BuildingEnergy NYC 2020 Evaluations
Thank you for joining us at BuildingEnergy NYC 2020! Please help us continue to improve this event:
- Evaluate the entire conference here.
- Evaluate the sessions you attended below.
NESEA staff will share your feedback with next year’s conference planning committee to guide the design and content of BuildingEnergy NYC 2021. Questions? Please contact Susan Farber, Conference Manager, at sfarber@nesea.org.
Thursday
| Session Title | Time | Speakers | |
|---|---|---|---|
C-PACE as a Financing Tool for Deep Energy Retrofits to Comply with Local Law 97C-PACE as a Financing Tool for Deep Energy Retrofits to Comply with Local Law 97Recent legislation passed by the New York City Council (Local Law 97) is putting tremendously strict new requirements on commercial buildings (including non-rent controlled multifamily) to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) was adopted by the City simultaneously (Local Law 96) to act as a “carrot” for property owners to have a source of funds available to make the necessary capital improvements to meet these requirements. The City is expected to launch its C-PACE program in H2 2020. (More info on the C-PACE ordinance... Full Description |
9:00 am to 10:00 am | ||
Dual Temperature Buildings: High Carbon & Energy Users, Leveraging Capital Upgrades for the LL97 ParadigmDual Temperature Buildings: High Carbon & Energy Users, Leveraging Capital Upgrades for the LL97 ParadigmDual temperature buildings utilize a hydronic loop for both heating and cooling and typically rely on steam boilers or utility steam and steam-fed chillers. These buildings typically use at least 20% higher energy use indexes (EUIs) with 15% higher carbon emissions than similar buildings that lack central cooling. Dual temperature buildings will need a capital plan for complying with LL97, which requires 88% reduction of carbon emissions through 2050. We will present case studies that showcase best practices and HVAC design considerations, carbon, energy, and cost savings data, and... Full Description |
9:00 am to 10:00 am | ||
Insulating the Future: Reducing Embodied & Operational Carbon with Next-Generation All-Wood InsulationInsulating the Future: Reducing Embodied & Operational Carbon with Next-Generation All-Wood InsulationInsulation products are unique among construction materials, because their essential function is to reduce the operational space heating and cooling energy demands of buildings. However, 90 percent of the insulation currently available on the market consists of plastic foam, fiberglass or mineral wool, which are non-recyclable and made from the very fossil fuel resources they are intended to conserve. Innovative, renewable and cost-effective insulation products are now entering the market. This session will explore the next generation of insulation made from wood fiber, including how it is... Full Description |
9:00 am to 10:00 am | ||
Retrofit for Tomorrow: Meet the Danish FrontrunnersRetrofit for Tomorrow: Meet the Danish FrontrunnersTo accelerate deep energy efficiency retrofits, cities need better collaboration and international knowledge exchange. Strict building codes, energy labeling, and an innovative retrofit industry have made Denmark a world leader in energy efficiency. The historic CLCPA and LL97 climate laws put NYS and NYC at the forefront of the building retrofit industry. During this session, Danish and American specialists will exchange ideas on how to leverage building retrofits and public-private partnerships to support economic development and innovation. Through a series of fireside chats and case... Full Description |
9:00 am to 10:00 am |
| Session Title | Time | Speakers | |
|---|---|---|---|
Behind the Meter: The Challenges & Opportunities of Solar & Storage in NYC’s Multifamily BuildingsBehind the Meter: The Challenges & Opportunities of Solar & Storage in NYC’s Multifamily BuildingsWhile there is growing adoption of solar and energy storage systems in the US as a whole, there are still significant and unique challenges that are preventing New York City from achieving widespread implementation. The city is held back by numerous regulations, metering arrangements, complex carbon accounting, and a litany of other design constraints. This session will explore the nuanced challenges of scaling solar and energy storage deployment in multifamily buildings in New York City, and it will focus on strategic opportunities for building owners, developers, manufacturers, and... Full Description |
10:30 am to 12:00 pm | ||
Moving the Masses toward Timber ConstructionMoving the Masses toward Timber ConstructionAs members of the AEC industry, it is our responsibility to understand and champion low embodied-carbon building materials. Concurrently, mass timber products such as cross-laminated timber have opened the door to many new opportunities for construction. In January 2019, the International Code Council (ICC) approved a set of proposals to allow tall wood buildings, and the intent of this session is to give attendees the ammunition they need to advocate for mass timber in low-rise to tall structures, navigate codes and standards, and inspire interest/ support from clients, contractors,... Full Description |
