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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Workshops & Tours
5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Street Party Welcome Reception
Thursday, October 10, 2019
8:30-9:45 a.m. Opening Plenary + Keynotes
Economic Engine of Zero: Investment and Communities (1 AIA LU|HSW CEU)
Room: Grand Ballroom
Policy leaders are setting resolute goals and plans to cut energy and reduce carbon emissions. In response business investments are accelerating around a new clean energy economy. But what is the risk for disadvantaged communities that are not able to actively participate? This plenary session examines the need to advance investment that supports economic growth through research and development as well as provide healthy community development. Our keynote speakers will showcase the importance of financial standards that deliver on economic growth with reducing climate impacts and also spotlight the systems-level thinking that can provide equitable solutions that are beneficial to all.
Moderator: Bill Sisson, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Presenters:
Jigar Shah, Generate Capital
Kat Taylor, Beneficial State Bank, Presentation
9:45-10:15 a.m. Networking Break
10:15-11:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions
Choice morning breakout sessions will delve deep into key aspects of getting to zero buildings through California policy, financing, embodied carbon, zero energy design, building-grid optimization, and zero energy programs.
Policy and Legislative Drivers for Decarbonization in California (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 1
Building decarbonization is an emerging solution to address statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals. This session looks at key legislative, regulatory, and gubernatorial initiatives driving decarbonization in California, including the roles of the state agencies involved. What role will the state’s energy code for buildings have driving energy efficiency and decarbonization, including the important prospective roles for local governments around local “reach” codes? Multiple scenarios involving varying rates of decarbonization, and how those scenarios impact emissions footprints over time will be discussed.
Moderator: Dian Grueneich, California Public Utilities Commission
Presenters:
Merrian Borgeson, NRDC, California Building Decarbonization Policy Update
Charles Eley, Consultant-at-Large, Title 24, The Role of Cities, and “Reach” Codes
Amber Mahone, E3, Buildings in California’s Low-Carbon Future
Busting the Cost Barrier of Zero through Smart Finance and Collaboration (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 210/211
Cost is the number one perceived barrier to zero energy projects even though many have been able to achieve success at no additional cost. Learn how ultra-low energy buildings combined with on-site renewables, and energy storage impacts energy savings, long-term project value, and financing decisions. Experts will show how they evaluate various financial instruments for zero energy buildings and associated solar and storage installations. Understand the crucial issues when gauging financing options, including tax-exempt leases, sale-leaseback, partnership-flip, and cash purchase scenarios.
Moderator: Jessica Pitts, Flywheel Development
Presenters:
David McIlhenny, SunPower Corporation | Frank Di Massa, Contra Costa County Public Works Department
Financing Solar-Plus-Storage: A Winning Combination for Getting to Zero
Tim McDonald, Onion Flats, The New Gravity Project: How Onion Flats is Driving NZE Affordable Housing Nationwide
Policies on Embodied Carbon (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 208
Government policies to limit carbon emissions from the building sector have historically focused on energy use. However, energy-related operational carbon is only part of the total carbon emitted over a building’s lifecycle. Increasingly, governments are recognizing that they also have policy options to limit embodied carbon related to building materials and construction. These can take different forms, such as limiting emissions from specific high-impact materials, requiring whole building lifecycle analysis, or zero carbon certification that includes embodied carbon. A range of policy case studies will be presented, along with a discussion about the pros and cons of each approach.
Moderator: Prodipto Roy, Energy Innovation
Presenters:
Bruce King, Ecological Building Network
Kathryn Phillips, Sierra Club
Eden Brukman, City of San Francisco
Stories from the Zero Energy Trenches and Operational War Rooms (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 4
Deep energy savings can be achieved through integrated energy efficiency measures and off-the-shelf products readily available today. Attendees and presenters will discuss common commercial and residential construction design and technology applications and illustrate the importance of integrating building systems for low-energy outcomes. Operations, another essential aspect to achieving zero energy goals, will be covered including performance with green leases, building management, and share lessons learned from occupant studies that show how users respond to efficiency measures and if they can meet zero energy goals.
Moderator: Jacob Corvidae, Rocky Mountain Institute
Presenters:
Scott Shell, EHDD, Lessons Learned in Commercial and Residential NZE
Paul Mathew, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Cindy Regnier, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Making Integrated Systems Easy and Routine Through Packaging And Standardization
Jen Loomis, Opinion Dynamics Corporation, The Secrets to Meeting Energy Goals: Commercial Design Teams Tell All!
GridOptimal: Connecting Electric Grid Needs with Building Opportunities to Stabilize and Decarbonize the Grid (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Uptown
The modern electric grid working to evolve as the historic grid infrastructure strains to handle the growing number of distributed energy resources and smart systems. Experts looking at ways to design buildings for grid-optimal performance are using modeling analysis that layers ever-shifting carbon intensity and grid demand over the hourly annual energy model in order to understand the actual time-based carbon emissions of a building. Learn about a new metric for GridOptimal Buildings that offers energy flexibility in buildings, which can be leveraged as a carbon reduction strategy. Presenters will show how GridOptimal was applied at Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) Headquarters to demonstrate both decarbonization and grid harmonization strategies into the building design.
Moderator: Alexi Miller, New Buildings Institute, GridOptimal Session Intro
Presenters:
Brad Jacobson, EHDD, Sonoma Clean Power Headquarters: A Case Study of the First Grid Optimal Pilot Project
Mark MacCracken, CALMAC, a portfolio of Trane, Building Strategies for More Optimal Grid Operation
Ted Tiffany, Guttmann & Blaevoet Consulting Engineers, Grid Harmonization and Building Decarbonization Cannot Be Separate Topics
Rachel Kuykendall, Sonoma Clean Power, Building Decarbonization and Grid Harmonization in a Clean Utility Future
Changemakers: Scaling Zero Energy and Carbon Through Commitments(1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 2-3
Addressing climate change requires a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors. Private corporations, private non-profits, and utilities are all pushing to advance zero in their communities and business. Hear from changemakers that are committing to get to zero including Toyota working to reduce carbon across operations, LADWP redeveloping a major property, districts participating in DOE’s Zero Energy District Accelerator, and Consumers Energy encouraging deep energy savings in the Midwest.
Moderator: Sarah Zaleski, U.S. Department of Energy
Presenters:
Mark Yamauchi, Toyota Motor North America, Decarbonization at Scale: Toyota’s Environmental Challenge 2050
Celia Hoag, DNV GL | Benjamin Glendening, Consumers Energy
Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Companion Program
Nancy Sutley, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power | Diane Hamlin, HDR Architecture
Walking the Talk – LADWP commits to NZ Energy on New Power Yards
11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch in the Exhibitor Showcase Expo Hall & Innovation Stage
12:15 p.m.-12:30 p.m. Development of Energy Efficient Glazing Technologies through Innovation and Collaboration
Access to natural daylighting and views are essential for our health and productivity, however sometimes these can come at a cost with respect to energy efficiency. As a leader in glazing technology, Pilkington will share how to meet the ZEB challenge and provide examples of some products and technical developments that can contribute in both existing as well as new construction.
Neil McSporran, PhD, Business Development Manager, Pilkington North America12:45 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Large-scale Commercial Heat Pump Water Heating
An introduction to domestic water heating for multifamily and commercial buildings using heat pump water heaters. This session will look at the benefits of heat pumps, equipment used, and how HPWH systems differ from traditional gas or electric.
Brian Culler, Applications Engineer, Colmac WaterHeat
1-2:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions
Early afternoon breakout sessions continue to dig in on the details providing a setting where conversations and vital connections can happen. Real-world experiences offer practical insights and information..
Decarbonization and the Grid: Impacts and Issues (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 1
California’s decarbonization goals impact electric and gas infrastructure by increasing electric demand and reducing gas use, potentially increasing costs for utilities. As more all electric buildings emerge and the electric demand grows, utility operators are seeking to incentivize building load flexibility in order to support healthy grid operations, including aligning energy generation and building energy demand. This session will review the high-level needs of the energy transmission and distribution systems and probe the impact of building energy load demands on grid investment requirements. Presenters will also discuss how issues around gas infrastructure costs and cost recovery under various scenarios including greater and lesser amounts of natural gas and renewable gas throughput.
Moderator: Ahmad Faruqui, The Brattle Group
Presenters:
Paul Torcellini, NREL, Efficiency and Load Flexibility: What’s the Right Mix?
Matthew Tisdale, Gridworks, California’s Gas System in Transition
Arindam Maitra, EPRI, Key Drivers for T&D Investment
Driving Innovation to Reduce Costs in Affordable Housing (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Uptown
Affordable housing developers are a natural fit to get buildings to zero because of their long view on investment, mission, and history of progressive leadership. However, affordable housing faces intense financial and public pressures to “maximize unit count,” which sometimes limits benefits to occupants. Scaling low-energy, affordable housing requires collaboration between foundations, utilities, local jurisdictions, banks, and impact investors to provide the necessary funding that catalyzes action. Speakers will share strategies for maximize housing units while reducing energy use and carbon emissions, as well as the tools and scalable solutions that are transforming affordable housing development.
Moderator: Curtis Caton, Pyatok
Presenters:
Patrick O’Shei, NYSERDA, Driving Innovation and Reducing Costs: Lessons from NY’s Investment in Carbon Neutral Multi-family Housing
Connor Jansen, Slipstream | Sean Denniston, New Buildings Institute
A Prescriptive Solution for Affordable Housing Performance Ills
Steve Gelb, Emerald Cities, Community-Based Catalysts for Zero Carbon Affordable Housing
The Human Dimension of Carbon: Community Approaches to Decarbonization (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 210
Getting to zero in the building sector necessitates comprehensive policy reform at all levels as well as labor support, which is essential for a successful transition to zero-emission buildings. Attendees will hear about a school district’s framework for implementing zero carbon construction in a school district setting, and perspectives on how to maximize labor benefits for building electrification engaging with labor unions and the workforce productively. Integrated solutions across energy efficiency and conservation, scalable renewable energy generation, and community engagement used to support an existing low-income neighborhood get to zero energy will be shared.
Moderator: Rachel Golden, Sierra Club
Presenters:
Nik Kaestner, San Francisco Unified School District, Now the Hard Part, Implementing a Districtwide ZNE Plan
Betony Jones, Inclusive Economics, Prioritizing the Workforce in a Just Transition to Zero Emission Buildings
Farhad Farahmand, TRC Solutions, Opening the Door to ZNE for Disadvantaged Communities
Vinh Mason, City of Portland, Building Grassroots Movements for Zero
Retrofitting Yesterday’s Buildings for Today’s to Zero Energy Goals (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 4
Nearly 99% of all buildings are not built to current energy codes, which makes opportunities for energy savings in existing buildings vast. Building deconstruction and reuse immediately reduces a building’s carbon footprint as well as provides an opportunity to save money. Attendees will hear different technologies and strategies used to achieve zero energy retrofits in existing building types. Learn how to ‘design for disassembly’ in order to ensure that structures’ materials will be used again in the future, reducing future embodied carbon.
Moderator: Ruth Cox, Prospect Silicon Valley
Presenters:
Dave Bennink, Building Deconstruction Institute/Re-Use Consulting, The Next Big Thing: Building Deconstruction
Kristin Larson, Center for Sustainable Energy, Retrofitting Existing Municipal Buildings to ZNE: The City of San Diego “ZN3″ Project
Andrea Gulyas, SmithGroup | Marshall Andrews, DPR Construction, Path to Net Zero
Andrew Brooks, Association of Energy Affordability
Scaling Residential Zero Carbon Retrofits to Improve the Multifamily Housing Market
Codes and Policies to Advance Zero Goals, Part 1: Policies for Retrofits and New Construction (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 2-3
States and local governments are actively developing policy approaches aimed at driving towards zero energy and/or zero carbon new buildings and deep emission reductions for existing buildings. Across jurisdictions, successful strategies involve a combination of voluntary programs, policy tools, and codes. Presenters from New York State, Metro Boston, Denver, and the USGBC will provide a snapshot of approaches that are being taken in their jurisdictions and by leaders across North America to achieve energy and carbon goals by leveraging voluntary programs, mandatory and stretch codes, and other local government tools to drive change. A facilitated discussion on these themes will follow the presentations.
Moderator: Micah Lang, City of Vancouver
Presenters:
Cammy Peterson, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Zero to 101: Accelerating the Pathway to Net Zero for the 101 Cities and Towns of Metro Boston
Greg Hale, NYSERDA, A Road Map for Carbon Neutral Buildings and the Green New Deal
Katrina Managan, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, The Path to Net Zero New Construction by 2035 in Denver, Colorado
Elizabeth Beardsley, USGBC, Chasing Zero in Light of Multiple City Objectives: Policy Developments
Scaling Single-Family Zero to Transform Communities (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 208
The demand for zero energy homes has increased, and they are no longer custom single-family homes surrounded by conventional houses. ZE communities are being built in for all homeowners–retirees, affordable housing rentals, and neighborhood development. Hear from designers and developers of several large scale zero energy housing projects that explore design and construction strategies to achieve zero energy and how they dovetail with socially-rich, age-in-place design, financing models and marketing strategies that brought the projects to fruition.
Moderator: Tim McDonald, Onion Flats
Presenters:
Stephen Aiguier, Green Hammer, Zero Energy at Every Age: A Case Study in Zero Energy Senior Living
Garth Torvestad, ConSol, California’s Largest Single-Family ZNE Communities: Designing, Marketing, Building and Measuring Performance
Ian Blanding, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance | William Bryan, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance
How to Get to Zero: A Multi-state Comparison of Zero Energy Ready Homes
2:30-2:45 p.m. Networking Break
2:45-4:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions 3
The third set of 90-minute breakout sessions will examine transforming portfolios, policies, and operations to get to zero energy and zero carbon. The real-life examples will inspire new ideas and innovative approaches to problem solving.
Decarbonizing the Existing Building Stock: Issues and Opportunities (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 1
A strong consensus has emerged around the concept that “new” construction is relatively easy and cost-effective to decarbonize. But what about existing buildings, most of which will still be in service 25 years from now? In sequence, this session will look at the challenges, opportunities, and nascent approaches for decarbonizing single family homes, multi-family residential buildings, and commercial buildings.
Moderator: David Goldstein, NRDC
Presenters:
Scott Blunk, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Decarbonizing Existing Buildings
Abhijeet Pande, TRC Solutions, Multifamily Net Zero Retrofits
John Andary, Integral Group, Commercial Buildings: Getting to Zero Cost
Jurisdictions Lead by Example with Zero Building Portfolios (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 210/211
To meet energy and carbon reduction goals, local governments with assorted facilities must take a holistic portfolio approach to upgrades. Attendees will see the roadmaps created to develop energy and carbon reduction goals, including the plan for policy development, facility improvement prioritization, team-building, data management, energy benchmarking and advanced analysis, and performance reporting. Learn about the efficiency and renewable energy technologies that are transforming large building portfolios and the associated energy savings.
