new buildings. The session will also include the results of recent field testing of installed condensing boiler systems and identify potential opportunities for even more efficient operation of these state-of-the-art systems.


Passive House and Beyond, Part I

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Marc Rosenbaum

If you have heard about the Passive House Standard but would like to know more , or if you know the basics but would like more details, this workshop will provide you with an excellent in-depth introduction to the Passive House principles and practices. We will answer questions regarding what Passive House actually is, how it compares with other "green" building standards and if it is a viable standard for a New England climate. This half-day morning workshop will serve as an excellent lead-in to the more advanced Passive House workshop in the afternoon.


Solar Thermal is Heating Up: Best Practices and Performance Data (Field trip included!)

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Leo Bedard Christopher Beebe Erica Boyle Marci Brunner Andy Brydges Bill Colonis Kate Epsen Michael Hogan Christie Howe Amanda Treat

Welcome to the BE12 Solar Thermal Best Practices forum! Experts discuss design, installation, and other important considerations in constructing a residential or commercial scale solar thermal system. Under review will be solar thermal performance data collected from throughout the Northeast, including preliminary data from 35 residential solar thermal systems and numerous commercial-scale solar thermal systems currently being monitored by the Mass Clean Energy Center. The morning session will wrap up with an overview and update on state solar thermal incentive programs in MA, NH, CT, NY, VT, and ME. After lunch, board the bus for a valuable field trip to visit several solar hot water installations around Cambridge and Boston.


Residential Deep Energy Retrofits: Case Studies and ROI Analysis

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): William Brownsberger Paul Eldrenkamp Henry MacLean Marie McMahon Meehan Ken Neuhauser

Massachusetts utilities have had their residential Deep Energy Retrofit pilot programs up and running for two years now. We have had a chance to get a few dozen of these projects designed, built, and lived in for several months to over a year at this point. This full-day workshop will present a range of viewpoints on the projects, from technical details, to design challenges, to homeowner experiences, to early adopter learning curves. Presenters will include DER contractors, architects, homeowners, and program administrators. Those who would benefit from this workshop include: contractors, architects, and designers interested in participating in a DER pilot program; homeowners deciding whether their home is a good candidate; policy makers who are curious about the scalability of this strategy; and environmental advocates who want to understand the ramifications of this approach to making our housing stock part of the solution to energy and environmental challenges rather than an ongoing part of the problem itself.


Lighting 101: Basics of Energy-Effective Lighting

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Naomi Miller

Electric lighting gobbles up a large chunk of energy in homes, commercial applications and outdoors. For decades we have had energy-efficient options to incandescent, but they required some sacrifice in color, size, audible noise, glare or dimmability. Fluorescent and HID light sources are great options in the right applications, but now we have LEDs to fill in the gaps in the lighting toolbox. In order to do a good job of designing/engineering lighting, it is vital to understand the basic quantities and qualities of light. Once these concepts are mastered, the designer can evaluate the pros and cons of different flavors of lamps and luminaires and controls.


Advanced Integrated Mechanical Systems for Passive Houses

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Katrin Klingenberg

Katrin Klingenberg, the architect who brought Passive House to the United States a decade ago, will present three built case studies in different climates and the first measured results of the performance of those systems. Topics covered will be mechanical systems designed for extremely low-energy homes (homes for which conventional HVAC systems are too large), including equipment selection and lay-out; domestic hot water systems, dealing with dehumidification when there's very little cooling demand; and lessons learned from the first ten years of Passive House in North America.


High Performance Ventilation

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Robb Aldrich Sean Maxwell

Mechanical ventilation is a necessity in today's high-performance residential buildings, and the adage "build tight, ventilate right" has never been more meaningful. The problem is, ventilating right can actually be quite difficult. More than just choosing the right fan, good ventilation requires an understanding of codes and standards and great attention to detail during design and construction. This half-day workshop will cover a wide range of residential ventilation challenges in great detail and at a level that is accessible to novices but rewarding to those with some experience. Case studies from high-rise and low-rise, new construction and retrofit will add real-world applicability to what you learn here.


Passive House and Beyond, Part II

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Marc Rosenbaum

There has been an active Passive House community in New England for a few years now, and around twelve buildings have been certified as meeting the Passive House Standard. So, what are we learning about Passive House and what are we still learning? Can we draw any conclusions as to its viability and applicability in New England? How is the Passive House movement shaping green building in our region and where are things heading? This half-day afternoon workshop can be taken as an extension to the "Passive House and Beyond, Part I" workshop in the morning, or as a stand-alone workshop.


Lighting 201: Energy-Effective Luminaires and Controls

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Naomi Miller

Designers and engineers who have mastered the basics need to be able to evaluate different luminaire options based on energy efficiency, light distribution, life and maintenance, controllability and other factors. LEDs have changed the playing field dramatically in the last two years, so there will be emphasis on the pros and cons of this technology. This workshop will introduce the criteria for a range of basic product types such as accent lighting, retail lighting, recessed ambient lighting, and many others. It will introduce the audience to a set of steps for energy-effective lighting design and suggest resources for learning more. Basic control options for all of the light sources discussed will be presented.


Commercial and Institutional Net-Zero Buildings: Methods and Case Studies

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): Luke McKneally Steven Strong

Pioneering practitioners have been fielding Zero-Net-Energy residences for decades and the success formulae is now even being applied to moderate-income housing. The next Zero-Net frontier is the commercial and institutional sector which is an order-of-magnitude more challenging. Commercial & institutional facilities tend to be far more energy intensive, have much less eligible aperture for solar harvest and are less able to rely on the energy efficient philosophy of the occupants for success. This session will present the emerging next generation of Zero-Net-Energy commercial & institutional buildings powered by wind and solar in different climate zones from coast to coast.


Renewable Energy Technologies and Climate Change Mitigation

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 6
Session Speaker(s): William Moomaw Janet Sawin

This workshop is a must for anyone interested in gaining access to the most up-to-date summary of the status, advantages and disadvantages of all renewable energy technologies: solar, biomass, hydro, geothermal, oceans and wind. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recently released a thousand-page report that is global in scope. The workshop presenters were two of the convening lead authors of the study and will present the results which provide examples from Europe, China, Japan and other countries that have important lessons for the US. We will discuss the ability and likelihood that renewable energy technologies can meet our energy needs, explained in terms of economic cost and the technical potential of each technology.


Site Home Go to Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Home page