Program || EEBA Summit 2021

Healthy vs Healthier Homes

A subject of conversation amongst builders as we come out the back end of the COVID era, is how we build healthier homes. The reality, however, is that much of what builders are currently doing is already creating a healthy home. Most just don’t know how to talk about it and/or market it. In this podcast style live conversation join Joe Medosch, Healthy Building Scientist at Hayward Score, and Robby Schwarz, BUILDTank, for a conversation on Healthy or Healthier Homes. We will explore all the great things builders are already doing and how to communicate those things to buyers. Then we will move forward to what is next that could make our home healthier.

Learning Objectives

1. Define what the difference is between healthy and healthier homes.

2. Learn about the commonly-installed builder specification that creates healthy homes right now.

3. Understand filtration and ventilation strategies, building programs, building materials, and building designs' impacts on health.

4. Recognize the benefits of monitoring and IAQ devices.

Presenters

Joe Medosch, Executive Director of healthy Home Environment Association, Energy & Environmental Consulting
Robby Schwarz, Founder, BUILDTank, Inc.

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Crystal Salon B

Zer0 Place Part II - Monitoring and Operational Achievements

Zer0 Place is a net zero, mixed-use development with 46 residential units, including affordable and accessible units, as well as retail space. Designed to provide a community of "zero energy living," this NY State Building of Excellence award winner is intended to meet LEED, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, EPA Indoor airPLUS, and Energy Star requirements and will deliver zero energy bills for residents. A follow-up to last year's talk on the buildings features and marketing approach, this session will discuss completion of the project and actual monitored data results of the project. At EEBA last year, the audience was asked to give feedback on what datapoints they would like to see monitored. The Zer0 Place team will present these and other results in the session.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the optimized approach to efficiency, renewable energy and smart controls used in Zer0 Place.
2. Describe the monitoring strategy used to gather data
3. Identify the achievements to date of Zer0 Place based on monitored performance
4. Understand the benefits of all-electric net zero building combined with smart controls.

Presenters

David Shepler, Zer0 Place
Anthony Aebi, President, Zeronetnow Inc.

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

The New Digital World of Marketing and Sales for High Performance Builders

While sales and marketing in the homebuilding industry has slowly been migrating to digital tools, the pandemic forced an immediate evolution. Learn how high performance builders have adapted and flourished in this new reality.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about the immediate imperative to move to “contactless sales and marketing” presented by the pandemic. How were these builders ready for the unexpected?
2. Learn how a high-performance builder has used influencer marketing to drive sales.
3. Learn how leads from other websites, social media and internet traffic convert to sales. What is the internal process and who are the team players?
4. Learn about “what’s next” as the pandemic eases. What will the future look like? 5. Learn marketers' favorite digital tactics for reaching their customers and how they differentiate from typical builders in our industry.

Presenters

Stephen Myers, Thrive Home Builders
Scott Cocking, Marketing Director, Deltec Homes
Jesse Younger, Younger Homes
Ryan Hillgartner, Director of Marketing, Tim O'Brien Homes
Susan Elovitz, Thrive Home Builders

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Crystal Salon A
Virtual Session

High Performance Mechanicals

High Performance Mechanical Systems for Houses That Work is a mid-level, full day seminar geared towards Builders, Designers, Code Officials, and Trade Allies that focuses on HVAC, Ventilation, Hot Water, Indoor Air Quality and Electronic Home Controls in high performance housing. In the past several years, residential mechanical systems have grown in complexity and scope as energy codes have mandated higher insulation levels, better windows and tighter construction. There is now a great opportunity to rethink and redesign HVAC, hot water heating and electronic home control systems as they are major contributors to energy efficiency goals. This course will first review the key building science concepts that have changed the way houses are built and identify the relevant changes to mechanical systems. The remainder of the course will focus on the proper sizing and selection of appropriate mechanical equipment for high performance ever lower load homes. Compelling opportunities to simultaneously optimize comfort, durability, safety and health, efficiency and cost will be identified. Instructor will use lectures, case studies and group exercises to convey the information to attendees.

Learning Objectives

Gain an understanding of the basic building science concepts relevant to mechanical systems in high performance housing;
Knowledge of the sizing adjustments, calculations and commissioning process for low load residential HVAC systems and how to choose the proper system for a specific climate zone;
Understand the main causes of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) concerns and their mitigation, including the effect of the building envelope on the need for ventilation and strategies and types of ventilation systems, including new technologies;
Recognize opportunities for a wide range of equipment for at least space heating, space cooling, water heating, indoor air quality and occupant control;
Comprehend the role of electronic controls systems with relation to mechanical equipment and achievable energy savings; learn how to choose the right system and maximize integration with other equipment in the home.

Presenters

Gord Cooke, Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Crestone A
Virtual Session

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
11:30 - 11:45 AM
3rd Floor

Luncheon - DOE's Housing Innovation Awards Ceremony & Poster Session

Click here to watch the DOE Secretary of Energy's speech: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/89931045414?pwd=dmFDZXVSejdHelhRRWQxNjJVSlRLdz09

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
11:45 - 1:15 PM
Silverton Ballroom

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
1:15 - 1:30 PM
3rd Floor

Green Math: NGBS Green + Net Zero Energy + Wellness = Max Value & Marketability

Since 2009, the ICC-700 National Green Building Standard (NGBS) has offered a flexible, rigorous, and affordable path to residential third-party green certification. Over 300,000 homes and apartments have earned NGBS Green Certification, and over 160,000 homes are in-process to earn certification.
NGBS Green+ bestows special recognition for NGBS Green Certified homes that go “above and beyond” in certain areas of green practices. The +NET ZERO ENERGY and +WELLNESS badges are designed to recognize homes that are extremely energy efficient and constructed to be higher performing across multiple categories that influence human health, respectively.
Join this session to learn about the compliance requirements and process for both NGBS Green certification and the new NGBS Green+ badges. A single-family builder will discuss how the +NET ZERO ENERGY badge benefits his business and home buyers. An NGBS Green Verifier will share design strategies for achieving +WELLNESS badge employed on single-family and multifamily projects.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how buildings are certified as compliant with the ICC-700 National Green Building Standard (NGBS).
2. Learn about the NGBS Green program, including certification process, key resources, and fees.
3. Learn how the NGBS Green + offering recognizes green certified homes that are higher-performing in select areas.
4. Identify key requirements of the NGBS Green + NET ZERO and +WELLNESS badges.

Presenters

Cindy Wasser, Senior Manager of Green Building Programs, Home Innovation Research Labs
Troy Johns, Founder, Urban NW Homes
Karla Butterfield, Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Crestone Salon B

Advanced Wall Options for Low Load Homes

Building professionals are continually looking to improve the air tightness, insulation value and durability of their wall systems. Even when done well, traditional air sealing and standard wall systems are proven to result in significant air leakage and areas to increase thermal performance. With the advancement of codes and market trajectory towards zero energy construction, many are unsure what the best approaches and opportunities are to make a jump in performance. Join Dan and Josh for a lively session covering both common and emerging strategies and assemblies to dramatically lower the loads of buildings looking to achieve certifications or approaching Net Zero energy or carbon goals.

This session will provide attendees with well-researched, field-tested and detailed recommendations from building professionals on the following approaches to advanced wall systems and topics:

Thermal break shear wall + extended plate and beam
Continuous air barrier at exterior sheathing plane
Innovative approaches to t-stud, prefabricated, & advanced framing members
The importance of reducing impact from windows to building heat and cooling loads

Join us for this session and hear about tried-and-true construction details and architectural drawings for integrating these systems into your home building process.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand what areas of a building account for the most significant air leakage and loss in thermal performance
2. Gain effective solutions to addressing and minimizing these primary problem areas
3. Analyze the benefits of incorporating different air barrier and wall system approaches
4. Successfully apply this knowledge to various building types, assemblies, and architectural details

Presenters

Dan Wildenhaus, Technical Advisor and Industry Liaison, BetterBuiltNW
Josh Salinger, Founder and CEO, Birdsmouth Design-Build

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Crystal Salon B

Radical, Affordable, Scalable: Climate Change and the Imperative of Affordable Housing

In Donatella Meadow's seminal 1999 essay, Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System, she reminds us that there are "...places within a complex system (a corporation, an economy, a living body, a city, an ecosystem) where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything." Faced with the reality that buildings are responsible for over 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions in this country, and that the scientific community has been telling us for decades that Net-Zero-Energy, carbon-neutral, buildings need to be standard practice by 2030, should developers, architects and builders not be working over-time meet these needs? The dense, urban, multifamily work of Onion Flats, a Philadelphia-based development/design/build company, demonstrates the feasibility of making this "standard practice" a reality. Through the award-winning projects and policy initiatives of Onion Flats, Tim McDonald will highlight the political, technical and financial leverage points' for producing big changes' in the development/building industry they've created to meet the planet's global carbon reduction goals in the next decade. Essential to meeting those goals is identifying the appropriate tools that can be employed by designers, engineers, lenders and builders in making carbon-neutral buildings that are affordable to build and operate. Experiments in prefabrication, Passive House envelope and systems strategies, renewable energy generation + micro-grids, bi-directional EV battery/building technology combined with car-sharing infrastructure potential, and a nationwide affordable housing policy initiative developed by Onion Flats to transform the housing industry toward carbon-neutrality by 2030 will leave attendees inspired and hopeful for future for both the housing industry and the planet.

Learning Objectives

1. How to cost-effectively design, detail and build with modular/prefabricated construction strategies for building affordable and market-rate Zero Energy single family and multifamily buildings
2. The pros and cons of employing three distinct HVAC and hot-water strategies for Multifamily buildings: fully centralized, decentralized and semi-centralized air and water-sourced systems.
3. How to integrate (from a design, detailing and financing perspective) PV as standard practice in roofs and facades with the future possibility of storing that energy produced with bi-directional charges and Electric Vehicles.
4. How to initiate systemic policy changes in the way high-performance, NZE affordable housing gets promoted and built cost-effectively

Presenters

Timothy McDonald, President and CEO, Onion Flats

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

What’s Next for High Performance Homes

This panel will introduce the EEBA / ProBuilder Ultimate ZEN All Electric Home and discuss its key features, the hurdles encountered, and key points of buyer acceptance. This will lead into a discussion on what is next in high performance building, ways to get there, and an example of one unique builder and energy rater partnership designed to take on the question of “What’s next and how do we get there?”

Learning Objectives

1. Using the example of the Ultimate ZEN Home, attendees will learn about the successes and challenges of designing, building, and selling all-electric zero energy homes in a production atmosphere.
2. Attendees will learn about specific design elements and specifications included in the Ultimate ZEN home to address life in a post-pandemic world. The construction and sales teams who built and sold the Ultimate ZEN Home will then discuss the market readiness and acceptance of these features.
3. Attendees will participate with and learn from a panel discussion on ‘What’s Next for High Performance Homes’ as it relates to energy code, climate change and post-pandemic life.

4. Attendees will learn from a builder and energy rater on their unique partnership to share ideas, study new products and techniques, and to implement innovation thoughtfully and successfully.

Presenters

Bill Rectanus, VP of Operations, Thrive Home Builders
Steve Byers, CEO, Energy Logic
Seth Hart
Sandy Stegall, Thrive Home Builders
David Kendall, Thrive Home Builders

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Crystal Salon A

A Window Inside the Mind of the High Performance Home Buyer

Last year EEBA launched the EEBA Builder Benchmark Group, a peer group of high performance home builders who meet regularly, share successes, lean into each other for support and gain ideas about how to run their businesses better. One element of that program is a consumer insights platform called WNDO, which was specifically designed to gain actionable insights into the high performance homebuyers' journey in order to help them improve their products, homebuyers' experiences and bottom lines. WNDO surveys actual high performance home customers 5 times throughout their build journey: at the time of the sale, at the drywall or framing walk-through, during an orientation or site tour, 30 days after closing, and 6 months after move-in. The goal is to understand high-performance homebuyers, why they buy, which features and benefits of their high-performance homes they value the most, and how they're feeling as they go through the build process.
This session reveals the key insights from WNDO's first year. Who are these buyers? What did they think the most important features and benefits of a high performance home were on the front end (and how big of a factor was that in their decision to buy), and are those the actual features and benefits that matter after they live in the home? This session will also connect the dots from the key insights to how high performance builders and manufacturers can target their marketing better and refine their messaging to really speak to the right consumer in the right way.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn what features and benefits matter most to actual high performance home buyers
2. Understand who these people are to improve marketing targeting and why they buy into improve messaging and campaigns
3. Understand the consumer journey from finding a builder, to deciding on a high performance builder to getting through the build to coming out the other side
4. Learn opportunities for improving communications throughout the customer journey

Presenters

Suzanne Shelton, President and CEO, Shelton Group

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Silverton Ballroom

Manual BV - Residential Balanced Ventilation Design

Tight homes require mechanical ventilation and the ideal way to accomplish that from both an energy efficiency and indoor air quality standpoint is with balanced ventilation. Without guidance, however, balanced ventilation can be as ineffective as a fish without water. This session details a design manual for residential balanced ventilation from developing a ventilation plan, distribution, integration with forced air systems, and duct installation to system testing and balancing, commissioning, maintenance, and consumer appreciation. A commitment to including balanced ventilation in a residential project requires more than just buying a box of fans. Balanced ventilation is more expensive, more complicated, and more effective, but it must be treated with the same care that is applied to a conditioned air system. The point of this session is to alert participants to the complexity and qualities of a well designed, balanced ventilation system. If it doesn't work, it's not worth squat!

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the variety of issues in a comprehensive, effective balanced ventilation system.
2. Be introduced to the fundamentals of balanced ventilation design, installation, and commissioning.
3. Gain an understanding of the impact of balanced ventilation on indoor air quality.
4. Learn where to find more information.

Presenters

Paul Raymer, Senior Advisor, ICF

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Crestone Salon B
Virtual Session

Solar, Battery, Grid-interactive and Smart Home Tech

Energy conservation and healthy living environments are two of the top concerns for homebuilders today. In this presentation, you will learn how smart home systems can impact energy saving in new ways and optimize the quality of indoor air.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how smart home systems can automate energy savings across the entire home.
2. Learn how smart home systems can automatically optimize air quality in a home.
3. Learn which devices/systems can be controlled by smart home to impact energy and air quality.
4. Learn how utilities will connect with smart home systems to maximize value to the homeowner.

Presenters

Steve Herbert, Director of Smart Home Solution, Samsung

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Crystal Salon B

Water Heating in All-Electric Homes

Heat pumps for space heating are catching on. For water heating… not so much. This session will focus primarily on air-to-water heat pumps for domestic hot water. There are good technologies available, but they have limitations – especially in colder climates and in multifamily buildings. The session will review applications where heat pump water heaters worked great, where they were mediocre, and where they didn’t work at all. The session will examine when to consider heat pumps, what kind of heat pumps, and when to think about other options (perhaps solar or good resistance tanks).

Learning Objectives

1. Know the basic functionality of how heat pumps MOVE heat from one place to another.
2. Identify good HPWH applications and select proper equipment.
3, Identify HPWH applications where MOVING heat can lead to performance or comfort problems.
4. Find non-heat pump solutions for DHW that don't use fossil fuels.