Moderator: Beth Brummitt, Brummitt Energy Associates Inc.
Presenters:
Sharon Grant, Eco Edge | Rimas Gulbinas, Maalka
Aligning Municipal Policies and Actions with Energy and Carbon Reduction Goals
Dan Burgoyne, CA Department of General Services | Wade Hughes, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Getting California to Zero
Susan Freed, County of San Diego, Zero Energy Initiatives
Codes and Policies to Advance Zero Goals, Part 2: Codes (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 2-3
Effective zero energy building design starts with an energy target, which coupled with codes have the potential to advance zero energy and carbon for both individual buildings and communities. Leading jurisdictions are already implementing energy targets to guide policy toward achieving their carbon and energy reduction goals. California, British Columbia, and a growing number of large and small cities are setting energy and electrification goals for 2030 and beyond. This session will discuss the leadership and collaboration necessary to plan, create, and implement above code standards to transform the market.
Moderator: Jim Edelson, New Buildings Institute
Presenters:
Heidi Werner, Energy Solutions, Building Codes for Net Zero
Kevin Carbonnier, New Buildings Institute, What is the End Goal? High Performance Energy Targets for Zero Energy Commercial Buildings
Bob Deeks, RDC Fine Homes | Robyn Wark, BC Hydro
Codifying to Zero with the BC Energy Step Code
Billi Romain, City of Berkeley, Electrifying Buildings in Berkeley
Beyond Design: Verifying Zero Through Operations (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 4
Predictive data is only an educated guess of how much energy buildings will use, leaving the onus on the building operations team to meet energy and carbon targets. This session will focus on the technical and financial feasibility of taking standard sustainable design and operations to the next levels and detail the key performance strategies and critical steps for success. Presenters will share studies that compared predictive energy models and operational energy data in over 100 buildings, illustrating the performance gap and explain why buildings do not meet modeled predictions. Case studies will examine operational strategies, trade skill needs, the role of the big data and artificial intelligence, as well as other techniques are expected to have on facility management operations and costs.
Moderator: Nick Bagatelos, Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems
Presenters:
Jenny McMinn, Urban Equation | Craig McIntyre, EQ Building Performance
Diagnosing the Performance Gap between Design and Operational Building Energy Use
Steve Kemp, RDH Building Science Inc. | Anthony Cupido, Mohawk College
Beyond Design: Verifying Zero Through Operations, Joyce Centre for Partnership and Innovation
Mustapha Beydoun, Houston Advanced Research Center | Carlos Gamarra, Houston Advanced Research Center
The Road to Zero Energy and Beyond
Integrating Utility and Customer Needs: The Value of Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Uptown
Climate change and the evolving demands on the electrical grid are creating opportunities for buildings and grid operators alike to benefit from reduced cost and a more reliability. Critical synergies are emerging between renewables, energy-storage, and passive strategies to take our buildings and our electrical grid into a decarbonized future while supporting resilience. This session will share industry-leading efforts to turn buildings into profitable, grid interactive, efficient resources. Presenters will discuss the importance of grid interactive, efficient buildings, the value based on findings from a recent analysis and emerging test bed efforts.
Moderator: Kevin Powell, General Services Administration
Presenters:
Margo Rettig, SERA Architects | Ruwan Jayaweera, PAE Engineers
Strategies and Synergies: Resilience, Passive Design, and Smart Grid Optimization
Marshall Keneipp, Tierra Resource Consultants | Mark Wilhelm, Tierra Resource Consultants
Integrating Utility and Customer Goals for Synergistic Benefits
Cara Carmichael, Rocky Mountain Institute, The Value of Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings for GSA
Decarbonizing and Electrifying Multifamily Housing (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 208
All-electric new construction can help communities realize a decarbonized building stock, while also working on weaning existing buildings off of fossil fuels via electrification and renewables. Case studies will illustrate the benefits of electric buildings, and share the challenges designers may face when taking on electrification. Attendees will learn about the cost of electrification, and a scalable framework for going all-electric, including a design-practitioner assessment tool which is intended to optimize packages of energy efficiency strategies to achieve zero energy for the multifamily residential sector.
Moderator: Faith Graham, NEWHAB
Presenters:
Nick Dirr, Association For Energy Affordability | Miya Kitahara, StopWaste
Integrating Decarbonization Strategies into Multifamily Retrofit and Construction Programs
Hilary Noll, Mithun, Making Every Multifamily Affordable Housing Project All-Electric and ZNE-Ready: Lessons from Five Bay Area Projects
Nick Young, Association for Energy Affordability | John Neal, Association for Energy Affordability
Decarbonizing Affordable Multifamily Buildings: The One-Two Punch of Electrification + Solar PV
4:30-5:30 p.m. End of Day Plenary
Solar Decathlon 2019 Design Challenge
Room: Grand Ballroom
Introduced by Stacey Rothgeb, the Solar Decathlon 2019 Design Challenge winners will present their winning designs in a fast-paced, engaging presentation. Students from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in the Elementary School Division will demonstrate the best blend of architectural and engineering excellence with innovation, market potential, building efficiency, and smart energy production.
Presenters:
Stacey Rothgeb, NREL
Austin Carf, Miami Univeristy
Grace Pilkington, Miami University
Tackling Deep Carbon Reductions Throughout the Building Lifecycle (1 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Grand Ballroom
Addressing the climate impacts of carbon emissions from the built environment requires innovative thinkers to transform buildings throughout its lifecycle. Embodied carbon before construction, operational energy and carbon, and embodied carbon near end of life. The combined effort of organizations addressing carbon reduction will support the zero carbon future. This plenary will feature innovations including a tool to select building products that reduce embodied carbon, how AI can reduce building energy and carbon through algorithms, and a program to breathe new energy efficiency into existing multifamily buildings, reducing the carbon. When these ideas are combined throughout a buildings life, they offer serious solutions for carbon reduction.
Moderator: Nancy Ander, Department of General Services
Presenters:
Susan Kennedy, Advanced Microgrid Solutions
Katie Ross, Microsoft, Solving Both Sides of the Equation
Jasper van den Munckhof, Energiesprong, Desirable, Warm and Affordable Homes for Life
5:30-7 p.m. Exhibitor Showcase Reception in Expo Hall & Innovation Stage
5:45 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Selecting Appropriate Networked Lighting Controls
Networked Lighting Controls (NLCs) are becoming easier to specify, install and use: with wireless communication, multi-sensors in every luminaire, and mobile apps. In this session you will learn how to use the DLC NLC Qualified Products List of nearly 50 NLC systems, to select an appropriate system for each of your projects.
Levin Nock, PhD, Technical Manager, DesignLights Consortium (DLC)6:15 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Metrics for Building Performance Modeling
This presentation will cover the range of appropriate energy/carbon metrics which can be used for Building Performance Modeling and will reference various codes, standards and rating systems.
Liam Buckley, Vice-President, IES West Coast6:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Induction Appliance Explanation and Hands On Demo
Don’t miss the appliance demonstration in Booth #32 during the Expo reception. Four appliances will be on hand representing the categories of available commercial induction equipment: cook top, griddle, soup warmer, and wok. Attendees will witness the “dollar bill” heat transfer demo while also learning about induction technologies from The Food Service Technology Center’s Consulting Chef, Mark Duesler, and Director of Education, Richard Young.
7 p.m. Dine Arounds in Oakland
Meet new friends or connect with old colleagues at one of our Dine Around Dinners hosted by friends of the Getting to Zero Forum. These organized pay-your-own way dinners offer a chance to experiences some of Oakland’s stellar culinary options. Please register using one of the links below and meet by the registration desk at 7 p.m. to walk over together.
Friday, October 11, 2019
7:30 a.m. -3 p.m. Registration Open
7:30-8:30 a.m. Last Chance Breakfast in the Exhibitor Showcase Expo Hall
8:30-10 a.m. Breakout Sessions
High-impact morning breakout sessions examine key aspects of zero energy, embodied carbon, and building electrification through codes and policy, design, and operations.
Technologies: What We Have, What We Need (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 1
Take stock of the current state of the building technologies needed to drive decarbonization at scale. Presenters will share the latest developments in heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, induction cooking, renewable energy, and energy storage systems, and discuss the options for full electric kitchens and how equipment needs differ in residential vs. commercial kitchens. This session will also provide a high-level view of needs and drivers for renewables, including renewable gas, and various forms of storage devices such as batteries and thermal storage options.
Moderator: Brett Webster, RMI
Presenters:
Ram Narayanamurthy, EPRI, Heat Pumps and Heat Pump Water Heaters
Richard Young, Food Service Technology Center, Using Energy Efficiency to Decarbonize Kitchens
Shanti Pless, NREL, Renewables, Storage and Demand Responses
Utilizing Cost Effective Solutions for Getting to Zero (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 4
With the perception that zero energy costs more, how will the design and construction industry move toward zero energy as standard practice? This session will look at the key factors driving higher construction costs, review a set of principles and ideas to reduce costs significantly. Presenters will share new cost research, and case studies will cover how to balance efficiency with cost-effectiveness.
Moderator: Lisa Matthiessen, HGA
Presenters:
Jessica Iplikci, Energy Trust of Oregon | Shilpa Surana, NEEA
Getting from A to ZE: How an Oregon Utility Program is Charting the Way with Net Zero Fellowship Research Grants
Mike Steffen, Walsh Construction Co., Exploring A Path To More Cost-Efficient, Energy-Efficient (Zero Energy) Affordable Housing
Philip Donovan, Little | Alex Lowrie, Little
Net Zero and On Budget: What We Did and How Much It Cost
A Global Call to Action for Zero Embodied Carbon (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 208
Getting to zero requires targeting both operating and embodied carbon. Buildings are responsible for 39% of global carbon emissions–28% attributed to operational carbon, and 11% to embodied emissions from materials and construction processes. As the industry responds to the challenge of eliminating operational carbon emissions from the energy consumption of buildings through design improvements, standards and regulations, embodied carbon becomes even more significant. This session will present a theory of change with case studies that aim to be zero embodied carbon discussing the feasibility of building density goals on embodied and operating carbon and explain the role that building reuse plays in achieving a zero carbon future.
