Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Post

Spent the day in London at the Educational Estates Zero Carbon conference. Some interesting talks, but I was surprised that gas is still being talked about as an option due to cost?! My highlight was the BDP and Feilden Clegg Bradley talk about some of their higher education Passive House projects; It shows that universities are leading the way with Passive House and raising the building standards in education. Also learned a good tip: build Passive House standards into specifications, even if certification is not pursued! A long way to go for schools due to lack of funding, although great to see many companies working to help schools navigate the funding maze to achieve decarbonisation. Another take away is the need for more robust handover process, we are designing very complex buildings and we are not spending enough time educating users and maintenance teams on how to operate them efficiently. Also DATA! Key to continuing to improve what we are doing.

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER for April 16th Webinar: Come join the 2030 Districts Network and Toronto 2030 District Network for this great upcoming webinar: BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS - THE IMPACT ON LOCAL REAL ESTATE MARKETS APRIL 16th - NOON TO 2 PM EST REGISTER HERE: https://lnkd.in/ghGyQa4b The 2030 Districts Network is offering an education session that will take an in depth look at building performance standards. As more jurisdictions pass standards or are exploring doing so, this will have a profound impact on real estate assets. We have assembled a panel of experts to discuss the topic and explore both the genesis of the idea as well as the implications. We will leave time for Q&A. Speakers: Kim Cheslak, Senior Technical Advisor, Building Energy Codes Program, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marshall Duer-Balkind, Director of Policy Programs, Institute for Market Transformation Emily Salzburg, Managing Director Building Standards and Performance, State of Washington Devon Stopps, Senior Engineer, Public Energy Initiatives, Existing Buildings, City of Toronto Kim will discuss the science and Marshall will discuss the policy behind building performance standards. Emily and Devon both represent jurisdictions implementing standards and will discuss their experiences on the ground working with various constituents throughout the process. A certificate of attendance is available for 2 continuing education credits for self reporting for professional engineers, USGBC and other eligible self reporting accreditation bodies. $25 for individuals whose organization is a member of any local 2030 District in North America $30 for non-members Students attend for free

Sure, the Oscars are this Sunday. But for thought-provoking content you can use, we recommend our FREE presentation on Best Practices in Submetering and Energy Plant Oversight – it's happening on March 14 in NYC and on Zoom. Less stodgy than a boarding school, more pragmatic than reanimation, and less of a downer than most best picture nominees, this talk explains: 🍿 How to better recoup tenant costs and decrease unforeseen expenses 🍿 Where submetering plans tend to go wrong 🍿 What equipment and systems not to recommend 🍿 Setting realistic owner expectations about plant operations on Day 2 🍿 Whether RTEM could be right for your facility 🍿 How to find and validate new energy conservation measures 🍿 Financial incentives to minimize your customers’ capital spend THE DETAILS: What: Hospital Engineering Society of Greater New York (HESGNY) March 2024 Education Seminar When: March 14, 2024, 5 pm – 7 pm EST Get more info here: https://loom.ly/xMLSWvM Zoom link: https://loom.ly/KKHEQRw #hesgny

🌿 From Theory to Practice: Learn to Implement Green Infrastructure with Nature-Based Solutions 🌳 Our upcoming course will equip you with the skills to turn theory into action. Real or hypothetical situations are presented in which students, in a completely participatory and practical way, examine the situation, consider various hypotheses, and share their own conclusions. Join us now! https://lnkd.in/dCCBkhdi #GreenInfrastructure #NatureBasedSolutions

Get answers to your clean energy questions with #QuestionoftheWeek: Why is it critical for future design and construction industry professionals to be educated in solid building science principles? There is no consistent platform for ensuring consistent building science skills across all professions engaged in the buildings sector. Now available, the Building Science Education (BSE) Solution Center is bridging this gap by providing professors, trainers, and students with access building science training modules for topics related to high-performance residential building systems and applications Visit the BSE site today: https://ow.ly/cKY350QvB7t Looking for more answers to your clean energy questions? Browse our previous Questions of the Week by category at https://ow.ly/j50i50QvB7u

Since we seem to be unable to prevent development at all costs, perhaps we should be focussing on more climate resilience. As humans we are arrogant if we think we can control the climate, but what we may be able to do is mitigate the impact from Mother Nature, and the earth's ability to morph.

The building sector in New York State is responsible for nearly 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the state, and urgently needs to be decarbonized. In January 2024, I began a capstone project with a team of graduate students at Columbia University’s MPA in Environmental Science & Policy cohort. We were tasked to work for the NY State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, to research building decarbonization strategies in the Netherlands and Scotland. These two countries are advancing their building decarbonization strategy at the municipal level, effectively using both top-down and bottom-up policies to actualize their net-zero goals. A number of challenges underlie efforts to decarbonize buildings. At a high level, these include challenges around 1) community engagement, 2) funding accessibility and availability, 3) utility engagement, 4) data collection and organization, 5) expanding district heating networks, and 6) equity and fuel poverty. Along with Clarisa Marambio, I worked as a manager on the team and contributed to writing and editing the final report, attached below. Writing this report was no easy feat — dozens of hours and long nights of work have finally culminated in a product that I know we are all proud to call our own. This experience taught me a lot; not just about teamwork and the trials and tribulations of task delegation, but also about the need to keep asking questions. To tackle the climate crisis, rigorous thinkers who ask tough questions--and push for answers--are needed. I’m happy to have been surrounded by team members who exemplify these traits. Special thanks to my advisor, Rachel Patterson, and the rest of the final report team: Abby Austin, Sonali D., Abby Jordan, Kate McCarthy for their hard work and dedication to this project. Additionally, thank you to our client contacts, Seth Berkman, Vanessa Ulmer, and Karen Yao for their support and guidance throughout this project! Click the link below to check out our final report! https://lnkd.in/gWr2n4MF

Great training courses and hands on workshops

I am excited to share a new publication from CMTA, Inc.'s Paul Graves, P.E. and Andrew Honeyman. Their article in the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP)'s Planning for Higher Education Journal, is crucial to creating strategies on financing #sustainability and #decarbonization initiatives for campuses. Well done, Paul and Andrew! Click the link to read the article from #SCUP. #InflationReductionAct #FinancialPlanning #CampusPlanning

I am excited to share a new publication from CMTA, Inc.'s Paul Graves, P.E. and Andrew Honeyman. Their article in the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP)'s Planning for Higher Education Journal, is crucial to creating strategies on financing #sustainability and #decarbonization initiatives for campuses. Well done, Paul and Andrew! Click the link to read the article from #SCUP. #InflationReductionAct #FinancialPlanning #CampusPlanning