10:30 am to 12:00 pm | ||
Multifamily Ventilation: A Tale of Two CitiesMultifamily Ventilation: A Tale of Two CitiesCentral ventilation systems in multifamily buildings are a critical health and safety system, with significant energy and carbon ramifications. Through case studies, this session will highlight how poorly performing systems can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne issues leading to poor indoor air quality and increased emissions caused by increased energy-use. Presenters will compare different types of ventilation systems that are prevalent in the building stock of New York City and Boston, while exploring techniques for restoring and improving them. Attendees will learn... Full Description |
10:30 am to 12:00 pm | ||
Nature Knows: Diversity in Practice Nature Knows: Diversity in PracticeDiversity in a natural ecosystem – plants, animals, insects, microbes – is essential for long-term systemic health. Nature’s principle of “strength through diversity” can apply to us professionally – our business practices, our colleagues and the talents they bring, and the designs we create in our work, from planning neighborhood resiliency against seawater surges all the way through to details like thermostat controls in a multifamily retrofit project. In this interactive session, we’ll touch on Nature’s lessons on diversity and then look at strategies related to our work at levels from... Full Description |
10:30 am to 12:00 pm |
| Session Title | Time | Speakers | |
|---|---|---|---|
A Toxic Investment? Your Building’s Health Begins with Healthy MaterialsA Toxic Investment? Your Building’s Health Begins with Healthy MaterialsLet’s make the multifamily affordable housing synonymous with healthy building construction. Many of us already seek out healthy materials for our projects, and all of us can with the right information. This session will build skills and confidence in healthy material selection, improve our ability to talk about the potential health benefits of high performance construction, and distinguish the myth from the realities of healthy material cost, performance and availability. A nationally recognized expert in healthy building materials will review chemical hazards in building materials, with... Full Description |
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm | ||
Electrifying a 100-Year-Old NYC Pre-War Multifamily BuildingElectrifying a 100-Year-Old NYC Pre-War Multifamily BuildingDuring this session you will learn about an important moderate-income multifamily building in New York City that went through a major transformation to electrify its heating and hot water, resulting in dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Project stakeholders will review the entire project design process, installation process, highlight lessons learned, and discuss the environmental, energy, and comfort impacts to the building and its occupants. Through an overview of this leading electrification project, learn how to replicate these results while avoiding pitfalls and... Full Description |
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm | ||
New York State’s Path to All-Electric, Carbon-Neutral BuildingsNew York State’s Path to All-Electric, Carbon-Neutral BuildingsThis session will provide an overview of two groundbreaking clean energy initiatives coming out of NYSERDA: the Carbon Neutral Buildings Roadmap and the Building Electrification Roadmap. These paired documents lay out the vision, recommendations and program planning that will allow New York to (1) rapidly accelerate heat pump adoption for HVAC and hot water solutions through 2030, and (2) overcome the various technical, economic, and behavioral challenges to full decarbonization of the state’s building stock by 2050. Participant interaction will be encouraged via open discussion and... Full Description |
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm | ||
Using Data to Allocate Time & Capital across a Multi-Family Real Estate PortfolioUsing Data to Allocate Time & Capital across a Multi-Family Real Estate PortfolioData-driven decision-making is the process of basing operational and investment decisions on actual data, rather than intuition or observation alone. With an 11,500-unit portfolio stretching across 14 states, we develop operational and design strategies around energy and water usage, costs, and tenant comfort for each building. Our data sources are public, invoice-derived, meter or sensor-derived, along with human observations and interactions, and range from continuous to quarterly. The decision-making drivers are based on sustainability values, investor thresholds, regulatory benchmarks... Full Description |
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm |
| Session Title | Time | Speakers | |
|---|---|---|---|