Moderator: Tony Saracino, Autodesk
Presenters:
Victoria Burrows, WorldGBC, Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront
Ann Edminster, Design AVEnues LLC | Larry Strain, Siegel & Strain Architects
Thinking Small, Not Tall, to Get to Zero Carbon
Marsha Maytum, LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects | Ryan Jang, LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects
Embodied Carbon & High Performance in Landmark Structures: The Transformation of Fort Mason Pier 2
The Next Challenges in Electrification (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 2-3
Getting to zero leaders can go farther, faster, together to develop innovative, durable, and equitable policies and buildings that can address energy use in buildings. Attendees will get an update on the landscape of policy to address energy use and carbon emissions in buildings. Electric building case studies will highlight all-electric space and water heating systems, with both airside, waterside heat recovery, and show how we can maximize the potential for car charging to speed growth in electric vehicle market share.
Moderator: Diane Bailey, Menlo Spark
Presenters:
Peter Vierthaler, Northwest Partners LLC, Create Capacity for Car Charging with Energy Conservation Upgrades
John Elliott, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, A Laboratory Building Electrification Case Study at Berkeley Lab
Amy Wheeless, NW Energy Coalition | Poppy Storm, 2050 Institute
Building Electrification Levers in Washington State
Building-Grid Harmonization and Decarbonization (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 210/211
Design teams are in a unique position to create buildings that improve grid operations. Attending to issues of time of energy use and peak demands will help create smart, flexible, grid-connected buildings can be an asset both in net energy reduction and peak demand management. This session will examine the steps of reducing consumption, siting renewable energy resources, and creating grid enabled buildings that go beyond building efficiency and provide the flexibility needed to help reduce grid cost and increase the reliability, resiliency, and efficiency of the electric grid.
Moderator: Greg Arcangeli, Austin Energy
Presenters:
Lisa White, Passive House Institute US, Passive Buildings as Baseline for the New Grid
Pierre Bull, Center for Sustainable Energy, Deriving New Wholesale Market Revenue Opportunities and Maximizing Customer Utility Savings with Behind-the-Meter Distributed Energy Resources (DER)
Alison Lindburg, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance | Paulomi Nandy, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Grid Interactive Buildings in the Midwest
10-10:30 a.m. Networking Break
10:30-11:30 a.m. Jolt Sessions
Jolt sessions are fast-paced one-hour events designed to present many similar topics in rapid succession. Hear how the landscape of energy storage is changing, learn about essential technologies, and see new zero case studies.
Metrics and Measures (1 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 2-3
Metrics and definitions matter. For decades building performance targets have been based on energy efficiency and are now shifting to focus on decarbonization and climate change. By evaluating building energy greenhouse gas emissions, we can form a more accurate methodology to measure the net impact of a building, offering a more truthful way of assessing our built environments. Attendees will study the differences between various energy and carbon metrics, evaluate implications for building design, and understand how these metrics can impact municipal policies to achieve zero carbon goals.
Moderator: Julie Hughes, IMT
Presenters:
David Mead, PAE | Karina Hershberg, PAE
True Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Bold New Approach to Tracking Sustainability
William Eisenstein, UC-Berkeley | Eric Rubin, Energy Solutions
Zero Carbon Buildings and Communities in California: A Feasibility Study
Margaret Pigman, Resource Refocus LLC, Metrics Matter: Exploring the Performance of ZNE Homes Using Energy and Carbon Metrics
Essential Technologies for Getting to Zero (1 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 1
The U.S. building industry is creating new products, advancing manufacturing techniques, and altering construction approaches to meet the needs of zero energy and carbon goals. This session will show attendees how building envelopes have evolved and how they progressed to achieve zero energy goals; evaluate three key standard HVAC design features that are outdated and not supporting zero energy; and understand how off-site, modular construction can overcome productivity and help zero energy buildings adoption issues in the national construction market.
Moderator: David Reynolds, ERS
Presenters:
Stacey Rothgeb, NREL | Shanti Pless, NREL
Inserting Zero Energy Design into the Growing Offsite Prefab Construction Market
Jonathan Heller, Ecotope, Design for Off: Decarbonization of Existing Buildings
Henry Siegel, Siegel & Strain Architects | Nancy Malone, Siegel & Strain Architects
Building Envelope for Net Zero Buildings: Lessons Learned Over Twenty Years
Flipping the Script on New Homes with Sales, Marketing, and Tools (1 AIA LU|HSW CEU)
Room: OCC 208
Come January 1, 2020, California’s new Energy Code will reflect the most substantial whole-building construction improvements to new single-family and multifamily residences in the country. Learn how CA is taking the initiative to flip the script and preparing the industry for change by providing tools – such as the ZNE Cookbook to provide an example, cost-optimized ZNE feature-packages – workshops, and a fresh approach to marketing and sales of California Clean Energy Homes. Ultimately, changing the narrative of energy codes being perceived as added requirements, and instead establishing new homes as better-built, healthier, and more cost-effective when compared to typical existing homes.
Moderator: Will Vicent, Southern California Edison
Presenters:
Ian Hammon-Hogan, BIRAenergy
Nick Brown, Build Smart Group
Chris Kuch, Southern California Edison
How Did They Do That? Getting to Zero in Complex Building Types (1 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 4
A zero energy misnomer is that only small, low-EUI buildings can achieve zero. Attendees will hear from three project teams that challenged this idea. First, a zero energy pharmaceutical manufacturing lab. Second, a high-volume grocery store retrofit in downtown San Francisco while keeping the doors open to customers. Third, one of the U.S.’s largest airports, San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 3, will use 60% less energy and incorporate lifecycle-cost analyses plan to incorporate best-in-class energy systems. The projects will prove that getting to zero is possible in complex building types.
Moderator: Marge Anderson, Slipstream
Presenters:
Jason Fierko, EwingCole | Thomas Kaufman, United Therapeutics
Urban Zero Energy, the Challenges and Triumphs at Unisphere
Jessica Tse, City and County of San Francisco, MarketZero: Taking an Existing Grocery Store to Scalable Near-ZNE
John Galloway, San Francisco International Airport | Alejandro Pimentel, San Francisco International Airport
Getting to Zero in Large Complex Campuses
Energy Storage Opportunities (1 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 210/211
Recent academic research and the assessment of a California energy storage incentive program have shown that behind-the-meter energy storage can cause emissions due to a mismatch of electric grid dynamics, building load profiles, and rate structures. However, emissions increases can be eliminated through careful energy storage control strategies. Attendees will hear how district-scale photovoltaics and battery banks can be implemented, optimizing system capacities and battery control strategies to maximize potential savings in first costs, annual utility costs, peak demand charges, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Moderator: Jamie Mandel, Rocky Mountain Institute
Presenters:
Jared Landsman, Integral Group, Photovoltaic and Battery Bank Optimization for District Scale Systems
Henry Richardson, WattTime | Tucker Ruberti, Enel X North America, Inc
Cleaning Up Batteries: Reducing Emissions and Cutting Costs for Building Energy Storage
Mark Frankel, New Buildings Institute, The Looming Energy Storage Revolution
11:30-12:45 p.m. Luncheon Keynote + Panel
Room: Grand Ballroom
Industry Titans Lead the Way to Market Adoption of Zero Energy and Carbon (1 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Until recently, only the most innovative architects, engineers, contractors (AEC), and developers embraced ultra-energy efficiency buildings with renewables, and building-grid integration controls. New zero energy and zero carbon pledges from leading industry trade or
ganizations are accelerating the AEC community toward zero. AIA, USGBC, ASHRAE, World Resource Institute and other industry giants have committed to progressing codes and policies, and providing their members with advanced education and design guidance for delivering on high performance buildings. Hear from market leaders about how their potential collective impact, as well as other industry commitments, can bring about the changes needed to reduce energy demand and curb carbon emissions resulting from the built environment.
Moderator: Michelle Thomas, Southern California Edison
Panelists:
Tom Phoenix, Principal | CPL Architects & Engineers, ASHRAE Presidential Member
Anica Landreneau, Director of Sustainable Design, HOK, AIA Blue Ribbon Panel Committee, Presentation
Brendan Owens, Senior Vice President, U.S. Green Building Council
Debbie Weyl, Manager at Building Efficiency with the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, World Resources Institute
1-2:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions
This final set of breakout sessions will leave you inspired as you hear about new research, policies, and buildings.
Take home lessons learned and prepare to implement them in your community.
Pioneering Pilots: Learning from Zero Programs that Transform the Market (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 208
Over the past eight years, billions of square feet of projects have reported design performance data in an effort to evolve the industry to meet zero carbon goals by 2030. Research on these buildings and the technologies incorporated contain critical clues for how firms of all sizes achieve high performance goals in design and patterns of how the 2030 goals can be met. Designers are using new research and data from getting to zero certification programs to guide design, performance validation, and recognition necessary to influence the evolution of the market in North America. This session will explore the status and progress of getting to zero programs and show how they were created to overcome market barriers and achieve deep energy savings.
Moderator: Brendan Owens, USGBC
Presenters:
Fin MacDonald, Canada Green Building Council, Piloting Zero in Canada
Gwen Fuertes, LMS Architects | Tate Walker, OPN Architects, Data Driven: How the 2030 Commitment Propels High Performance Design
Chris Ladner, Entegrity Partners, A Year of LEED Zero: Impact & Insights from Project Teams
Bryan Bomer, Green Building Division, DC Net-Zero Energy Elective Program Development
Beyond ZNE: Getting to Zero Carbon Buildings (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 1
Three project teams aim for the same goal: to blaze a trail for the next generation of zero energy to zero carbon buildings by framing the statewide potential, decarbonizing, and scaling up. Featured project stories include: (1) a zero carbon (ZC) feasibility study, conducted for six building types across five California Climate Zones, (2) a new 400,000 square foot California Air Resource Board facility balancing ultra-energy-efficient design with meeting the unique demands of an emissions testing and laboratory facility with over 400 employees, (3) the Catalyst Building, a 159,000-square-foot five-story commercial building being constructed using mass timber and likely to be the world’s largest Certified Zero Energy building at the end of its performance period.