Presenters

Robb Aldrich, Principal Mechanical Engineer, Steven Winter Associates

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

Creating an Airtight Shaft Liner Area Separation Wall

The IECC requires that town homes and duplexes achieve 3 or 5 ACH50 depending on the climate zone, and programs often even tighter. My experience is that attached housing is 2-3 time leakier than detached even though detached is generally twice as large. In the past creating airtight attached dwellings has been quite difficult and costly do to the 1" gap between the area separation and structural components of the assembly. Two recently completed UL and ICC/NAT tests are changing how we should think about construction and air sealing this assembly. This session will explore what fire separation means and how air leakage could now be addressed.

Learning Objectives

1. Current air leakage Requirements for attached single family homes.
2. How does the IRC influence this conversation?
3. What UL and ICC/NAT testing occurred recently?
4. Recommendations on how to move forward.

Presenters

Robby Schwarz, Founder, BUILDTank, Inc.

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Crystal Salon A

The House that SHE Built - providing scholarships for women in construction through a 2021 Parade Home

The Utah Chapter of the NAHB Professional Women in Building began work last year to design and build a home that will be showcased in the 2021 Utah Valley Parade of Homes. The goal for this home is to highlight and utilize women professionals, skilled tradeswomen, and woman-owned companies for all stages of the project. The proceeds from the sale of the home following the Parade will be divided between scholarships, women-run charities, and future home projects like The House That SHE Built. The home is a 3,200 sq ft 2-story home with an eclectic, farmhouse style. Additionally, the home also includes many high-performance details. In this session, we'll share the story of this project and its impact on the local community and future generations of women in building.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about strategies for promoting the building trades to our youth.
2. Understand how to make job sites diverse and inclusive.
3. Learn how to design for whole-home efficiency, health, and comfort.
4. Discover social media marketing tips and tricks.

Presenters

Jennie Tanner, Business Owner and Managing Partner, Tanner Glass and Hardware

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crestone Salon B
Virtual Session

Customers for Life—Extended Warranties and Maintenance Contracts

“Homebuilders can’t wait to get rid of their customers.” Is that true of your company? Companies in most other industries strive to maintain long term relationships with their customers in order to build their brands, obtain referrals and repeat business. How can homebuilders tap into this “Customer for Life” approach?

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about the advantages of the “Customer for Life” approach.
2. Learn how can services after closing can be monetized.
3. Learn from a builder who has studied homebuyer attitudes towards builders and implemented a 10-year warranty.
4. Learn how to extend manufacturer warranties and leverage them into a comprehensive home maintenance program.

Presenters

Joe Hemmelgarn, Dwell Home Maintenance
Todd Usher, Founder, Addison Homes
Gene Myers, CEO, Thrive Home Builders

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crystal Salon B

Make like a Delorean with the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Professionals Program

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads. Or a Delorean for that matter: the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon competition organizers are helping to bring the current building designers back to the future through the Solar Decathlon Professional Program. At its core, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a student building design competition that challenges collegiate-level teams from across the world to design high-performance buildings that address real-world issues. New in 2021, the Professionals Program pilot brings the Solar Decathlon experience to practicing design professionals in the residential and commercial building sectors. Participants gain practical experience in high-performance design while improving a current project in their portfolio to a zero energy building. The program provides resources to minimize barriers for the adoption of high-performance principles in their work, including a professional network and structured curriculum focused on building science fundamentals.

This session will highlight the successes of the pilot and bring lessons learned from the participating professionals to a broader audience. Attendees will walk away from this session with an understanding of the program, its benefits to workforce development, and innovative design strategies from successful professional participants.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize the impact of Solar Decathlon programs on minimizing adoption barriers for zero energy building design;
2. List the three different areas of workforce development addressed by Solar Decathlon programs;
3. Summarize a reimagined building science training curriculum that caters to a diverse audience of all backgrounds;
4. Integrate zero energy design strategies and best practices exhibited by practicing design professionals into building portfolios.

Presenters

Amanda Kirkeby, Energy Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Michael Young, Technical Project Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

The Impact of ESG Investing on the Home Building Industry

Investors are increasingly seeking opportunities to capitalize on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) trends. This talk looks at the growth of ESG investing writ large and specifically what information ESG-leaning investors are seeking when identifying potential investments. We will then drill down to present data on ESG investing in the Home Building Industry and explore the ramifications of the ESG trend on access to capital for home builders.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand what is meant by “ESG Investing” and its recent growth.
2. Recognize the scope and range of ESG data that is being collected by investors today.
3. Assess the implications of ESG investing trends on the Home Building Sector
4. Identify opportunities for Home Builders to begin collecting ESG data relevant to investors

Presenters

Todd Cort, Lecturer in Sustainability, Yale School of Management

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crystal Salon B
Virtual Session

Triple-Pane Performance in a Double-Pane Frame – Thin Triple-Pane Windows Hold a Lot of Promise, but Do They Deliver?

Sales of the highest performing triple-pane windows make up only a small fraction (~3%) of total window sales in the United States with relatively stagnant market growth over the past 20 years. Manufacturers have been reluctant to invest in production line modifications to accommodate the thicker, heavier, triple-pane windows citing lack of demand. Meanwhile, builders and consumers have been reluctant to purchase and install these higher-performance windows; citing both the high cost of the units and the higher labor costs associated with installing these heavier, bulkier units. A new thinner, lighter version of the triple-pane window is now widely available and claims the same thermal properties as the thicker version. The thin-glass triple-pane insulated glass unit (IGU) allows for R-5 (U-0.20) performance using a combination of thin glass (0.7-1.6 mm) for the center layer, two low-e coatings, and krypton gas fill. The thin glass keeps IGU weight and width to a minimum, enabling the use of the same size frames as are used for double-pane windows, which facilitates mass-market and lower-cost production. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the high-performance window market and has appeal to both new home builders and remodelers who have been put off by the bulk, weight, and cost of traditional triple-pane windows. But do these thin-triple panes deliver on performance? This presentation will feature results from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) field performance testing of thin triples conducted in both an experimental Lab Home setting and in new and existing single-family, manufactured homes, and multi-family field test sites throughout the U.S. Results presented will include measurements of the effect thin triple-pane windows have on whole home HVAC energy usage, condensation potential, occupant comfort, and sound reduction. Field observations related to cost, delivery, and installation of thin triples will also be shared.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the function, energy efficiency benefits, and installation options (and costs/benefits) of thin triple-pane windows.
2. Identify wellness, comfort, and acoustic benefits of thin triple-pane windows.
3. Learn about IECC Energy Code and Zero Energy Ready Home tradeoff benefits that come with the installation of high-performance windows.
4. Learn about program and utility opportunities focused on promoting high-performance windows.

Presenters

Katie Allen Cort, Senior Economist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sam Rosenberg, Associate Data Research Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Edward Louie, Senior Associate Energy Efficiency Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crystal Salon A
Virtual Session

Pecha Kucha Presentation with Solar Decathlon Winning Teams

Experience awe inspiring designs for zero energy buildings with the Solar Decathlon 2021 Design Challenge students!

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Silverton Ballroom

The "Perfect Storm" is here. Protect yourself with the right building envelope.

The built environment has been stagnant in terms of innovation for years. Suddenly, there is a perfect storm brewing forcing change amongst our industry's influencers. The trifecta of escalating material costs, skilled labor shortages, and increasing energy code requirements have combined at once to post a challenge that builders, architects, and engineers are scrambling to address. The good news is the AEC industry can combat this "perfect storm" by optimizing one key component of the building system - and that is the Building Envelope. More and more options exist to save time, money, and energy with turn-key envelope solutions. This presentation will address what elements matter most in the envelope, what solutions exist for envelopes to combat the "perfect storm" and discuss the advantages of offsite/prefabricated vs. site framed building envelope systems.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the four key elements needed for a high-performance building envelope.
2. Know the critical material components of a superior building envelope assembly.
3. Identify how the building envelope assembly choices can quickly combat labor shortages, wood price increases, and energy code requirements.
4. Learn the advantages of offsite/pre-fabricated building envelope systems vs site framed building envelopes.

Presenters

Loren Groeschl, Territory Manager, Premier Building Systems, Colorado

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crestone Salon B

Protecting the First Side of the Home and Effective Foundation Vapor Barriers

This presentation will provide an in-depth look at the cause and effects of below-slab moisture and vapor concerns in homes and considerations for incorporating effective, durable protection. With a science-based, educational approach, the presentation will provide a deep dive into the natural movement of water vapor (as well as other contaminants like radon) into the first side of a home and the importance of taking the ground permanently out of play regardless of a home’s location or foundation type. Even more, the presentation will walk through the material innovations and evolving residential industry standards and guidelines that influence the selection and installation of below-slab vapor protection systems. There will be a particular focus on the role that effective vapor protection has on the long-term performance of any home, including energy efficiency, human health, and minimized ownership costs/impacts – and the value that offers to homebuilders and their customers. After all, there is often only one good chance to protect the first side of the home.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the science of below slab moisture and vapor movement into homes and potential negative outcomes related to home performance, human health, and overall sustainability.
2. Recognize the short and long-term problems with generic poly sheeting (or omission of vapor protection) below homes and be familiar with more robust current industry standards and guidelines for below-slab vapor retarders in residential construction.
3. Better understanding of the unique product performance and installation considerations for different home foundation types and conditions.
4. Recognize why effective, durable below-slab vapor protection aligns with consumer demands and offers homebuilders an opportunity to decrease liability and bring further value to clients.

Presenters

Tom Marks, Business Development Project Manager, Stego Industries, LLC
Justin Wilson, Principal Partner, Construction Instruction, Inc.

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Crestone Salon B

Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in New US Homes: Preliminary Observations from a Building America Field Study

Energy-efficient new homes that are built tight require appropriately sized bath and kitchen exhaust and whole house mechanical ventilation (WHMV) systems to enable good indoor air quality. ASHRAE Standard 62.2 specifies minimum airflow rates and requires verification, but there is a lack of data on installed system performance and operation and their relationship to indoor air quality in occupied homes. This session will present early findings from an ongoing Building America research study that has gathered data on mechanical ventilation systems, indoor air quality parameters, and house and household characteristics from 180+ occupied homes in CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, OR, and SC. The WHMV systems in many homes rated as compliant with the standard did not meet airflow requirements and many with adequate capacity were not operating as found. Complexity of system design, installation errors, and unaware occupants (mostly owners) appear to be the key factors. Indoor concentrations of air pollutants (particulate matter, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, and radon) varied greatly among homes with and without WHMV. A subset of homes were sampled for one week each with/out WHMV running to isolate the effect of ventilation on IAQ.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about early findings from a field study of indoor air quality in new US homes.
2. Learn about common installation problems that impact performance by WHMV design.
3. Gain an understanding of the various factors that influence indoor air quality.
4. Recognize challenges of characterizing indoor air quality in occupied homes.

Presenters

Iain Walker, Mechanical Staff Scientist/Engineer, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs
Eric Martin, Program Director, Florida Solar Energy Center
Paul Francisco, Senior Research Engineer, Indoor Climate & Research Training
Chrissi Antonopoulos, Senior Analyst, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

HVAC Fault Detection and Diagnostics – Options for Offering Homeowners Worry-Free Heating and Cooling

Improper installation and maintenance of space heating and cooling systems leads to increased energy use, costly repairs, and occupant comfort issues. Heating and cooling issues are one of the top five reasons for new home customer callbacks and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) researchers estimate that 9% of the electricity used on air conditioning and heat pump heating is wasted nationwide is wasted due to faulty installations, costing homeowners $2.5 billion annually (NREL 2020). Several promising residential fault detection and diagnostics technologies exist that ensure both new and existing HVAC systems are installed and operating correctly and efficiently. In this interactive session, we'll provide an overview of available fault detection and diagnostics technologies, and give you a chance to provide your thoughts on how these technologies might help you offer a more compelling product to your homebuyers. In addition, we'll introduce the DOE's Residential HVAC Smart Diagnostic Tool Campaign and the support and recognition homebuilders can receive from participating in the campaign.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn what fault detection diagnostic equipment is available on the market now and what may be coming to market soon.
2. Discover how fault detection diagnostic equipment can reduce your callbacks and customer complaints.
3. Understand common faults of improperly installed HVAC equipment and how diagnostic tools can reduce the risk of early equipment failure while saving your customers energy and money.
4. Learn how the U.S. Department of Energy’s Residential HVAC Smart Diagnostic Tools Campaign can help to educate your customers on diagnostics for safer, worry-free HVAC.

Presenters

Christian Valoria, Senior Associate Building Systems Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Walter Hunt, Capability and Operations Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crystal Salon A
Virtual Session

Closing Plenary: Changing Our Paradigm - Four Principles Of Modern Design and Other Musings

Presenters

Doug Tarry, Founder, Doug Tarry Homes
Gene Myers, CEO, Thrive Home Builders

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
11:00 - 12:30 PM
Silverton Ballroom

Registration & Check-in

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
7:00 - 8:00 AM
3rd Floor

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
9:00 - 9:30 AM
3rd Floor

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
10:30 - 11:00 AM
3rd Floor

Invitation Only: Builder Benchmark Group Luncheon with EEBA Board, Founding and Sustaining Sponsors

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
12:45 - 2:00 PM
Silverton Ballroom

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
2:30 - 3:00 PM
3rd Floor

Networking Reception in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
4:00 - 5:30 PM
3rd Floor

Optional Offsite Event at CI Live

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
6:00 - 8:00 PM

EEBA House Band

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
8:00 - 10:00 PM
Embassy Suites Lobby Bar Area

Indoor Air Quality Sensors Test Method

With increased focus on health and indoor air quality, the industry has seen a boom of low-cost indoor air quality sensor systems that measure a variety of pollutants and other substances. These sensors are being using in a wide array of applications, often being included in consumer IAQ feedback devices, and even sometimes being used to control demand-responsive ventilation. The potential for both increased indoor air quality, as well as more efficient ventilation systems carries the possibility of important steps forward in home performance. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, this topic has risen in prominence with sensors being used to detect various substances (CO2 for example) as a proxy for viral load in a space. However, the big question remaining is how well these sensors work. Recent experiments suggest significant variation in the industry related to the performance of low-cost sensors. Since 2017, Newport has worked with the DOE Building America program, in partnership with South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI), and Healthy Air Research and Certification Authority (HARCA) to develop standardized test methods for evaluating the performance of these sensors using a laboratory test chamber. Newport is currently leading two test methods through the ASTM standard development process: one for PM2.5 sensors and one for CO2 Sensors. HVI and HARCA are developing plans for an industry certification process, both of consumer feedback devices, and of sensors integrated with ventilation controls that will be based on the finalized test methods. Once the first two test methods are finalized, future test methods for other pollutants can be based on these models. Newport and HVI will share the technical work performed to develop these standards as well as the future of industry efforts to bring certification of IAQ sensor systems to the market.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the potential and importance of low-cost indoor air quality sensors in health and efficiency improvements in the industry.
2. Identify the main points of performance concern related to indoor air quality sensors.
3. Understand the progress toward testing standards and the future of certification programs
4. Identify possible specific applications for low-cost IAQ sensors.

