BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Sessions

Monday, March 23 - 9:00 to 10:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Keynote - In for the Long Run: The Cost of Pausing Climate change is not on pause, even as recent federal actions have slowed or halted many mitigation initiatives already underway. Organizations are navigating real delays, shifts… Full Description	Arlen Li Anthony Michetti Julie Newman	Harbor Ballroom	Enclosure and Structure Finance and Incentives MEP Systems Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice

Monday, March 23 - 10:30 to 12:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Scaling Resilience Through Community & Collaboration We must create maximum positive climate and social impact as quickly as possible. This session explores a shared-services cooperative model (also called a producers’ cooperative)… Full Description	Virgil Blower Greg Bossie Ace McArleton	Harbor 1	Justice and Equity Material Impacts Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development
Operational and Embodied Carbon, Together at Last! The MA 100-Home Embodied Carbon Study The Massachusetts 100-Home Embodied Carbon Study was convened by a team of industry collaborators to explore the feasibility of adding embodied carbon analysis to the existing… Full Description	Patrick Nachlas Jacob Deva Racusin	Harbor 2	Material Impacts Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development
Breaking Thermal Bridges: A Guide to the Divide Join three experienced practitioners of thermal bridging mitigation as they share details that minimize thermal losses, reduce condensation potential and increase thermal comfort… Full Description	Jim D'Aloisio Russ Miller-Johnson Ivan Lee	Harbor 3	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort Material Impacts Process and Practice
Connecting the Dots for Small Residential Decarbonization: Lessons from the Field Home decarbonization requires a multitude of decisions about how, when and what to invest in. Programs with customized guidance, expert technical assistance and affordable… Full Description	Kenna Lauer Lissette Paukert Maggie Super Church Brooks Winner	Marina 1	Finance and Incentives Health and Comfort Justice and Equity Process and Practice
Comfort & Savings for All: Talking Decarbonization with Anyone Effective decarbonization depends on reaching households with the highest energy burdens — and on how we talk about energy efficiency. This interactive workshop draws from City of… Full Description	Paulina Dieffenbach Miriam Gee Sara Kudra	Marina 3-4	Finance and Incentives Health and Comfort Justice and Equity Policy, Codes and Standards

Monday, March 23 - 1:00 to 2:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
The Cost of Prediction: Where the Models End and Meters Begin As energy costs surge and buildings shift to all-electric systems, predicting and managing not just energy use but operating cost is essential. Using a series of real multifamily… Full Description	James Moriarty Michelle Tinner	Harbor 1	Finance and Incentives Operations and Maintenance Process and Practice
Deconstruction and Reuse in Fitouts: A Case Study Circularity in the built environment is more than a sustainability buzzword—it’s an opportunity to rethink how we build, renovate, and reuse. With landfills nearing capacity and… Full Description	Jan Abercrombie Caroline Murray Andrew Thompson	Harbor 2	Material Impacts Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development
Proof over Promises: Cold Climate Multifamily Retrofit Results This panel will feature post-retrofit results for multiple decarbonization projects across cold climates, with the results presented in a systematic way to show lessons about… Full Description	Connor Jansen Kelly Westby	Harbor 3	Health and Comfort MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Process and Practice
Cutting Ties: Designing to Reduce Reliance on Existing Utility Plants As institutions continue to decarbonize, project teams are being challenged with the question “How can we minimize reliance on existing central utility plants even if we do not… Full Description	Justin Dufresne Rheannon DeMond Matthew Lewis	Marina 1	Enclosure and Structure MEP Systems Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development
Keeping It Cool! Toolkits and Strategies for Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Island Mitigation This session will present several new and emerging free-to-access resources for developing and advancing extreme heat and urban heat island mitigation solutions. These tools… Full Description	Ariel Brenner Jacob Miller Sasha Shyduroff	Marina 3-4	Finance and Incentives Health and Comfort Justice and Equity Policy, Codes and Standards

Monday, March 23 - 2:30 to 3:30
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Scaling Heat Pumps for LMI Communities through Trusted Local Partnerships In this session, we will discuss how community partnerships can accelerate heat pump adoption in underserved communities and promote equitable electrification. The session will… Full Description	Brendan Ryan Gurbani Singh	Harbor 1	Finance and Incentives Justice and Equity Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development
Through The Details: Lessons Learned from 50 Phius Design Certifications This session traces the evolution of Passive House detailing over the past decade, highlighting how simplification and improved modeling have made high-performance design more… Full Description	John Loercher Steve Scribner	Harbor 2	Enclosure and Structure Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
Deep Dive: Designing a High-Performance Pool and Community Center in Boston This session explores the design process of the new all-electric, high performance Grove Hall Community Center. It will showcase how community engagement, energy and daylight… Full Description	Brett Bentson Petra Jarolimova Niles Tooher	Harbor 3	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort MEP Systems Process and Practice
Building Better with What We Have: Balancing Carbon, Cost, and Housing Boston faces twin crises—housing and climate—and must leverage existing buildings in decarbonization efforts. This study evaluates four renovation pathways across multifamily… Full Description	Matthew Mongan Abbott Price	Marina 1	Enclosure and Structure Material Impacts Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
Financial Statement Storytelling: Building Accountability and Engagement In uncertain times, resilient organizations don’t hide from the numbers—they share them! This interactive session introduces simple, powerful tools like the 6-line P&L to help… Full Description	Carolyn Edsell-Vetter	Marina 3-4	Finance and Incentives Justice and Equity Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development