Moderator: Alice Sung, Greenbank Associates
Presenters:
Paul Erickson, Affiliated Engineers, Inc (AEI) | Anne Cotter, ZGF Architects
Scaling Up: Insights from the New CARB Net-Zero Energy Emissions Testing and Research Facility
Carrie Brown, Resource Refocus LLC, Beyond ZNE: The Carbon Mitigation Potential of California Buildings
Ivan Jose, McKinstry | Nick Edney, McKinstry
Spokane’s Catalyst: Large Scale, Grid Optimized, Carbon Positive Construction, Combustion Free, District Energy, Higher Ed = Zero Energy Awesomeness
Getting to Zero at the Community Scale: Charrette (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: OCC 210/211
No building is an island. Examining the built environment at a community scale allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of planning and design alternatives to reduce total carbon. This interactive session will present a fictitious medium-sized city’s downtown district consisting of several blocks of commercial and residential construction. The area must accommodate a set number of new jobs and households in order to meet the city’s future population and employment growth projections. Participants must determine where and how to add the new building capacity while attempting to reduce the total operational and embodied carbon of the district as close to zero as possible. The exercise’s goal is to highlight the importance of addressing energy usage in existing buildings and embodied carbon in new construction, and spur a discussion of tradeoffs between operational and embodied carbon at the community scale.
Facilitators:
Miya Kitahara, StopWaste
Emily Alvarez, StopWaste
Frances Yang, Arup
Wes Sullens, USGBC
Zero Energy Educational Buildings (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 4
Colleges and universities are employing aggressive strategies toward high performance campuses. This session will explore how new capital improvement and construction projects incorporate energy targets, integrated design approach, carbon capturing materials, behavioral change, and robust communications reduce building energy demand, water usage, and carbon impact of materials, for notable long-term operational energy and cost savings. Research presented will include a recent study on decarbonizing university buildings comparing electrification to biogas-based approaches, and resulting building efficiency, capital, and operational costs.
Moderator: Alexis Karolides, Point Energy Innovations
Presenters:
Pauline Souza, WRNS Studio | Hormoz Janssens, Interface Engineering
Integrated Approach Drives Effective Design Choices to Achieve School’s ZNE/ZNC Goals
Lois Arena, Steven Winter Associates, Inc. | Karla Butterfield, Steven Winter Associates, Inc.
Higher Education with a Lower Footprint
Alexis Karolides, Point Energy Innovations | Peter Rumsey, Point Energy Innovations
Electrification as a Path to Zero Carbon University Buildings – Lessons from the UC Study
Defining the Possible in International Zero Energy Districts (1.5 AIA LU|HSW CEUs)
Room: Junior Ballroom 2-3
Zero energy districts are growing across the world at a scale well beyond anything in the United States. Come find out about projects in China, India and Europe that are defining what’s possible for district-scale and even city-scale zero energy or near-zero carbon projects.
Moderator: Mona Chandra, National Grid
Presenters:
Yihan Hao, Rocky Mountain Institute, Near Zero China
Seth Coan, Rocky Mountain Institute
Victoria Burrows, World GBC, Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront
Cesar Ulises Trevino, Bioconstrucción y Energía Alternativa, Advancing a Net Zero Energy Buildings Agenda in Mexico & Latin America
2:45-4 p.m. Closing Keynote + Wrap
Room: Grand Ballroom
Moderator: Cathy Higgins, New Buildings Institute
Zero is a Many Splendored Thing
As California charts a path to full decarbonization of its buildings and beyond to the broader economy, the meaning of Zero is changing. Certainly high energy performance is de rigueur! Measuring and managing emissions performance requires new tools and improved situational awareness at the operational level. Each new building can no longer be considered in isolation, but rather must contribute to the robustness of a dynamic network. California’s agencies, industry and stakeholders have embraced the challenges of orchestrating a clean, reliable, safe and equitable energy future.
Presenter: Andrew McAllister, California Energy Commission
Come Together, Right Now, Over ZNC
The need to achieve deep energy efficiency in buildings, with flexible and grid-responsive loads supplied by clean electricity has never been more urgent. New York State has now joined an elite group of states that are helping to lead the nation in the fight against climate change and has set in motion a just transition for all. But none of us can do this alone. Drawing parallels to the automobile industry, this talk will make the case why we all need to work in concert with our sister states – in particular California and New York – to have the best chance of success. Together we can build a thriving zero carbon buildings ecosystem of solution providers, manufacturers, consultants and contractors, with a skilled and efficient labor force.
Presenter: Greg Hale, NYSERDA