Presenters

Joe Nebbia, Newport Partners LLC
Matt Matheny, Engineering Director, Home Ventilating Institute (HVI)

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crestone Salon B

Beyond the Zero Brick Road - A Carbon Free Future

States and local governments are laying a road map for climate leadership and paving the way to a carbon-free future. Designing and constructing within this framework requires ingenuity, courage, and heart. This session will examine some of the existing and proposed mandates for carbon reduction in our built environment and expose who's behind the initiatives (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!). We will also present workable solutions for reducing carbon in buildings. With sophisticated modeling tools, advanced technologies and new products, building professionals are uniquely poised to create a land where buildings are healthier, safer and carbon-free.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn why the electrification road leads to zero.
2. Examine local and state mandates that have skipped over the Federal Government and Code.
3. Understand the challenges and solutions of zero operational carbon.
4. Find the courage to identify low embodied carbon products and materials.

Presenters

Karla Butterfield, Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crystal Salon B
Virtual Session

Understanding Senior Living and its Opportunities

The Covid-19 pandemic put into focus many areas of our lives that previously had not been seen as clearly. One of those areas is how the majority of seniors live, including the unfortunate gaps in providing healthy and safe living environments for what is often referred to as the "most vulnerable" part of population. With multiple studies showing the US population is graying, it is a good time to re-evaluate how we can improve the living environments of seniors. This presentation will define and differentiate the senior living options ranging from active adult communities to assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. This presentation will also survey technology, both currently available and on the horizon, which may greatly increase the performance of senior living.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the indoor environmental quality and comfort needs specific to seniors.
2. Understand why the inclusion of universal design elements in construction contributes to a home’s sustainability (as included in ICC-700 National Green Building Standard).
3. Understand the heightened importance of energy efficiency and power reliability to senior health and well-being.
4. Learn technology innovations that are increasing the extension of independent living for seniors and thereby increasing their quality of life.

Presenters

Theresa Weston, PhD, The Holt Weston Consultancy

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

Help! I Need Somebody: Workforce Woes, Work Arounds, and What Abouts

The need for housing is rising across the country with home buyer demand far outpacing supply in most markets. All this demand creates a terrific opportunity to build high-performance homes. The problem is the shortage of skilled labor is nearly as severe as the shortage of available homes. Thousands of skilled craftsmen are retiring each year and the pipeline of new employees is just a trickle, with few young workers choosing the trades as a career path, leaving builders everywhere lamenting the lack of laborers. Join us to see how some high-performance home builders are tackling the problem head-on with training programs for young workers and creative approaches to finding and keeping good subs and staff. You'll also hear about government initiatives that could help. But since we need new ideas on such a massive scale, we want to hear from you too: What are your biggest workforce woes? How do you find talent? Where do you go for training? What ideas do you have for attracting, training, and retaining the next generations of skilled builders? Join us for this interactive session to learn and share your thoughts on this critical challenge to the homebuilding industry.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover what successful builders are doing to attract and retain good subcontractors.
2. Identify training programs that could benefit your employees and be a source of new recruits.
3. Learn about ideas from other builders to attract and retain qualified workers.
4. Discover Federal government initiatives to help bring new workers into the construction industry.

Presenters

David Kendall, Thrive Home Builders
Ryan Hillgartner, Director of Marketing, Tim O'Brien Homes
Rick Wertheim, United Way of Long Island
Marye Hefty, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Theresa Gilbride, Building Energy Efficiency Researcher, PNNL

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Crystal Salon A

A Conversation About Building Zero Energy Homes

In this podcast style live conversation, Join Justin Wilson and Gord Cooke (Construction Instruction), Robby Schwarz (BUILDTank), Bill Rectanus (Thrive Home Builders), and Architect (to be named) as we discuss the current state of Zero Energy Homes. Skip the PowerPoint and enjoy this conversation where we wrestle with how to make zero energy homes mainstream homes.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand what is happening in Canada vs. the United States with zero energy homes.
2. Examine the expectations: builder vs. ICC, vs. local municipalities.
3. Learn about the differences between Zero Energy and Zero Carbon.
4. Understand how builders can achieve these projects on their own and with the help of consultants.

Presenters

Gord Cooke, Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction
Justin Wilson, Principal Partner, Construction Instruction, Inc.
Bill Rectanus, VP of Operations, Thrive Home Builders
Robby Schwarz, Founder, BUILDTank, Inc.
Seth Hart

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Silverton Ballroom

Electrification and Carbon in the Real World?

In response to climate change and a call to reduce carbon emissions, the push for transitioning new homes to all-electric is on. Over 50% of Americans say that climate change is a critical threat and now is the time to educate buyers on solutions to reduce carbon emissions through electrification. Various stakeholders debate the cost and benefits of this substantive change, but it is consumer engagement that will lead to broader acceptance and implementation. Understanding the reality of electrification, the basics of carbon accounting, and opportunities to discuss this with clients will help builders stay ahead of mandates and continue to build. This presentation will explore how electrification and the real-world way builders are meeting this transition impact the code/energy program compliance and performance of homes.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand what electrification really means and carbon equation associated with it.
2. Identify the expectations of electrification and opportunities to implement all electric homes.
3. Discuss opportunities to talk about carbon with potential home buyers.
4. Answer the question, "Can you 'electrify' and have a home that is worse for clients and the climate?"

Presenters

Nathan Kahre, Business Development Manager, Energy Logic
Rusty Buick, Director of Business Development, Energy Logic

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crestone Salon B

Pathways to LEED Certification: Production Builder Streamlining & DOE Zero Energy Ready Home

USGBC has a LEED Interpretation that allows projects to leverage their DOE Zero Energy Ready Home label to earn points toward LEED v4 certification under LEED v4 BD+C: Homes. By earning these labels, projects can be awarded a minimum of 26.5 points in LEED v4 BD+C: Homes, as well as most prerequisites in the Energy and Atmosphere and Indoor Environmental Quality credit categories. Additional points can be earned by having a HERS Index of 56 or better. Projects must earn at least 40 points to meet the LEED certification at the Certified level.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn the program requirements of the LEED v4 BD+C: Homes Rating System
2. Understand the requirements of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program
3. Learn about the DOE ZERH alternative compliance path (ACP) to meet LEED prerequisites and credits
4. Know how to implement the DOE ZERH ACP

Presenters

Carissa Sawyer, Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI)

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crystal Salon B

Moving Beyond v3.0: What’s Next with ENERGY STAR Single-Family New Homes?

The National Version 3.0 of the ENERGY STAR Single-Family New Homes program was originally released over 10 years ago. Today, 22 states plus the District of Columbia have moved beyond, to National Version 3.1 or regional requirements that are equally or more stringent.
Other changes are afoot. Even in states still using Version 3.0, the average score of energy rated homes continues to improve. The 2021 IECC sets a new high-water mark for national model codes. And studies consistently indicate that more ambitious goals are needed to reduce the greenhouse gasses generated by the residential sector.
This session will cover three significant programmatic developments that EPA is proposing in response, which will allow the ENERGY STAR Single-Family New Homes program to move beyond Version 3.0.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the trends that are driving ENERGY STAR to pursue levels of performance beyond National Version 3.0.
2. Hear EPA's rationale for considering if/when National Version 3.0 should be phased out.
3. Learn how EPA is planning to advance efficiency by developing National Version 3.2.
4. Discover how EPA and DOE are collaborating to recognize additional emissions-reducing technologies beyond efficiency.

Presenters

Dean Gamble, Technical Manager, EPA

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

A Globalized Approach to Sustainability in the Built Environment

During this 60-minute presentation, Joseph Daniels will present a fresh approach to sustainable buildings with a harmonized approach for application across the globe. Blending sustainability certifications, green finance, and a universe of digital twins, Daniels is standardizing an approach to developing and delivering high-performance homes. This new approach, developed and piloted by his company, Etopia, offers a new framework for ESG investment in green housing across the globe. Daniels will present contexts, constraints, and findings from his work in the UK and Europe and how these new models may be adapted and applied in the U.S.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify current issues around standardizing sustainability in buildings
2. Develop an awareness of the role of accreditation in ensuring a less risky approach to ESG finance
3. Understand how one company is globalizing its sustainability work in a way that's adaptable to local requirements
4. Appreciate the power of collaboration in catalyzing sustainability and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Presenters

Joseph Daniels, CEO of Etopia USA, Project Etopia

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Crystal Salon A
Virtual Session

What is the Builder Benchmark Group and How Does It Benefit Its Members?

EEBA’s Builder Benchmark Group started in March of 2020. Originally intended to have four “in-person” meetings annually, it quickly adapted to the pandemic with monthly virtual meetings. Facilitated by George Casey of Stockbridge Associates, BBG members go through financial benchmarking utilizing the DuPont Analysis and cover a wide range of topics that members have faced through these unprecedented times. Moderated by EEBA Board Member Juan Fernandez, panelists will discuss what has been most valuable to them and how the BBG might be good for you and your company.

Learning Objectives

1. What are the eligibility requirements for a home builder to join and how much does it cost?
2. How does the DuPont Analysis facilitate benchmarking with other high-performance builders?
3. How do BBG members support each other and what have been the most impactful for our panelists?
4. How does BBG prepare its members for the future?

Presenters

Joel Abney, Vice President of Operations, Woodside Homes
Karen Kicinski, Co-Owner and Marketing Director, LifeStyle Homes Builders
Mike Frey, Vice President, Noyes Development Co.
Doug Tarry, Founder, Doug Tarry Homes
Juan Fernandez, Founder, CVF Homes

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
11:00 - 12:00 PM
Silverton Ballroom

The Sales Culture of Homebuilding

"Nothing happens until it's sold." - Ira A. Fulton, founder and Chairman of Fulton Homes, Tempe, AZ. Every homebuilder must have a sales culture, where sales is the epicenter of the company and really mean it and where war is declared on anything that gets in the way of sales. We use age-old retail principles where the buyer comes first in every aspect of our business as the eleven most important words in retail are, "Find out what the buyer wants and give it to them."
It is one thing to have a strong sales culture where you have the best systems, the best sales force, and sell more than twice as many homes per community per month than the rest of the market, but in order for this to happen, you have to generate traffic to your Sales Office and model complex.

Every builder should have Unique Selling Propositions where you have items or concepts that you promote that sets you apart from other builders. Most of you have energy efficiency and healthy homes that you promote that do set you apart from the others. How do you tell the story of Energy Efficiency and Healthy homes? Learn tips from 6 time IAP Leader award, and 2 time IAP Leader of the Year award winner.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the sales culture of homebuilding
2. Build trust with each buyer and maximizing every sale
3. Marketing - What your website has to have
4. Unique selling propositions - what differentiates your company from other builders

Presenters

Dennis Webb, Fulton Homes

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
11:00 - 12:00 PM
Crestone Salon B

Building for Resilience: A New Disaster-Resistance Construction Tool in the Building America Solution Center

Wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, termites & beyond; today's builders have more to worry about than code inspectors, labor shortages, and lumber prices. Once a home is built, will it stand up to the elements? The U.S. Department of Energy is pulling together an impressive suite of construction guidance to help the building industry construct homes that are more disaster-resistant and resilient. They are calling on some of the best building scientists and drawing from the expertise of numerous disaster resistance agencies together with their wealth of construction knowledge. This is a user-friendly resource for builders, contractors, designers, raters, code officials, and homeowners. This new disaster-resistance tool is the most recent addition to DOE's popular Building America Solution Center. Now averaging over 60,000 hits a month (That's 2,000 visits per day!), the Solution Center is an interactive online resource giving users a how-to guide for making homes more energy-efficient, durable, comfortable, healthy, and now also disaster-resistant. The tool includes guidance on making homes more resistant to wildfires, floods, hurricanes, high winds, tornadoes, earthquakes, low temperatures, and pests. Additionally, guidance for shelter in place and grid-enabled buildings are planned to be added. The Solution Center offers easy-to-search libraries of photos, drawings, videos, CAD files, case studies, code notes, and references helpful for training crews and tracking down answers. This presentation will show you how to make the most of this new tool to make your next projects both energy efficient and disaster-resistant.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify steps you can take to make your homes more disaster resistant and more energy efficient, healthy, and durable to help your home buyers rest easier.
2. Use disaster-specific checklists to find installation guidance detailing how to install specific disaster-resistance measures in your homes to address the natural disasters that plague your locale – from hurricanes and high winds to earthquakes, floods, wildfires, winter storms, and pests.
3. Discover new resources including hundreds of guides and thousands of images, photos, videos, CAD files, case studies, and references to help you train subcontractors and in-house crews on best practice construction techniques to improve the disaster resistance, thermal performance, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency of your homes.
4. Learn how improvements in the thermal envelope and energy performance of a home can also increase the resilience, durability, sustainability, safety, and indoor air quality of a home enabling it to serve as a haven for its homeowners and an asset for its community in times of natural disaster.

Presenters

Chrissi Antonopoulos, Senior Analyst, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Theresa Gilbride, Building Energy Efficiency Researcher, PNNL

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
11:00 - 12:00 PM
Crystal Salon B
Virtual Session

Adjusting for New ABNORMALS: Adapting to More Extreme Heat and Power Outages

The risks of overheated buildings, power outages, higher cooling costs are already increasing in many regions and are expected to increase drastically in the coming decades. Indoor overheating standards and demonstration projects have been developed in Europe and Canada, but little progress has been made in the U.S. Cooling systems using renewable energy can increase cooling capacity, but they also produce waste heat and embedded carbon emissions and increase our reliance on the power grid. The study goal was to demonstrate cost effective passive design strategies for a safe, comfortable, and affordable living environment. The study's objective was to model an affordable, ZNE single family home in dry mixed climate site in Bakersfield, California under current and future climate conditions and power outage conditions. To estimate mid-century and end-century climate, we used Cal-Adapt's local climate predictions for Bakersfield and weather files from the "future climate analog" cities of Yuma and Phoenix, Arizona, respectively. Urban heat island effects were not estimated. BeOpt modeling was used to optimize passive design features under current and future climate conditions. CBEC modeling results showed a net annual site energy increase for future climates of 55% by mid-century – consisting of an 84% heating load decrease but a 147% increase in cooling load (up to 84% per month). Without air conditioning in the analogous Phoenix climate, indoor temperature reached a maximum of 111 F. Peak energy use and overheating risk during an historical heat wave in Bakersfield (with and without power) were also assessed. Results confirmed that designing for low energy use alone will not necessary prevent overheating under current and future climates. Current progress and future research and policy needs will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives

1. Appreciate how important indoor heat stress is to human health and human performance.
2. Learn how to assess current and future risks of increased overheating, cooling costs, and carbon emissions.
3. Learn how to mitigate overheating risks by first considering passive cooling features on buildings and in communities.
4. Learn which health and socioeconomic factors increase the risk of overheating

Presenters

Tom Phillips, Healthy Building Research and ROCIS.org
Emily Higbee, Redwood Energy

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
11:00 - 12:00 PM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

Meeting the Carbon Challenge—Decarbonization Strategies for High Performance Builders

After decades of striving towards higher levels of energy efficiency, high performance builders are now facing the decarbonization challenge. The path towards operational decarbonizing of our homes is straightforward and leads through net zero energy to electrification. But what about the embodied carbon of the home itself? And what about internal decarbonization of the building process?

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about the climate change imperative to decarbonize our industry and what standards can be used to benchmark our decarbonization measures.
2. Learn how a high-performance builder has approached internal decarbonization.
3. Learn how decarbonization starts with building a digital twin of a home to then calculate the carbon footprint of each building component.
4. Learn about the “energy rater for carbon” and how the embodied carbon of a home can be offset in the carbon markets.

Presenters

Gene Myers, CEO, Thrive Home Builders
George Sullivan, Sr. Principal & CEO, Net Zero Analysis
John McLinden, President & CEO, Digibilt
Leigha Dickens, Green Building and Sustainability Manager, Deltec Homes
Stacy Smedley, Executive Director, Building Transparency

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
11:00 - 12:00 PM
Crystal Salon A

Where Are We Headed with Home Electrification?

Many countries, including the US, are seeking ways to decrease current carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to respond to the concerns about global warming. Electrification of homes is a key strategy in transitioning to renewable energy sources and reducing CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels. LBNL recently completed a study that surveyed the deep retrofits of more than 1,500 homes across the US. The findings identify emerging trends in deep energy retrofit projects and we outline where changes are occurring most rapidly, such as electrification, decarbonization, advancing heat pump technologies, smart controls, and new program designs. While this study focused on renovation of existing homes, many of the key technical issues, barriers and solutions together with market transformation needs also apply in new construction.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify what measures and measure packages are most common in US deep energy retrofits, with focus on electrification.
2. Identify future parameters to consider in electrification, based on the gathered actual data.
3. Understand the strategies driving the design of whole home retrofits are evolving in the context of climate change, electrification, and rapidly changing costs.
4. Improved understanding of the factors that affect the costs and performance of deep retrofit projects

Presenters

Brennan Less, LBNL
Iain Walker, Mechanical Staff Scientist/Engineer, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs
Nuria Casquero-Modrego, PhD, LBNL

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Crestone Salon B
Virtual Session

Registration & Check-in

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
7:00 - 8:00 AM
3rd Floor

DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes and the Year Ahead

"Zero Energy Ready Homes" have grown from a niche product unfamiliar to many, to a standard offering in the marketplace found in codes, stretch codes, and many utility and affordable housing programs. But we're still in the early stages of the journey to zero. The DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes program is moving to Version 2 in 2022, which will incorporate more proven innovations and establish ZERH as the jumping off point for net zero performance. At the same time, Zero Energy Ready Homes have reached a new high with major commitments from large production builders, affordable housing developers, and military housing projects. Finally, the program is launching the ZERH-Multifamily spec in 2022 to serve as the next step for Energy Star Multifamily New Construction builders. During this session we invite you to learn more about these exciting program advancements and share your input and questions.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the growth of Zero Energy Ready Homes in the marketplace
2. Explore the Version 2 updates to the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program requirements
3. Understand how DOE ZERH-Multifamily builds upon the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction Program
4. Learn about ZERH activity in different housing segments such as production and affordable housing

Presenters

Eric Werling, National Director, Building America
Jamie Lyons, Newport Partners LLC

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Silverton Ballroom
Virtual Session

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
9:00 - 9:30 AM
3rd Floor

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
10:30 - 11:00 AM
3rd Floor

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
12:00 - 12:15 PM
3rd Floor

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
1:45 - 2:00 PM
3rd Floor

Luncheon - EPA's Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards Ceremony

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
12:15 - 1:45 PM
Silverton Ballroom

The Marketers' Toolkit - Best Practices to Develop Better Strategies and a More Relevant Brand

David Bernardino, Chief Client Officer at Ammunition, will walk you through best practices on (1) developing a clear and insights-driven marketing plan and (2) building your brand. The first half of the session will focus on tools and techniques that will help you generate actionable insights that can translate into brand-building strategies. The second half will dive into a simple framework that you can apply to build your brand - focusing on developing a clear understanding of your target audience, creating a crisp brand positioning, and bringing this to life across the marketing mix. You will leave this session with actionable tools that you can immediately apply to your brand.

Learning Objectives

1. How to methodically analyze a business situation and translate those insights into actionable plans that will lock growth
2. Key elements of the brand building framework (WHO, WHAT, HOW)
3. Understand how you build each element of the framework (inputs, analysis, and outputs)
4. How to bring the framework to life in an actionable manner.

Presenters

David Bernardino, Ammunition

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Crystal Salon B

High Performance Mechanicals

High Performance Mechanical Systems for Houses That Work is a mid-level, full day seminar geared towards Builders, Designers, Code Officials, and Trade Allies that focuses on HVAC, Ventilation, Hot Water, Indoor Air Quality and Electronic Home Controls in high performance housing. In the past several years, residential mechanical systems have grown in complexity and scope as energy codes have mandated higher insulation levels, better windows and tighter construction. There is now a great opportunity to rethink and redesign HVAC, hot water heating and electronic home control systems as they are major contributors to energy efficiency goals. This course will first review the key building science concepts that have changed the way houses are built and identify the relevant changes to mechanical systems. The remainder of the course will focus on the proper sizing and selection of appropriate mechanical equipment for high performance ever lower load homes. Compelling opportunities to simultaneously optimize comfort, durability, safety and health, efficiency and cost will be identified. Instructor will use lectures, case studies and group exercises to convey the information to attendees.

Learning Objectives

Gain an understanding of the basic building science concepts relevant to mechanical systems in high performance housing;
Knowledge of the sizing adjustments, calculations and commissioning process for low load residential HVAC systems and how to choose the proper system for a specific climate zone;
Understand the main causes of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) concerns and their mitigation, including the effect of the building envelope on the need for ventilation and strategies and types of ventilation systems, including new technologies;
Recognize opportunities for a wide range of equipment for at least space heating, space cooling, water heating, indoor air quality and occupant control;
Comprehend the role of electronic controls systems with relation to mechanical equipment and achievable energy savings; learn how to choose the right system and maximize integration with other equipment in the home.

Presenters

Gord Cooke, Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
1:30 - 2:30 PM
Crestone A
Virtual Session

Keep A Lid On It: Best Practices for Reducing Cooking Pollution in Homes

Air sealing and window closing can help reduce air pollutant intrusion and energy use in homes, but such efforts must also include control of major indoor pollutant sources such as cooking. A new industry rating program for the pollutant capture efficiency of range hoods is coming soon and will become part of building ventilation standards. ROCIS.org has developed best practice recommendations for ducted range hoods in new and existing buildings. The recommendations are based on international research and expert advisor input. The recommendations include guidance on how to design, install, and operate a quiet, effective range hood system, and how to assess the need for makeup air. Cooking practices, building standards, and technologies that help reduce cooking emissions are also discussed.

Learning Objectives

1. Be aware of health, noise, odor, moisture, and GHG issues associated with home cooking and kitchen ventilation.
2. Understand the basics of how to select, install, test, and operate a ducted range hood in order to achieve effective, quiet kitchen ventilation.
3. Learn how to reduce cooking emissions and toxin formation by using healthy, low emission cooking practices.
4. Learn about new building energy standards and technologies that can improve kitchen ventilation.

Presenters

Tom Phillips, Healthy Building Research and ROCIS.org

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

Designing a Hurricane Resilient Home: The Systematic Approach

Multiple trends are making the design and off-site construction of resilient homes more important than ever. We have increasingly strong and frequent storms that are impacting communities across a greater area. We also have more people moving into those areas that are impacted by these storms. These people want to enjoy their environment while being protected from it.

How do you balance those conflicting issues? By building hurricane-resistant homes that connect people to nature.
This presentation will look at the core principles that make a home hurricane resistant. Importantly, it will explore how using a systematic approach is necessary to ensure the best hurricane protection for homes. From the building design, to specialized hurricane-specific components, to sustainability strategies that allow a home to operate immediately after a disaster; having the different elements of the home work together as a system is critical. We will highlight a few key case studies of homes that have withstood some of the strongest and most catastrophic storms in history.
These same trends lead us to explore why resiliency should be central to the sustainability movement.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify core principles of what makes a home resilient.
2. Learn about the value of connecting people to their environment while protecting them from it.
3. Understand the systematic approach to building a resilient home with off site construction.
4. Explore why the future of sustainability should include resilience.

Presenters

Steve Linton, President, Deltec Homes

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Crystal Salon A
Virtual Session

Zero Energy Ready on a Production Scale

Many builders are attracted to the idea of building zero energy homes. However, there is an unspoken presumption that these homes really only pencil out for custom-home money-is-no-object clients or possibly, as heavily subsidized affordable home demonstration projects. Are zero energy homes really possible for the production home builder? And, can you make any profit building them? In 2020 and 2021, Kevin Brozyna, Vice President of Operations for Production Builder Insight Homes of Bridgeville, Delaware, oversaw construction of more homes certified through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Zero Energy Ready Home Program than any other builder in the country. In this presentation, Kevin shares how, despite a year marked by skyrocketing materials costs and supply chain and labor shortages, this successful production builder has managed to turn a profit while sticking to their company's high zero energy performance and quality goals. Kevin will share the cost-saving methods, marketing techniques, and production challenges and solutions he's learned along the way that could benefit production home builders across the country. Kevin is joined by Terrence Mosley of DOE and Terri Gilbride of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who will provide an overview of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program and share construction best practices from DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Award winners in every construction category from production to custom for buyer, custom spec, multifamily, affordable, and attached.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify cost-saving measures in equipment purchasing, supply chains, construction techniques, labor, and scheduling.
2. Learn how to set yourself apart and create a unique brand identity with the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home construction certification.
3. Identify a path to Net Zero home construction as outlined in DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home Program.
4. Discover simple, cost-effective techniques for improving home performance no matter what type of home you are constructing from DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Builders, including this year's DOE Housing Innovation Award Winners.

Presenters

Kevin Brozyna, VP of Operations, Insight Homes
Theresa Gilbride, Building Energy Efficiency Researcher, PNNL
Terrence Mosley, US Department of Energy

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Silverton Ballroom
Virtual Session

Indoor Air Quality: System Approach for a Post-Covid Future

This presentation addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with providing healthy indoor spaces going forward into a post-COVID future. The presentation discusses filtration, ultraviolet light, and hydro-peroxides as different methods for cleaning air, as well as various products available on the market today. The authors discuss and quanitify their conclusion that a system approach is needed using a combination of all three methods in order to provide the healthiest indoor air quality possible, which will be able to heavily mitigate or even eliminate the risks associated with airborne viruses in indoor spaces.

Please click this link to be taken to the written version upon which the presentation will be based: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/295533339/

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the system of Filtration: Ventilation, the MERV rating system, and HEPA filters
2. Learn how Ultraviolet Light adds to the strength of HVAC filtration systems
3. Use Hydro-Peroxides in a discussion of this newer technology which acts as a whole home active air purifier
4. Understand the ASHRAE standards, California Title 24 mandates, as well as existing products on the market that provide different methods of air cleaning.

Presenters

Ted Konechne, DPIS
Aaron Holden, Director of Engineering, Ei

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Crestone Salon B

Cost Optimized Compliance with the 2021 IECC

The 2021 IECC brought about major changes that are championed by sustainability advocates and bemoaned by builders, now is the time to prepare. Using a home design typical to the Denver market, EnergyLogic has analyzed possible pathways to comply with the changes in the code and provide builders with cost effective solutions. The flexibility of the IECC allows for multiply pathways for builders to meet the code, but these pathways often lead to confusion rather than opportunities. Using a clear method, EnergyLogic's analysis allows for builders to work with their raters to make informed decisions and avoid shots in the dark. This session will focus on how to prepare for the adoption of the 2021 IECC, how builders can make informed decisions, and how this will impact home buyers.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the main changes to the IECC that impact cost.
2. Learn about methods for analyzing opportunities in the 2021 IECC.
3. Discover a cost-optimized pathway for compliance in Climate Zone 5.
4. Translate the changes in code regulations into ROI for Homebuyers.

Presenters

Nathan Kahre, Business Development Manager, Energy Logic

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Crystal Salon B

Low Rise Residential Buildings as a Climate Solution

Our low-rise, residential sector could be world leaders in preventing climate change. This session will show how material selection and energy efficiency can go hand-in-hand to create new homes that no longer contribute to climate change, but actually reverse climate change. By understanding the greenhouse gas emissions from our materials, our fuel use and our energy efficiency, we can fine-tune solutions that match budgets, climatic zones and market needs with serious climate action. This session will look at the tools available to quickly and easily understand the "carbon use intensity" of our buildings and how we can use them to make affordable homes that make us climate heroes instead of climate villains.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the basic premise of the three sources of greenhouse gas emissions from homes: material-related emissions, fuel emissions, and energy efficiency
2. Be familiar with the available tools used to assess the three sources of emissions from homes
3. Identify emission "hot spots" in homes and understand options for reducing or eliminating these
4. Understand the climate-friendly choices made for least three case study buildings that achieve affordable zero carbon performance

Presenters

Chris Magwood, Endeavour Centre & Builders for Climate Action

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Crystal Salon C
Virtual Session

Sustainable is Attainable: Building Affordable Zero Energy Ready Homes and Providing Missing Middle Housing Opportunities

This session will explore the challenges faced when building sustainable, affordable housing and providing Missing Middle Housing opportunities in existing neighborhoods. It will feature two case studies of affordable Zero Energy Ready Home developments in Western North Carolina. These include the Northstone mixed income community in Hickory and the Duke Street Cottages pocket neighborhood in Granite Falls. Three of the homes in Hickory were monitored by Advanced Energy for comfort and indoor air quality. A summary of the research findings will be shared during the presentation.

Learning Objectives

1. Define the terms: Missing, Middle Housing, and Pocket Neighborhood.
2. Explore challenges to building sustainable, affordable housing in existing neighborhoods with restrictive zoning ordinances.
3. Identify affordable strategies for meeting DOE Zero Energy Ready Home requirements.
4. Discuss high performance heating, cooling, ventilation, and dehumidification systems for low load homes.

Presenters

Rob Howard, President, Howard Building Science, Inc.

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Crystal Salon A
Virtual Session

Networking Reception

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
4:30 - 6:00 PM
3rd Floor

EEBA Social Event at the Ultimate ZEN Home

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
7:00 - 10:00 PM

The Future of the High Performance Homebuilding Industry

This is an open discussion on the state of the high performance homebuilding industry, and how it is projected to evolve going forward. Presenters will dive into new products, techniques, and strategies utilized by industry leaders and key players. Aaron Smith will analyze the concept of the "H.E.R.D. mentality" (Health, Electrification, Resilience and Decarbonization). This discussion focuses on the significance of EEBA's community in the high performance homebuilding industry and how crucial this network is to strengthening sustainable construction strategies.