New York Energy Manager: Big Data, Better AnalyticsNew York Energy Manager: Big Data, Better AnalyticsThe New York Energy Manager (NYEM) gives customers unprecedented insight into their building usage by using real-time data to improve building energy performance, reduce environmental impact, and lower energy bills. NYEM drives insights to improve building energy performance, sustainability, and savings in over 15,000 buildings with 25,000 meters and sensors all over New York State through equipment-level metering, advanced analytics software, and expert advisory services. Join us in our discussion of the use of big data from our customers and learn how they have been utilizing NYEM... Full Description |
1:45 pm to 2:45 pm | ||
Out of [Site], in the Air: Embodied Carbon & Material SelectionOut of [Site], in the Air: Embodied Carbon & Material SelectionEmbodied Carbon (EC) emissions from the building sector produce 11% of annual global GHG emissions (second to transportation). Embodied carbon, unlike operational carbon, is out of sight, off site, and usually out of mind. As industry professionals, we have a responsibility to work towards a carbon-neutral built environment, and that work starts at design with a focus on the embodied carbon of a building and the materials that comprise it. A panel of professionals including an architect, building product supplier, consultant, and builder will discuss: Setting goals to better understand and... Full Description |
1:45 pm to 2:45 pm | ||
Refining Refrigerants for the FutureRefining Refrigerants for the FutureRefrigerants used in building systems have historically been a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. While eliminating chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) and moving towards refrigerants such as R-410a were steps in the right direction, there is still more work to be done. As we evaluate the full global warming potential (GWP) of a building’s life cycle, it is important to consider how different types of refrigerants can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. This session will explore the GWP of different refrigerants used in common systems such as VRFs, how to design refrigerant... Full Description |
1:45 pm to 2:45 pm | ||
Unlocking the Value of Retrocommissioning: How to Achieve Energy & Carbon Reduction Goals through Training & CultureUnlocking the Value of Retrocommissioning: How to Achieve Energy & Carbon Reduction Goals through Training & CultureEvery successful Retro-Commissioning (retro-cx) project and program includes collaboration with the building’s operating staff. It is critical to foster a culture of trust and engagement with all parties in order to identify, implement, and sustain energy conservation and GHG reduction measures. Drawing on technical examples and lessons learned from real world projects, this session will provide guidance and best practices for working with an onsite operations team as part of the retro-cx process. This session will also help attendees develop training materials that can be used for ongoing... Full Description |
1:45 pm to 2:45 pm |
| Session Title | Time | Speakers | |
|---|---|---|---|
Improving Your Project's Material HealthImproving Your Project's Material HealthA project’s construction materials can have significant and enduring health effects—not only on the building's occupants, but also on the community where the products are produced and disposed of, and on the people manufacturing and installing them. Our collective experience with COVID-19 has highlighted urgent social justice issues within our supply chains. But where does one start when trying to incorporate healthier materials into a project? And what about the overlap between healthier materials and embodied carbon in products? This comprehensive session emphasizes that with basic... Full Description |
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | ||
New Heat Pump Technologies to the RescueNew Heat Pump Technologies to the RescueNew innovative heat pump products are entering the New York market in order to help electrify space heating and improve space cooling efficiency. These products are alternatives to traditional split system VRF heat pumps and mini-splits. Our session will provide an overview of four of them: 1) An air-to-water heat pump system that can provide space and water heating to hydronic buildings; 2) a packaged heat pump that mounts inside an exterior wall with a duct penetration to outside; 3) a mini-split that fits in a PTAC sleeve and connects to a wall-mounted air handler; and 4) a DIY-... Full Description |
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | ||
Uncovering the True Cost of Passive House: What We Can Learn from the Early AdoptersUncovering the True Cost of Passive House: What We Can Learn from the Early AdoptersHow do we get lenders to fund high-performance construction and developers to drive adoption? With data. While the Passive House design movement has been active in the US and Canada since 1973, it has only recently gained considerable attention in the multifamily affordable housing sector. There are ample rumors and assumptions about the perceived costs and improved performance of Passive House development, but there is relatively little hard data available to demonstrate the benefits it provides, such as: utilities “savings” achieved, maintenance advantages, and the financial and non-... Full Description |
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm |