This session will share a story of how strong leadership combined with a supportive city government and informed, actively engaged citizenry, worked in close collaboration to achieve a model deep energy retrofit of a typical municipal structure. The result gave the heavily used, 10,000sf Lower Falls Community Center in Newton, MA a renewed life, while also sharply reducing energy use. We will present a full report on lessons learned and details developed on the project that now inform the design and construction of buildings throughout the City. The project achieved achieved 70% reduction in energy use, dramatically improved indoor air quality and a better controlled, more comfortable and brighter community center. The presentation will include both energy and cost data collected over the past two (2) years .

We will also track a church congregation’s 7 year journey to net zero energy use by their buildings; the process, the economics, the technology, the results, the spiritual joy.