Presenters

Aaron Smith, CEO, EEBA
Gord Cooke, Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction
Mark LaLiberte, Co-Founder and President, Construction Instruction

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Silverton Ballroom

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Day 2: Sep 15, 2021
3:00 - 3:30 PM
3rd Floor

Resilient Homes Need to Be Built by Resilient People

The construction industry is on the top of a list that no one wants to be on---completed suicides. Our goal in this session is to go upstream and get real comfortable talking about mental health in the industry and use the speaker's personal story to weave this narrative. We will discuss risk factors and warning signs for suicide prevention and look at ways to let your people know that you care.

Learning Objectives

1. Be able to recognize there is no stigma concerning anyone’s mental health.

2. Identify the importance of utilizing available resources.

3. Understand what to look for in others that are possibly struggling mentally.

4. Discover what resources are available to them to get self-care.

Presenters

Dennis Gillan, Executive Director, Half a Sorrow Foundation
Aaron Smith, CEO, EEBA

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
9:30 - 10:30 AM
Silverton Ballroom
Virtual Session

State of EEBA

Aaron Smith, CEO of EEBA is joined by Bill Rectanus and Dennis Webb to discuss the state of EEBA and the larger context of the high performance homebuilding industry.

Presenters

Aaron Smith, CEO, EEBA
Bill Rectanus, VP of Operations, Thrive Home Builders
Dennis Webb, Fulton Homes

Day 3: Sep 16, 2021
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Silverton Ballroom

High Performance Mechanicals

High Performance Mechanical Systems for Houses That Work is a mid-level, full day seminar geared towards Builders, Designers, Code Officials, and Trade Allies that focuses on HVAC, Ventilation, Hot Water, Indoor Air Quality and Electronic Home Controls in high performance housing. In the past several years, residential mechanical systems have grown in complexity and scope as energy codes have mandated higher insulation levels, better windows and tighter construction. There is now a great opportunity to rethink and redesign HVAC, hot water heating and electronic home control systems as they are major contributors to energy efficiency goals. This course will first review the key building science concepts that have changed the way houses are built and identify the relevant changes to mechanical systems. The remainder of the course will focus on the proper sizing and selection of appropriate mechanical equipment for high performance ever lower load homes. Compelling opportunities to simultaneously optimize comfort, durability, safety and health, efficiency and cost will be identified. Instructor will use lectures, case studies and group exercises to convey the information to attendees.

Learning Objectives

Gain an understanding of the basic building science concepts relevant to mechanical systems in high performance housing;
Knowledge of the sizing adjustments, calculations and commissioning process for low load residential HVAC systems and how to choose the proper system for a specific climate zone;
Understand the main causes of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) concerns and their mitigation, including the effect of the building envelope on the need for ventilation and strategies and types of ventilation systems, including new technologies;
Recognize opportunities for a wide range of equipment for at least space heating, space cooling, water heating, indoor air quality and occupant control;
Comprehend the role of electronic controls systems with relation to mechanical equipment and achievable energy savings; learn how to choose the right system and maximize integration with other equipment in the home.

Presenters

Gord Cooke, Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction

Day 1: Sep 14, 2021
2:45 - 4:45 PM
Crestone A
Virtual Session

Joel Abney

Vice President of Operations, Woodside Homes

Anthony Aebi

President, Zeronetnow Inc.

I went to SUNY Stony Brook for degrees in Physics and Biology and ended up building Homes. I started in 1993 renovating lofts in New York City where I then moved to upstate New York in 1995. I committed to building 100% of my homes to be zero energy in 2006. My first attempt ended up being the first rated Zero Energy Home in the North East and I was awarded by the DOE for it in 2012. Since then I have gone on to win an additional 4 HIAs From the DOE one of them was for a whole development. I have won the award from RESNET for the last two years as the builder with the lowest HERS score before renewables (I only entered the last two years). I have been awarded by NYSERDA for the last 4 years as the builder with the lowest HERS score in NYS, since they started the award

Robb Aldrich

Principal Mechanical Engineer, Steven Winter Associates

Robb Aldrich is a Principal Mechanical Engineer in Steven Winter Associates’ Connecticut office. He has been with the firm since 2000. Robb focuses on building energy systems: researching new technologies, monitoring performance of systems, and working with stakeholders across the country to create better, healthier, more efficient buildings.

Before joining SWA, Robb received a master’s degree from the Building Systems Program at the University of Colorado and worked for several years designing, commissioning, and repairing solar electric and solar thermal systems.

Chrissi Antonopoulos

Senior Analyst, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Chrissi Antonopoulos joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Portland office in 2010 and has worked on a broad range of projects ranging from green buildings, residential energy efficiency, techno-economic analysis, appliance efficiency standards and smart grid development. Chrissi is currently Senior Analyst working with the Energy Technology Market Adoption Team to enhance the presence of green technologies in the commercial marketplace. Current work includes analysis of green building technology diffusion in the building sector, valuation of energy efficient residential homes, assessment of wall systems for residential deep energy retrofits, and residential indoor air quality.

David Bernardino

Ammunition

David is the Chief Client Officer and Head of Research + Planning at Ammunition, an Atlanta-based agency the helps brands that serve the home building industry. In his role, he leads all business development, along with helping clients with the development of insights, strategies, and plans to grow their businesses.

Kevin Brozyna

VP of Operations, Insight Homes

Kevin Brozyna is Vice President of Operations at Insight Homes of Bridgeville, Delaware, and previously served as Director of Operations for Insight from 2013 to 2019. Insight Homes has been certifying homes through DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home program since2018 and now has 510 homes certified. Insight has certified more homes per year than any other builder in the program the past two years. Before coming to Insight, Kevin cultivated his building science expertise while working for the high-performance construction consulting firm IBACOS in Pittsburgh, where he served 6 years as a Building Performance Specialist, then moved up to become the Program Manager for International Technology and Information. He started out his career as a construction manager for Arcadis Geraghty & Miller International from Mahwah, NJ.

Rusty Buick

Director of Business Development, Energy Logic

Rusty brings a diverse and extensive skill set to EnergyLogic, combining practical construction knowledge with experience in sustainability, energy efficiency, and building science. As the Director of Business Development, Rusty oversees the cultivation of new clients, new services, and new ideas within EnergyLogic. His mission is to ensure our clients receive the highest level of customer service and expertise in meeting their sustainability and efficiency goals.
After graduation from the University of Colorado with a Master’s in Business Administration, Rusty was a builder of everything from small affordable housing to multimillion-dollar trophy homes in the Vail Valley. A curiosity in energy-efficient building methods led him to become certified from RESNET®?, BPI, and CSU’s School of the Built Environment. Eventually, he landed at EnergyLogic where he has held many positions including Field Rater, Field Services Manager, and finally his current position. As commonly seen in fellow Coloradoan bio’s, Rusty enjoys spending time outside. Specifically, you can find him trail running and biking with the occasional hockey game and hunting trip thrown in for fun.

Karla Butterfield

Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates

Karla Butterfield is a Sustainability Director at Steven Winter Associates, working with residential buildings. Her expertise is in sustainable consulting services, program certification support and implementation of high-performance building technologies. With architects, developers, builders, and homeowners, she develops specific sustainability strategies for both new construction and renovations.

Steve Byers

CEO, Energy Logic

I was raised in a military family, so: Colorado, Georgia, Virginia, Germany to name a few spots. After graduating from the Air Force Academy, I flew C-130's for five years. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do, I got out of the Air Force, married Wynne Maggi and moved to Atlanta where she was completing her PhD in Anthropology. After that, I got my start in energy at Southface Energy Institute, starting as an intern and working my way up to running field operations.

Returning to Colorado, I got started in earnest in the rating and building science world, leading me to my present position at EnergyLogic. Wynne and I have two lovely daughters and live in Berthoud, Wynne's hometown and a great place to live. Having never truly had a hometown, I am dedicated to building a sustainable community in my adoptive hometown.

I have my Bachelor's degree in Asian history from the Air Force Academy and an MPA from Georgia State University. Hiking, gardening, movies, reading and great beer are a few of my favorite things. I love to travel, see new things, meet new people and challenge myself whenever I can. I run, sometimes a long way and sometimes short but fast.

Nuria Casquero-Modrego, PhD

LBNL

Núria is an architect/engineer who specializes in building retrofitting and construction systems. Her research interests include energy retrofits of buildings, occupant health and IEQ, and zero-energy design. She managed the UC Berkeley Solar Decathlon team as the Head Architect in their 2017 submission, and she has also been a manager and data analyst with the Team Zero (Net-Zero Energy Coalition) since 2016. She has been involved in the design and retrofitting of a wide variety of buildings in the US and abroad.

Scott Cocking

Marketing Director, Deltec Homes

Scott Cocking is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience across a wide range of disciplines and industries. With both agency-side experience at companies such as JWT (now Wunderman Thompson), DDB and Grey, he has managed some of the world’s best-known brands nationally and internationally, including HP, P&G, Novartis; and worked at leading brands like Merck and non-profits such as Collegiate. He is well versed in the B2B, B2C and B2B2C spaces. He has spoken in many countries and been interviewed in publications spanning from China to the Netherlands.

Currently the marketing director at Deltec Homes, he works closely with the team to create and implement all corporate marketing, communications and advertising strategy. He is committed to growing brand awareness for Deltec around the world. His key focus is ensuring that its marketing works in a completely integrated way that seamlessly blends brand value together with lead generation.

He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism and has had some studies at Columbia University. He is a new member of the EEBA Business Benchmark Group this year.

Scott is a recent transplant to Asheville, NC, from the New York City area and is enjoying his mountain surroundings with his husband, three dogs and a cat.

Gord Cooke

Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction

Gord Cooke is a Partner with Construction Instruction Inc. Gord is a professional engineer with over 25 years of experience in the low and high-rise residential building industry. As an educator, industry consultant and much sought after presenter, Gord has a unique talent for taking the building science issues that he sees in the field, and presenting them in an easily understood and practical real-world manner. Gord has particular expertise in applied building science, energy efficient housing initiatives, innovative HVAC systems, ventilation and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). He has developed and delivered a multitude of workshops in these fields, as well as sales and marketing courses for builders and real estate agents to help them best promote the features and benefits of high performance houses.

Katie Allen Cort

Senior Economist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Katie Allen Cort is a senior economist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and team lead for multiple projects focused on high-performance windows and window attachments. She has over 20 years of experience analyzing energy-efficiency programs, technologies, and research and provides technical support for the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Program.

Todd Cort

Lecturer in Sustainability, Yale School of Management

Dr. Cort works at the intersection of sustainability and investor value. Over the course of 20 years, in consulting and academia, he has applied a scientific and economic lens to corporate social and environmental responsibility (or sustainability) in order to identify the tools, mechanisms, metrics and indicators that create the greatest value for investors, businesses and society. Todd has worked extensively with companies and investors across industrial sectors. His experience ranges from ‘on the ground’ implementation of sustainability programs to corporate level communication and investor strategy development. He has also worked extensively on integrated programs to meet regulatory requirements while promoting awareness and understanding of sustainability priorities through communications and engagement with communities, regulators, policy makers and internal stakeholders.

Joseph Daniels

CEO of Etopia USA, Project Etopia

Joseph Daniels founded Project Etopia in 2015 at the age of 23 and is the CEO of Project Etopia Group. Motivated with a passion to make a difference his objective is to build the smart connected eco cities of the future that work towards solving the global housing crisis, whilst having a positive impact on climate change. He aims to do this by combining various energy, construction and intelligent technologies, through invention or collaboration, to build the highest performing buildings. His ambition was fuelled by the lack of security he faced as a young man and continues to drive his motivation to create a better tomorrow. Joe has been recognised across various industries for his innovative approach to technology and real estate, most recently he received the accolade of Forbes 30 under 30 in the manufacturing and industry category, as well as a feature in the United Nations 75th anniversary book for his contribution to climate change.

Leigha Dickens

Green Building and Sustainability Manager, Deltec Homes

Leigha is Green Building and Sustainability Manager for Deltec Homes, a home panelizing company out of Asheville, North Carolina which specializes in high performance, net-zero and hurricane-resistant homes. In this role she consults with Deltec clients on green building and building science concepts, in which she has noticed increasing interest in material sustainability and embodied carbon among environmentally-saavy clients. She also manages the sustainability initiatives and sustainability reporting for Deltec Homes’ manufacturing processes.
Offsite fabrication of the home’s structural shell offers builders opportunities to cut their carbon footprint, as some sustainability practices can be employed at larger scale in a factory setting. Deltec Homes manufacturing operates on 100% renewable site electricity, diverts 80% of waste from the landfill, and offsets domestic shipping through a local offsetting program. Leigha was instrumental in these programs, and in Deltec’s certification as a Benefit Corporation (BCorp), a program that uses a rigorous assessment to guide certified companies to account for and reduce their environmental impact.
Leigha is a RESNET HERS Rater, with a major in physics and minor in environmental studies from UNC Asheville. She also serves on the board of directors of the Green Built Alliance, western North Carolina’s non-profit institute dedicated to advancing the sustainability in the built environment, where she offers technical guidance on their Green Built Homes certification program and Appalachian Offsets local carbon offsetting program.

Susan Elovitz

Thrive Home Builders

Juan Fernandez

Founder, CVF Homes

Juan founded CVF homes in 2005 focusing on infill development and building energy and water efficient homes with great design. CVF homes is committed to certifying 100% of its homes to the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program and is a proud winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Housing Innovation Award in 2019 and Honorable Mention in 2020. CVF homes is a member of Build San Antonio Green and has received multiple sustainability awards from the City of San Antonio.

Juan is a Board Member of EEBA and serves on the Planning Commission Technical Advisory Committee of the City of San Antonio and is a past member of the San Antonio Water System Community Conservation Committee (CCC) and past Co-Chair of the US Green Building Council of the South Texas Chapter.

Juan received his Bachelor degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) in Monterrey Mexico.

Paul Francisco

Senior Research Engineer, Indoor Climate & Research Training

Paul Francisco is a Senior Research Engineer and is the director of the Indoor Climate Research & Training (ICRT) group at the Illinois Applied Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on the intersection of energy efficiency and indoor air quality. His projects are primarily conducted in field environments, and includes indoor air quality sampling, energy use logging, and airflow and insulation characterization of buildings. Partners include other research organizations such as the National Center for Healthy Housing, Center for Energy and Environment, and other field practitioners.

Mike Frey

Vice President, Noyes Development Co.

Dean Gamble

Technical Manager, EPA

Dean Gamble is an Ex-Officio EEBA Board Member and the technical manager for EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program, which he has helped support, define, and implement for nearly 20 years. With nearly 2 million homes certified, ENERGY STAR is the nation’s largest voluntary residential market transformation program, delivering cost-effective energy-efficient homes while improving their durability, comfort, and quality.

Theresa Gilbride

Building Energy Efficiency Researcher, PNNL

Theresa (Terri) Gilbride is a building energy efficiency researcher with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, where she supports the U.S. Department of Energy as a content manager for DOE’s Building America and Zero Energy Ready Home programs. Terri has authored or co-authored 28 reports and 35 articles on residential energy efficiency and related topics. She served as the lead editor and an author on the Building America best practice guides, a 17-volume series which included climate-specific guides for high-performance home builders in all US climate zones and retrofit guides on air sealing, insulation, and HVAC. She has also published on building codes and emerging technologies including window attachments, solid state lighting, and HVAC.

Dennis Gillan

Executive Director, Half a Sorrow Foundation

Dennis Gillan is a national thought leader on the topic of Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Advocacy and is the Executive Director of the Half A Sorrow Foundation. He travels internationally speaking, raising awareness, and opening up the conversation of mental health. Dennis has been deeply touched by suicide and after years of sitting on the sidelines, he jumped into helping those in need by working on the suicide prevention hotline. This one move started him down the path of healing and he has now turned his misery into his mission. He is the Executive Director of the Half A Sorrow Foundations and their mission is to improve mental health by promoting real conversations.

Loren Groeschl

Territory Manager, Premier Building Systems, Colorado

Loren Groeschl is a Territory Manager for Premier Building Systems. Based in Denver, CO, Loren has been with Premier for 6 years. Loren is an educator and an advocate for building with efficient thermal structures. He believes in reducing our carbon footprint and energy consumption and follows that passion to helping those that want to design and build with SIPs become a reality.

Seth Hart

Marye Hefty

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Marye Hefty, a researcher at PNNL, supports work within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program, which is focused on improving the energy efficiency, health, and durability of new and existing homes. In addition to Building America she supports other residential program initiatives for DOE related to codes and standards, workforce, energy audits and assessments, technology deployment, and research dissemination. Marye is a gifted educator and author who previously served as a full professor on the faculty of the Oregon Institute of Technology.

Joe Hemmelgarn

Dwell Home Maintenance

Steve Herbert

Director of Smart Home Solution, Samsung

Steve Herbert is a tech industry veteran who has spent the last 6 years driving smart home adoption in the builder markets. He leads the Connected Living team at Samsung as the Director of Smart Home Solutions for both Single Family Homebuilders and Multifamily Developers.

Emily Higbee

Redwood Energy

Emily has led research in domestic hot water use and modeling, resilient home design for extreme weather events, and facilitates Redwood Energy’s ongoing Zero Emissions Construction Guide Series. Emily is also the project manager of Redwood Energy’s CEC funded EPIC grant on Central Heat Pump Water Heater Load Flexibility and manages staff researcher projects that cover a wide range of topics on building electrification.

Ryan Hillgartner

Director of Marketing, Tim O'Brien Homes

Ryan Hillgartner has been with Tim O'Brien Homes for ten years and now serves as the Director of Marketing. Ryan is a member of the leadership team for Tim O'Brien Homes, a semi-custom and production home builder focused on green, energy-efficient, high-performance homes in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. Ryan leads communications efforts and coordinates special projects for Tim O’Brien Homes, including a successful high school construction education outreach program. In his free time, Ryan likes to experience the outdoors with his wife and their two children. He is a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he earned a BBA in Marketing.

Aaron Holden

Director of Engineering, Ei

Aaron Holden is the Director of Engineering for Ei. He works with home builders, architects, and developers, and coordinates the team of over 50 engineers, designers, and project managers to provide mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and energy compliance construction documents with engineering calculations for new residential and commercial construction. Aaron has been asked to present at national industry events including the EEBA (Energy & Environmental Building Alliance) Conference, the Energy Star Partner Meeting, the Housing Innovation Alliance Summit and
the RESNET Annual Conference. He is also an advisor for the ENERGY STAR® for New Homes program. Aaron holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering at Montana State University.

Rob Howard

President, Howard Building Science, Inc.

Rob Howard is President of Howard Building Science, Inc. based in Granite Falls, NC. As a Licensed General Contractor, Howard Building Science provides sustainable development and net-zero energy home construction in the High Country and Foothills of Western North Carolina. Rob has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. He is the former Director of Construction at Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley where he built ENERGY STAR homes through Advanced Energy’s System Vision program. He built the first Net-Zero Energy Home in North Carolina in partnership with the Appalachian Energy Center in 2005. He also built the first DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes in North Carolina in 2015. Previous roles include 5 years as a Sustainable Building Specialist with Habitat for Humanity International and 4 years as a Performance Construction Manager with Mitsubishi Electric. Rob holds a bachelor’s degree and a renewable energy technologies diploma from North Carolina State University. He recently completed a master’s degree in sustainable technology and building science at Appalachian State University.

Walter Hunt

Capability and Operations Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Walt joined PNNL in 2019 as a Senior Research Engineer. He serves as the Capability and Operations Manager of PNNL's Environmental Chambers and has led multiple HVAC studies in that laboratory space. In addition, Walt supports research for Residential Buildings through evaluations at PNNL's Lab Homes and other field sites in Pacific Northwest. His Residential Buildings projects have included CTA-2045 compatible heat pumps, low-GWP heat pump water heaters, automated fault detection and diagnostics in HVAC, and thin triple-pane windows.

Prior to joining PNNL, Walt was a project engineer for energy efficiency and demand response at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). His career has focused on characterizing space conditioning, water heating, refrigeration, and ventilation technologies for energy-related applications. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and an active member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Nick Hurst

Program Manager - Indoor airPLUS, EPA

Nick Hurst is the Program Manager of EPA’s Indoor airPLUS label for new homes. Nick earned a Master’s in Technology concentrating in Building Science from Appalachian State University and has been involved in the construction industry for 17+ years as a residential project manager, self-employed remodeler, consultant, and trainer.

Troy Johns

Founder, Urban NW Homes

As Founder of Urban Northwest Homes, the largest home builder in the Pacific Northwest, Troy Johns has been actively involved in the development, construction, and renovation of sustainable, healthy, highly energy-efficient homes in Clark County, Wash. for the last 20 years. Troy's company has established significant efficiencies among subcontractors in the region, allowing him to implement highly sustainable features for his homebuyers, while maintaining affordability. Believing that “green building” is just another way of saying smart and responsible building, Troy’s mission is to cut energy consumption in the homes he builds by 50% above ENERGY STAR standards. He holds leadership positions with the BIA of Clark County, the BIA’s Green Building Council, and the BIA of Washington State. Troy also serves on Home Innovation’s Board of Directors.

Nathan Kahre

Business Development Manager, Energy Logic

A recent addition to the team, Nathan Kahre brings his experiences working for a home builder to EnergyLogic. As the Business Development Manager, Nathan works with builders of all sizes to help find areas for improvement and opportunities to grow closer to the idea that all homes can be efficient, healthy, and durable.
After graduating with a master’s degree in building science from Appalachian State University, Nathan came to the Denver metro area to work for a high-performance production home builder. Time spent working for a builder has helped Nathan understand what is important to builders and what information they need to get the job done. He has presented on building science, renewable energy, and home builder quality assurance throughout the country including sessions at RESNET, EEBA, & IBS. Nathan is also active in the local community volunteering on issues that are important to him and doing his best to be on a mountain bike as much as possible.

David Kendall

Thrive Home Builders

Karen Kicinski

Co-Owner and Marketing Director, LifeStyle Homes Builders

Amanda Kirkeby

Energy Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Amanda Kirkeby is an energy engineer with the Applied Engineering group in the Energy Security and Resilience Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She supports the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge as Assistant Competition Manager. Amanda joined NREL in 2019 as a science undergraduate laboratory intern with the Commercial Building and Building Energy Science Groups and a research participant program intern with the Applied Engineering Group. Her interest in high-performance buildings began with the 2018 Race to Zero Competition (now known as the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge), in which she was part of the Middlebury undergraduate team that designed an award-winning zero-energy elementary school.

Ted Konechne

DPIS

Ted is the President of the East Region of DPIS and served as the Vice President of Engineering at Ei. Ted has been in the Residential New Construction business for decades beginning with working for Konechne Building, his family’s business, after serving in the US Air Force. Ted
worked with the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), Pulte Homes, and Beazer Homes before changing careers and entering the HVAC business where he developed a full-scale multi-location HVAC design and installation business within an existing residential new construction
plumbing and electrical contracting company in Texas. He also served in an executive operations leadership role with a large single market HVAC design and installation business located in Dallas. Ted has worked closely with the EPA and ENERGY STAR® for Homes programs and has presented
at ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America), EEBA (Energy & Environmental Building Alliance), and RESNET events nationwide.

Mark LaLiberte

Co-Founder and President, Construction Instruction

Brennan Less

LBNL

Brennan Less is a building science researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the Residential Building Systems group and the Indoor Environment group. His current work focuses on state-of-the-art field measurements and simulations of smart ventilation systems, the hygrothermal performance of sealed and insulated attics, indoor air quality, deep energy retrofits, zero net energy homes, and the health-energy efficiency nexus. He regularly presents his work at national conferences for the home performance and IAQ industries, and he is the author of over 20 research reports and technical journal articles. Brennan holds a Master of Science in Architecture degree from the UC Berkeley – California (2012). He also has extensive experience as a home energy auditor and in residential construction and brings this hands-on approach to his research activities.

Steve Linton

President, Deltec Homes

Steve Linton is a structural engineer and the President of Deltec Homes, a panelized custom home building company in Asheville, North Carolina. Deltec Homes is known for its hurricane-resistant and sustainable homes with a rich 50-year plus history. With nearly 20 years of experience, he oversees all Deltec Homes building projects in the United States and around the world. Steve, a LEED Accredited Professional and formerly a BPI Certified Professional, has been with Deltec since 2007. He has a degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University. He was hired at Deltec to lead its sustainable home area, and as President has led their mission to be a responsible corporate citizen. This includes being the first prefab manufacturer to achieve a B-Corp certification. Prior to Deltec, he worked as a project manager on multiple historic renovation projects in Boston as well as teaching math and science. An active member of the community, Steve is on the board of the Western North Carolina Green Building Council and volunteers for Meals on Wheels. He’s married with two sons and loves rock climbing and mountain biking.

Edward Louie

Senior Associate Energy Efficiency Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Edward Louie joined PNNL in 2020 as a Senior Associate Energy Efficiency Engineer. He is passionate about all aspects of energy-efficient buildings and transportation. Edward has spent the last few years examining how energy-efficient products and technologies perform in the real world and noting new issues that arise from increasing energy efficiency. His experiences include assessing, verifying, and quantifying the energy performance of over 600 new homes seeking above code energy efficiency certifications in the greater Portland and Southwest Washington area.

Outside of work, Edward loves keeping up with the latest commercialized high-efficiency products and being an early adopter. He is currently building a super energy-efficient ""tiny house"" on a trailer to experience the challenges and rewards of building a super energy-efficient building. This project includes working with structural insulated panels, fluid-applied WRBs, paint-on flashings, exterior continuous insulation, rain-screens, insulated window bucks, European tilt-turn triple-pane windows, composting toilets, DIY prismatic LiFePo4 cells + BMS, microinverters, solar panels, heat pump dryer, heat pump water heater, ductless mini-split, ductless heat recovery ventilation, and DC-powered LED lighting.

Jamie Lyons

Newport Partners LLC

Jamie Lyons of Newport Partners conducts research and analysis on building performance and energy efficient design. He supports builders, raters, architects, building owners, utilities, and code officials to help them achieve solutions for high performance homes and buildings. As part of this work he serves as the Technical Director for the US DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program. He has degrees in Mechanical and Environmental Engineering and is a Certified Energy Manager.

Chris Magwood

Endeavour Centre & Builders for Climate Action

Chris Magwood is obsessed with making the best, most energy-efficient, beautiful and inspiring buildings possible – without wrecking the whole darn planet in the process. Chris is a founder of The Endeavour Centre and teaches in the Sustainable Building & Design program, Natural Building Intensive and many workshops. He enjoys sharing what he’s learned over his 25-year building career and inspiring others to take this stuff seriously and do it well.

Chris has authored seven books on sustainable building, including: Essential Sustainable Home Design (2017), Essential Hempcrete Construction (2016) and Making Better Buildings (2014) and contributed a chapter to the book The New Carbon Architecture. He is co-editor of the Sustainable Building Essentials series from New Society Publishers. He is currently at work on a new book, Building Beyond Zero: New Ideas for Carbon Smart Architecture (Island Press).

Chris began his building career as an owner/builder, constructing the first permitted straw bale house in Ontario in 1996. In 1998 he co-founded Camel’s Back Construction, and over eight years helped to design and/or build more than 30 homes and commercial buildings, mostly with straw bales and often with renewable energy systems. Chris recently completed his MA at Trent University, studying carbon storage potential of the built environment. His thesis, Opportunities for Carbon Capture and Storage in Building Materials was published in April, 2019. Chris is an active speaker and workshop instructor in Canada and internationally.

Tom Marks

Business Development Project Manager, Stego Industries, LLC

Tom Marks is the Business Development Project Manager with Stego Industries, LLC. Stego is the industry leader in vapor barrier solutions earning the trust of the design and construction community with game-changing products and unmatched support. Tom has been with Stego for over 14 years and works closely with residential builders and consumers as the Product Manager for the StegoHome and StegoCrawl brands. In addition, Tom also serves as Sustainability Manager, overseeing Stego’s leadership in holistic product and corporate sustainability. Tom lives in Denver, CO.

Eric Martin

Program Director, Florida Solar Energy Center

Eric Martin is a Program Director with the FSEC Energy Research Center at the University of Central Florida. Mr. Martin leads a variety of research projects focusing on comfort systems for high performance homes, ventilation and indoor air quality solutions, and other building science topics.

Matt Matheny

Engineering Director, Home Ventilating Institute (HVI)

Matt Matheny is the Engineering Director for the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) where he coordinates committee efforts, oversees technical and research-oriented projects, and collaborates with codes and standards bodies to make indoor air healthier. He is a member advocate for the Trade Association arm of HVI, championing healthy indoor air by working with members to advance and promote dependable ventilation practices through product certification, stakeholder education, and codes and standards participation. Whether he's learning about the latest Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) technology or monitoring his personal home IAQ sensors, he thoroughly enjoys the science of ventilation and IAQ. Matt’s background includes product management, testing, and regulatory administration at an industry leading residential ventilation equipment manufacturer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology from the University of Memphis and a HERS Associate designation from RESNET.

Timothy McDonald

President and CEO, Onion Flats

Timothy McDonald received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pennsylvania State University and his Masters of Architectural History and Theory from McGill University. He has practiced in Japan, Canada, and the United States; is a Registered Architect in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts; LEED AP, Certified Passive House Consultant and Tradesman (CPHC); and President of Onion Flats, LLC, an award-winning development/design/build collective centered in Philadelphia. He has been teaching and practicing for more than 20 years with a focus on community development, multidisciplinary thinking, and making high-performance building technologies and alternative construction methodologies. Through his research and practice, Tim, along with his partners at Onion Flats, has developed, designed, and built some of the first LEED Gold and Platinum projects in the country, and the first certified passive house, net-zero-energy-capable project in Pennsylvania.

Dr. John McKeon

Chief Executive Officer, Allergy Standards

John is a medical entrepreneur and currently the CEO of Allergy Standards Ltd (ASL), an international standards and certification body, a company he founded while working as an Emergency Room Doctor. As the founder he has led the development of an international intellectual property portfolio of patents and trade mark applications and negotiated complex licensing agreements with multinationals such as P&G and 3M. Along the way he has secured significant equity investments as well as academic and industry grant awards. As a serial entrepreneur, John is involved in a number of successful healthcare related ventures.

In addition to his entrepreneurial and business activities, John maintains an interest in university research and knowledge exchange practices. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation, Entrepreneur in Residence in the Faculty of Health Sciences, guest lecturer at Trinity College Business School, and a member of the Knowledge Transfer & Innovation Committee, Trinity College Dublin.

John qualified as a doctor from Trinity College Dublin, is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and also holds his United States Medical Licensing exams. He maintains a keen interest in clinical medicine and has had several publications in medical journals. After medicine John graduated first in his class from the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Business Incubator Programme, graduated with distinction from the DIT business school with a post graduate diploma in International Selling, and won the Docklands Innovation Park lead entrepreneur award.

More recently John completed the Strategic Management of Regulatory & Enforcement Agencies Program, with Harvard Kennedy School, and the Creating Shared Value Program with Harvard Business School, in addition to post-graduate executive education programmes in innovation and medical entrepreneurship at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford Medical School, the Stanford d.school, Harvard Business School, and IESE Business School.

John was recently selected to participate in the Enterprise Ireland (EI) Leadership for Growth Program. His company, ASL, completed the EI Innovation for Growth Program with the Irish Management Institute and MIT Sloan School of Management. In the same year ASL won the American Chamber of Commerce Innovation Award. John was awarded a US Congressional citation by Congressman Brendan Boyle for his collaboration with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP), culminating in successful enhancement of an asthma intervention and education project.

John is on the Board of Industry Research and Development Group (IRDG), and a Member of the Innovator Circle, Social Innovation Fund Ireland, the Entrepreneurship Society Working Group of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), the Institute of Directors, the Royal Academy of Medicine, and of the vibrant life sciences innovation network in Ireland collaborating with Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland.

As an expert in healthcare entrepreneurship John works with health care entrepreneurs, professional managers, and business owners in life sciences, biotechnology, and medical device sectors to develop strategies to build profitable businesses, clarify their business models for scalable growth, and ultimately improve lives.

John McLinden

President & CEO, Digibilt

John McLinden is the President and CEO of Digibilt. He has 35 years of experience in the development, commercial construction, and home building industry. He developed over 2,000 residential units with the full responsibility for design and construction. Under his StreetScape brand, he pioneered the “How Do You Live?” / mass-customization process. This consumer-focused design approach has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, PBS Nightly Business Report, The Washington Post, Fortune Magazine, and the Today Show.

John has always believed the design and construction process could be transformed by technology. In 2000, he brought together a team of subject matter experts from both inside and outside the industry and created a technology solution for commercial construction. The solution was the subject of a Harvard case study, which documented the performance of the technology on a 65,000 sf headquarters facility in Los Colinas, TX. It was built 39% faster for a 19% cost savings. While these results were impressive, the timing was not right. It was way too early for the broad adoption in the industry because digital and mobile technology was not advanced enough for simplicity of use. At that point, John focused his energy on residential development.

Having never given up on the idea that technology can impact the industry, in 2017, Digibilt was founded. John went from being an active developer and home builder to serving the home building industry by creating a technology solution for builders. Digibilt takes digital control of the building process to improve product design, reduce material waste, integrate the supply chain and increase labor productivity. Importantly, Digibilt, through its affiliate company StreetScape, now offers consumer-focused product design.

John’s interests also include creating a solution for affordable housing and understanding the impact of home construction on our planet’s climate. Digibilt can be used to take out non-value-added waste in the construction process; thereby, making homes more cost effective. Digibilt can also use its digital twinning approach and automated Bill of Materials to calculate the carbon footprint of the home’s construction. That will be the basis for understanding the impact of home construction on the environment.

Joe Medosch

Executive Director of healthy Home Environment Association, Energy & Environmental Consulting

Joe Medosch is owner of Energy & Environmental Consulting LLC and Executive Director of Healthy Home Environment Association. He provides practical "universal" training and communication skills to professionals. He is a Comfort Consultant Trainer, providing solutions on home performance applications. His certifications include: BPI Proctor - Building Analyst & Envelope Professional, Infiltration & Duct Leakage, IDL - Infiltration & Duct Leakage certification, HHE Healthy Home Evaluator Master Trainer; ICC- Commercial & Residential Energy Inspector / Plans Examiner and Residential Building Inspector, Inactive - IAQ Professional, HERS Rater and NABCEP PV Certified.

Terrence Mosley

US Department of Energy

Terrence Mosley is an AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Fellow assigned to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office. Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Mr. Mosley received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Southern University at Baton Rouge, LA, and his M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mosley is a real estate entrepreneur with 10 years of experience as the owner and operator of a residential construction firm specializing in home additions, renovations, and remodels. Prior to that he served 20 years as a regional engineering manager for General Motors and Delphi Automotive Systems. He has worked on STEM programs for women and minorities and mentored many minority undergraduate and graduate students through programs like the GEM Fellowship and FIRST Robotics. He was honored with a Black Engineer of the Year Special Recognition Award for his efforts at increasing the diversity of the future STEM Pipeline.

Gene Myers

CEO, Thrive Home Builders

Gene is owner and CEO of Thrive Home Builders in Denver, Colorado. By virtue of its Grand Awards for Housing Innovation from the United States Department of Energy over 8 consecutive years, Thrive is among the nation’s best builders of energy efficient homes.

Thrive is also among the nation’s leading healthy home builders as evidenced by numerous EPA Indoor airPLUS Leader Awards and its designation as Leader of the Year in 2019. In 2021 Thrive’s Ultimate ZEN Home was given the Platinum Best in American Living Award by the National Association of Home Builders in the Healthy Home category.
All Thrive homes meet the standards of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s stringent Indoor airPLUS standards, the Department Energy’s Zero Energy Home program and LEED.
National recognition of Thrive include Builder of the Year in 2017 by Professional Builder magazine and National Housing Quality Bronze and Silver Awards.
Gene is known as an advocate for smart growth and affordable housing, and he frequently speaks locally and nationally on these topics. He has served on the boards of civic and affordable housing groups, HomeAid Colorado and the Home Builders Foundation. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) and the Challenge Foundation. Gene recently received the EEBA Legend Award for his lifetime achievement and was named the 2021 Sustainability Superhero by Green Builder magazine.

Stephen Myers

Thrive Home Builders

Stephen Myers is the Chief Operating Officer at Thrive Home Builders. He began his career in media relations and marketing & communications, working in the United States Senate, United States House of Representatives and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Stephen obtained a master’s degree in Finance at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver in 2010. Immediately prior to joining the Thrive team, he worked in mergers & acquisitions for Dish Network, working on more than $2.8 billion in transactions.

Joining the Thrive team in 2014, Stephen ran the Sales and Marketing department, helping to achieve revenue growth of 80% from 2014 to 2016. In 2016, he was named Vice President of Process Control and Improvement, tasked with the additional responsibility of implementing organizational change initiatives throughout the company. Thrive was awarded the Professional Builder of the Year award in 2017 in part because of Stephen’s continued drive to improve processes.

In 2018 he was named Chief Operating Officer and in the same year Thrive was awarded a National Housing Quality Bronze award. Stephen was also selected as one of Professional Builder’s “40 Under 40” for 2019.

Joe Nebbia

Newport Partners LLC

Joe Nebbia is a building codes expert with over 19 years of experience in policy and regulatory analysis, including over 15 years spent working on buildings and construction related issues. In addition to codes and standards development and advocacy, Mr. Nebbia has taught code classes to thousands of builders, designers, code officials, and others in multiple states. On a daily basis, Mr. Nebbia answers industry and government official technical questions regarding the International Energy Conservation Code. He conducts technical and economic research on a variety of topics including ventilation and indoor air quality, automatic fire sprinklers, and the effect of energy efficiency on housing appreciation rates. Mr. Nebbia has the honor to serve as the Operations Director for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program. He performed the same function for the predecessor program, the DOE Builders Challenge. He holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Hamilton College.

Tom Phillips

Healthy Building Research and ROCIS.org

Tom has spent over 40 years working at the intersections of research, education, and policy addressing health, energy, pollution, and buildings, primarily at the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission. He has worked on landmark IEQ and exposure research projects, and served as technical advisor to national, state, and local agencies, NGOs, and private firms on IEQ, climate change adaptation and resilience, and green building programs. He produced best practice guidelines on indoor combustion pollutants and air cleaners, and helped develop seminal programs for healthy, sustainable schools, homes and office buildings in California and the U.S. His current work focuses on climate ready and resilient buildings and communities, IEQ in low energy buildings, and reducing outdoor pollutant intrusion. Tom’s current mantras: show me the data, and don’t forget human behavior factors.

Paul Raymer

Senior Advisor, ICF

Paul H. Raymer has been working with building science for more than forty years. He is a Senior Advisor with ICF and the Chief Investigator for Heyoka Solutions. He is the author of the Residential Ventilation Handbook V2 (2017), Recalculating Truth (a novel) (2014), and Death at the Edge of the Diamond (2020). He was a member of the LEED EA Technical Advisory Subcommittee, BPI’s Standards Technical Committee, and is Subcommittee Chair for Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation of the NREL SWS. He is BPI Envelope, Building Analyst, Heating Professional, AC/Heat Pump, and Healthy Home Evaluator certified and a certified HERS Rater. He is an IREC assessor, a former IREC Certified Master Trainer and he is a full member of ASHRAE (a voting member of the 62.2 SSPC). And he was the lead SME for the NREL/IREC QCI micro-credential development project.

Bill Rectanus

VP of Operations, Thrive Home Builders

Bill Rectanus is a managing partner and Vice President of Homebuilding Operations for Thrive Home Builders in Denver, Colorado.

His responsibilities include the management and oversight of the construction, purchasing, customer service, quality assurance and land development departments. In addition to his daily responsibilities Bill is also responsible for the implementation of Thrive Home Builders' "High Performance Building Initiative".

Bill is very active in the Homebuilding industry both locally and nationally. He is committed to the local Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and has served 7 terms on their Board of Directors and 3 terms on the Flat Irons Building Council. Two of those council terms as Chairman.

Bill holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Ohio University and currently lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife of 20 years and two daughters.

Sam Rosenberg

Associate Data Research Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Sam is an Associate Data Research Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory supporting various projects within the Energy Policy and Economics group related to residential energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and building codes. Sam supports fieldwork, data collection, data analysis, and reporting for Building America's New Home Ventilation Indoor Air Quality study and DOE high-performance window field testing. Before joining PNNL, Sam was a student at the University of Oregon where he worked in the Biology and the Built Environment Center. There he assisted in studies of the interaction between architecture and the indoor microbiome, as well as, material preparation for students, presentations, and journals.

Josh Salinger

Founder and CEO, Birdsmouth Design-Build

Josh is the Founder and CEO of Birdsmouth Design-Build located in Portland OR. In 2007, he started Birdsmouth with the goal of designing and building beautiful, high-performing buildings that transform and improve the built environment. Josh sits on the board of Passive House NW and is an Earth Advantage SHP, EEBA Zero Energy Professional, and a PHIUS Certified Builder. Birdsmouth has recently earned Earth Advantage awards for Zero Energy Builder of the Year (2018), Lowest EPS of the Year (2018) & Custom Builder of the Year (2020).

Linda Sandahl

Program Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Linda Sandahl is a Program Manager and part of the Advanced Lighting Systems Team at PNNL. Much of her 30+ years at PNNL has involved leading the design and implementation of programs that support early technology adoption and market transformation of energy-efficient building technologies and systems. Linda currently manages PNNL's Systems Technology Research and Development Support Project for the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office. In this role, she leads a team of staff who support projects that include the Better Buildings Lighting & Electrical Technology Research Team, the IoT Troffer Enabled Lighting Challenge, and the Integrated Lighting Campaign. Linda also leads PNNL's support to the Federal Energy Management Program's Resilience Planning Initiative. Linda's past project roles have included serving as the Deployment Element lead for DOE's Building Energy Codes Program, management of the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking Campaign, the R-CFL Technology Procurement Project which won a 2008 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, and the CFL Technology Innovation Competition. She also has served as Co-Chair and Panel Leader for the ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. and on the Advisory Committee of the International Program Committee for the Energy Efficiency in Domestic Appliances and Lighting Conference.
Linda holds the following certifications with The Association of Energy Engineers: Certified Energy Manager, Certified Business Energy Professional, and Certified Sustainable Development Professional. She is also a certified Project Management Professional with the Project Management Institute.

Carissa Sawyer

Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI)

Carissa is Certification Team Lead with Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI) and has been with the organization since November 2014. Carissa reviews LEED Residential project submittals and provides technical support for the LEED Residential Rating Systems. She leads a team of 4 Certification Reviewers. She has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration. She became a Certified Energy Manager in March 2012 and a Colorado Licensed Professional Engineer in October 2012.
Carissa has also distinguished herself as one of the USGBC Faculty members by being highly trained in both green building practice and instructional methods. She has taught several courses on LEED and LEED for Homes, specifically, she has taught Green Rater Training over twenty times.

Robby Schwarz

Founder, BUILDTank, Inc.

Robby Schwarz has been a champion of the applied building science industry for over 25 years. He Founded BUILDTank, Inc. in 2020 to be a practical building think tank whose mission is to use what we learn by applying building science in the field to affect meaningful change in the construction industry. To chase issues that hold the industry back and generate ideas and innovations that move sustainable building into mainstream building. Robby is a sought-after trainer and routinely presents at RESNET®, EEBA, the Colorado Chapter of the IECC®, Educode, and local Home Builders Associations, Colorado Energy Office, Xcel Energy and more.
Robby works with industry partners and builders offering a complete set of research, training, consulting, energy modeling, code and program compliance, inspections and diagnostics services designed to help clients build homes that perform.

Stephanie Sharp

General Contractor, Steven Dailey Construction

Stephanie Sharp grew up in a construction family. As a young girl, she would go out to job sites after school and on weekends with her dad, Steven Dailey. However, as one who always wanted to blaze her own trail, Stephanie decided to pursue a degree in architecture instead of joining the family business after high school. She worked for an architectural office for over 10 years before deciding that an office job wasn’t a fit. She joined Symphony Homes, a high-end production builder and started learning everything she could across departments and disciplines. After gaining substantial institutional knowledge from a larger scale builder, and proving that she could stand on her own in the industry, Stephanie decided to return to work with her father at Steven Dailey Construction Inc. Their company, based in Draper UT, specializes in custom residential homes and remodel work. Stephanie wears many hats as a small business owner, where she is on track to take over for her father to lead the company. She handles everything from take-offs and estimating to running the office and construction projects in the field. An all-around construction professional- she understands both the backend business and can throw on a tool belt to help install finish carpentry. Stephanie’s passion for construction lead her to get involved in the HBA and PWB. She holds her Utah Real Estate License and General Contractors License.

Suzanne Shelton

President and CEO, Shelton Group

Suzanne Shelton is president and CEO of Shelton Group, the nation’s leading marketing communications agency focused exclusively on energy and the environment. Her vision is that every home and building in America is energy responsible and sustainability is ordinary – and she leads Shelton Group in creating a market advantage for the organizations that are creating that sustainable, responsible future. Shelton’s clients include Kohler, Consumers Energy, Fannie Mae, Panasonic and Rheem.

David Shepler

Zer0 Place

David Shepler is the founding member of the Zero Place project – a net-zero-energy, mixed-use, four-story apartment building in New Paltz, NY. The building is currently under construction with an opening planned for fall 2020. David’s passion for net-zero-energy construction stems from his interest in finding ways to radically lower carbon emissions across all aspects of human activity (to combat global climate change). David is also the Chief Operating Officer of Elemental Cognition, an artificial intelligence technology start-up with offices in New York City and Wilton, CT. David served as program director for the Smarter Energy Research Institute (SERI) at IBM. The institute’s mission was to team with electric utilities and other power industry players to develop advanced analytics to help operate the power system more efficiently and effectively. Among other things, such analytics help the electric power system better integrate intermittent renewable energy sources. At IBM, David also served as a program manager for development of the IBM Watson AI system, which in 2011 demonstrated its capabilities by defeating the greatest Jeopardy players of all time. David spent the first half of his career as an intelligence officer for the U.S. Air Force. In 1997, he served in the Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina providing intelligence analysis to the NATO Command in an effort to sustain the peace. David also served in Korea and Germany in an analytical capacity. He spent his last two of ten years in the Air Force as an academic instructor at the University of California, Los Angeles. David received a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S> Air Force Academy in 1992. He received a master’s in public management (MPM) from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1994. He received his Master’s in Policy Analysis with a distinction in quantitative methods from the RAND Graduate School in 2004. EE Times named David one of “Ten Visionaries to watch” as part of it’s 40th year anniversary. David now lives in a zero-energy home in New Paltz, NY with his two sons.

Stacy Smedley

Executive Director, Building Transparency

Stacy has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Washington, and over 18 years in the architecture and construction professions. Her resume includes the first LEED for Homes Platinum certified project in Washington State as well as the first project in the world to be certified under Living Building Version 2.0 standards. As Sustainability Director at Skanska, Stacy has led sustainable initiatives, and is considered a subject matter expert in LEED, Living Building Challenge and carbon emissions associated with buildings and construction.

In her role at the newly established nonprofit, Building Transparency, Stacy leads the continued management and development of the free, open-access Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool and works to educate and engage the building industry on actionably reducing embodied carbon emissions of building materials.

Stacy has served in various advisory and leadership roles, including: Co-Chair of the Washington Businesses for Climate Action; Advisory Board Member for the University of Washington Carbon Leadership Forum; Construction Taskforce Chair for the Embodied Carbon Network; Advisory Group Member for AIA Materials Working Group; Emerging Professional Regional Chair for USGBC; Membership Chair for the Cascadia Green Building Council. She is a 2020 Grist 50 Fixer, a 2019 ENR Top 25 Newsmaker, and shared a Living Building Challenge Hero award for her work on the Bertschi School Living Science Building.

Aaron Smith

CEO, EEBA

Aaron Smith is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) which represents a community of over 50,000 builders and their stakeholders across North America that are truly the early adopters and innovators in driving sustainable transformation of the homebuilding industry.

Aaron has over 25 years of experience in home construction, building products, sustainability and non-profit board leadership. He has worked for companies including Kohler, Uponor and ASSA ABLOY as well as startups in Silicon Valley and his own building and remodeling company. Aaron previously served on non-profit Boards for Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC), CT Sustainable Business Council, and co-founded the CT Collaborative - Living Building Challenge.

Aaron completed his undergraduate studies at West Point and St. Cloud State University and is a 2016 graduate of the Yale University MBA program with a focus on Sustainability. He loves green building and sustainability as well as hockey, hiking, skiing, gardening and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, 3 boys and 4 cats and chickens at their home in Minneapolis.

Sandy Stegall

Thrive Home Builders

George Sullivan

Sr. Principal & CEO, Net Zero Analysis

George Sullivan is passionate about helping companies grow and prosper while mitigating their environmental footprints and meeting ESG goals by creating data-driven, scientifically valid climate action plans. He uses his varied professional experience and complex problem-solving abilities when consulting with companies, organizations, learning institutions, and governments all over the world on matters of building science, renewable energy, carbon offsetting and carbon offset generation, carbon neutrality and net zero emissions.
George founded Net Zero Analysis and Design Corp., integrating 30 years of experience in engineering, industry, commodities trading, energy, and building science to provide companies and organizations with transparent, clearly-defined and globally accepted methods of measurement, validation and disclosure that stand up to scrutiny and meet United Nations guidelines and the new guidance offered by the SEC and Treasury Department.

Jennie Tanner

Business Owner and Managing Partner, Tanner Glass and Hardware

Jennie Tanner has worked in the finish hardware aspect of construction for 25 years, first working for her father’s business as a sales rep in the Park City area and then starting a family business together with her father, brother, and husband in 2000. Tanner Glass supplies and installs door and bath hardware, mirrors and shower glass, commercial glazing and mirror/picture framing for new residential construction and commercial glazing projects. Jennie is an alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business Program and attended the University of Utah. Jennie purchased Tanner Glass & Hardware from her father in 2012, opened a second location in Park City in 2019 and is currently working on a 3rd location in St. George. With a team of 60 employees and each department running independently, Jennie is able to focus on growing the business, retaining long-term relationships with customers and spending more time volunteering her time with special needs projects. Married with 2 daughters, one in high school and one in college, Jennie loves spending time with family doing whatever everyone wants to do as long as they are together.

Doug Tarry

Founder, Doug Tarry Homes

Doug Tarry is President of Doug. Tarry Ltd., an award winning, leading home building company in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Having built and labeled more Net Zero / Net Zero Ready homes than any other builder in Canada, Doug is currently developing a book called “From Bleeding Edge to Leading Edge: A Builders’ Guide to Net Zero Homes”.

Todd Usher

Founder, Addison Homes

In 2002, Addison Homes became the only company in South Carolina to certify 100% of its homes to high-performance standards such as Energy Star and EarthCraft House, and, most recently, U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home.

As the first builder in the U.S. to earn NAHB's Master Certified Green Professional designation, Todd freely shares his expertise with the building industry. He serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Clemson University's Department of Construction Science and Management, where he encourages the next generation of builders to pursue residential green building. Todd is also a frequent guest speaker in courses within the Sustainability Science Major at Furman University. Todd volunteers on several boards including Trees Greenville and the National Association of Home Builders where he is the Education Chair for the SC Home Builders Association.

Christian Valoria

Senior Associate Building Systems Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Christian joined PNNL in 2021 as a Senior Associate Building Systems Engineer. Christian works with the Residential Buildings team leading technology-to-market campaigns with a focus on energy-efficient applications such as advanced heat pump technology, low-e storm windows, and smart diagnostics tools for quality installation and tune-ups of residential HVAC equipment. In addition, Christian supports home disaster resistance and energy efficiency research dissemination through DOE’s Building America Solution Center.
Prior to joining PNNL, Christian worked as an HVAC mechanical engineer for a consultant in the Pacific Northwest and a design-build contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Christian also served as an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps fellow, researching hybrid heat pump water heater systems for multifamily buildings. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and an active member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Iain Walker

Mechanical Staff Scientist/Engineer, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs

Iain Walker is a scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He has more than 30 years of experience as a building scientist, conducting research on energy retrofits, zero energy homes and IAQ issues in residential buildings. He is the current chair of the US national residential ventilation standard (ASHRAE 62.2).

Cindy Wasser

Senior Manager of Green Building Programs, Home Innovation Research Labs

Cindy Wasser is the Senior Manager of Green Building Programs at Home Innovation Research Labs. In this role, she provides strategic support to the NGBS Green Certification program, and her efforts have contributed to the program becoming the leading certification program for residential construction. Cindy leads the development of new program features and tools that are utilized by verifiers and developers seeking green certification.

Previously, Cindy was a consultant with ICF where she supported the implementation of the U.S. EPA’s residential labeling programs, namely ENERGY STAR, Indoor airPLUS, and WaterSense. In earlier roles, Cindy provided sustainability technical assistance at the National Association of Counties (NACo) and led community engagement efforts for the City Planning Department of Montpelier, Vermont. Cindy holds an MBA in Sustainability from Bard College and a B.S. in U.S. Environmental Policy and from Rutgers University.

Dennis Webb

Fulton Homes

Dennis is the Vice President of Operations for Fulton Homes where he oversees Sales, Marketing, Operations, and the Fulton Homes Design Center. In his 22 years there he has led the charge of using technology combined with past retail experience to help transform the company into one of the most advanced homebuilders in the country in the areas of customer experience, operations, and marketing. He has also been instrumental in moving Fulton Homes towards energy efficiency as Fulton Homes was the first builder in the country to have built all of its homes to Energy Star version 3 standards. Fulton Homes has been recognized as Energy Star’s Partner of the Year and Indoor airPLUS leader award winners each of the past three years, the only builder in the country to do so. Prior to joining Fulton Homes, he was Vice President of Stores for Eagleson’s a men’s clothing retailer owned by Ira Fulton, who sold the business to concentrate on homebuilding. Before Eaglesons, Dennis had a 20 year retail career with Hart, Schaffner and Marx, where he held increasingly responsible positions of Salesman, Store Manager, Buyer, Merchandise Manager, General Manager, and Store President. Dennis graduated from Chapman University in Orange, CA, and currently resides with his wife Janis, in Tempe, AZ. His daughter Laura is the Executive Director of a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, and son Darin is a lawyer in San Diego.

Eric Werling

National Director, Building America

Eric Werling is national director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building America program and oversees the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program. He is a recognized expert in residential energy efficiency, indoor air quality (IAQ), and the building sciences. Since 2011, he has worked with more than 20 Building America partnership teams and four DOE national laboratories to transform building science knowledge and innovations into proven best practices for the housing industry. Prior to his DOE service, Eric served the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he launched the Indoor airPLUS program in 2009.

Rick Wertheim

United Way of Long Island

Rick is the Senior Vice President for Housing & Green Initiatives at United Way of Long Island. He oversees the Green / High Performance Construction, Energy Retrofit, and Workforce Development Training programs the organization offers to Long Islanders. He is a graduate Architect, BPI and RESNET trained energy professional, construction manager and builder/developer. He has developed/renovated over 150 homes following EPA Energy Star, Indoor Air Plus and Watersense standards, as well as Universal Design principles for aging in place, HUD Healthy Homes protocols, and most recently, the U.S. Dept of Energy’s “Zero Energy Ready Home” Program.

Theresa Weston, PhD

The Holt Weston Consultancy

Dr. Theresa Weston is a building science consultant who started The Holt Weston Consultancy in November 2020. Prior to starting her company, Dr Weston was a DuPont Laureate with Dupont Safety and Construction. She worked at DuPont for over 35 years focusing on research and development and product and market innovation. Dr. Weston is an inventor on four patents. Theresa has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MS and PhD from the California Institute of Technology. She is active with industry standard and code development activities including ICC, ASTM and ASHRAE. She is a past chair of ASHRAE 90.2 ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.2-2018, Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings and chairs ASTM E06.41 the Performance of Buildings Subcommittee on Air Leakage and Ventilation. Theresa is also a member of the ICC Residential Code Interpretation Committee.

Dan Wildenhaus

Technical Advisor and Industry Liaison, BetterBuiltNW

As the Technical Advisor and Industry Liaison for BetterBuiltNW, Dan has been completely immersed in the discussion of what is required to create High-Performance Buildings and the technologies that operate within them. Dan has over 25 years of experience, 15 of them working directly for a contractor; performing energy audits and Ratings, weatherization repairs, consulting and analysis for private clients in both New Construction and the existing buildings market. Over 10 years ago, Dan transitioned to the consulting side of the business, working with program implementation companies. He currently provides Building Science consultation, technical management, market channel development, and training and presentation services for a variety of programs across the country.

Justin Wilson

Principal Partner, Construction Instruction, Inc.

Justin Wilson has been a Principal Partner with Construction Instruction for over 12 years. Justin works with national and regional builders on new construction of residential and commercials buildings and forensic investigations on building sites all over North America to find solutions to problems in the building processes that affect energy, comfort, and durability. He also uses this insight to work with leading building product manufacturers on new product development, product refinements, installation and maintenance guidelines. Justin is an EEBA Certified Trainer and a primary trainer for the Houses that Work series.

Lakisha Ann Woods

President & CEO, NIBS

Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE, is President & CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Woods is responsible for leading the organization’s dedicated team of professionals, enhancing its value, visibility and growing relationships with its members, clients, public agencies and partners. She also leads efforts to expand NIBS programs and markets, while growing and strengthening its membership base.

Prior to joining NIBS, Woods served as the Sr. VP & Chief Marketing Officer with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). There, Woods led a 27-member team responsible for all marketing and revenue-generating programs, including sponsorship sales and partnerships with major national companies.

Woods currently serves on the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Board of Directors and began her term as Secretary/Treasurer on September 1, 2020. She recently was elected Vice Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council Board of Directors, where she previously served as Secretary/Treasurer. Woods also serves on the Advisory Board of Crosswalk and has spoken at numerous national and international industry events. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland in College Park and lives with her husband and daughter in Howard County, Maryland.

Michael Young

Technical Project Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Michael is a Technical Project Manager in the Integrated Application Center’s Strategy, Policy, and Implementation (SPI) group. The SPI team leads complex energy projects that empower decision makers with the knowledge to adopt renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies by providing solutions to accelerate clean energy transitions. Michael’s work focuses on technical assistance and project management for the development of resilience strategies, energy management programs, greenhouse gas studies, and energy policy research for renewable energy implementation. He supports the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Build Challenge as Assistant Competition Manager.

Jesse Younger

Younger Homes

Program

Track Color Key

Day 1: Tuesday, September 14, 2021

7:00AM

8:30AM

10:00AM

10:30AM

11:30AM

11:45AM

1:15PM

1:30PM

2:30PM

2:45PM

3:00PM

4:00PM

6:00PM

8:00PM

Day 2: Wednesday, September 15, 2021

7:00AM

8:00AM

9:00AM

9:30AM

10:30AM

11:00AM

12:00PM

12:15PM

1:45PM

2:00PM

3:00PM

3:30PM

4:30PM

7:00PM

Day 3: Thursday, September 16, 2021

7:00AM

8:00AM

9:00AM

9:30AM

10:30AM

11:00AM

12:45PM

2021 Summit Sponsors

Registration & Check-in

Opening Plenary Session: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

Presenters

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Workforce Development and the Importance of Recruiting a Diverse Workforce

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Healthy vs Healthier Homes

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Zer0 Place Part II - Monitoring and Operational Achievements

Learning Objectives

Presenters

The New Digital World of Marketing and Sales for High Performance Builders

Learning Objectives

Presenters

High Performance Mechanicals

Learning Objectives

Presenters

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Luncheon - DOE's Housing Innovation Awards Ceremony & Poster Session

BREAK in Manufacturer's Showcase

Green Math: NGBS Green + Net Zero Energy + Wellness = Max Value & Marketability

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Advanced Wall Options for Low Load Homes

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Radical, Affordable, Scalable: Climate Change and the Imperative of Affordable Housing

Learning Objectives

Presenters

What’s Next for High Performance Homes