Monday, March 23 - 4:00 to 5:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Building the Energy Workforce: Hands-On Pathways from Campus to Community College of the Atlantic has created a model for building a diverse and skilled energy workforce. Through coursework, certifications, internships, and work-study, students gain… Full Description	Tyler Hebert Helen Lloyd Samara McLaughlin Rashmi Mohan	Harbor 1	Justice and Equity Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development
More Good through Less Bad Join us for an honest reckoning of habits in building enclosures and structural systems with deplorable carbon consequences. Follow the logic toward design and construction… Full Description	Jim D'Aloisio Jodi Smits Anderson	Harbor 2	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort Material Impacts MEP Systems Process and Practice
Unlocking Residential Geothermal: How Builders Are Overcoming Cost and Complexity Barriers Residential geothermal heat pumps are widely recognized for their efficiency and performance, yet adoption in housing has lagged due to perceived cost, complexity, and execution… Full Description	Bryan Roberts	Harbor 3	Finance and Incentives MEP Systems
Onward to 2050! Two Existing Commercial Building Decarbonization Case Studies This session will share the results and lessons learned from two existing building decarbonization assessments: a large lab/office facility and a high school. Drawing on the Mass… Full Description	Martine Dion Melissa Russell	Marina 1	Finance and Incentives MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Policy, Codes and Standards

Tuesday, March 24 - 9:00 to 10:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Keynote - Unstoppable: Inner Resilience and Generational Leadership In an era when even the wisest voices are often lost behind closed doors — speaking only to the already convinced, rather than reaching the neighbors who see the world differently… Full Description	Melissa O'Mara Kevin Stack	Harbor Ballroom	Justice and Equity Process and Practice

Tuesday, March 24 - 10:30 to 12:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Less Carbon, Same Building: How Builders and Designers Can Cut Embodied Carbon Today Learn to assess embodied carbon in low-rise construction using the BEAM tool and other practical resources through guided, interactive examples. Using real project case studies,… Full Description	Ben Bogie Jacob Deva Racusin	Harbor 1	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort Material Impacts Process and Practice
Spinach and Sustainability: Making Green Irresistible Everyone knows sustainable design is good for people and the planet—like spinach, it’s good for us, but not everyone wants a bite. This interactive session shows how to make… Full Description	Heather Jauregui Alejandra Menchaca Jana Silsby	Harbor 2	Process and Practice
From Building Decarbonization to Campus Decarbonization: Lessons, Pitfalls, Results To meet their Climate Action Goals, campuses are moving beyond individual net-zero buildings to portfolio decarbonization. An owner–architect–engineer panel shares planning-stage… Full Description	Karl Calvo Jacob Knowles Romeo Michael Tammy Ngo Tamar Warburg	Harbor 3	Finance and Incentives MEP Systems Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
Decarbonizing Non-Profit Buildings via No-Cost Planning and Financing Resources Non-profit and municipal building owners have limited resources and expertise to drive existing building decarbonization. This session will present low-cost resources for them to… Full Description	Erin Camp Amy Dorfman Helio Rosa David Ruggiero	Marina 1	Finance and Incentives Justice and Equity Process and Practice
Anti-Racism In Action Join us for a facilitated conversation around the topic of immigration and deportation and its impact(s) within the design & construction industry. The session will use a… Full Description	Kate Stephenson Jesse Ware III Maria Washington	Marina 3-4	Justice and Equity Process and Practice Training and Workforce Development

Tuesday, March 24 - 1:00 to 2:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
From Model to Meter: What Can We Learn from the Massachusetts LBER Data? Starting in 2025, Massachusetts buildings over 20,000sf were required to report their annual energy consumption. Now, those data have been released to the public. We will provide… Full Description	Lyn Huckabee Christopher Schaffner	Harbor 1	Enclosure and Structure MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Policy, Codes and Standards
Mass Timber: Strategies for Carbon, Cost, and Constructability Learn from a two-year multifamily mass timber study, which took prototypical multifamily residential structures at different scales and reimagined them in mass timber. Key… Full Description	Billy Craig John Dalzell David Robb Suzanne Robinson	Harbor 2	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort Material Impacts Policy, Codes and Standards
How to Make a House Levitate: The Accidental Deep Energy Retrofit What began as a planned new build took an unexpected turn when this prefabricated house, originally slated for demolition, was given a second life. Poor original detailing left… Full Description	Phil Kaplan Gavin Pond Grace Tisdale	Harbor 3	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort Material Impacts Process and Practice
Optimizing Passive Building for Cost Effectiveness: Tools and Methods This presentation focuses on strategies for multifamily passive building projects in cold climates. Topics include WUFI Passive optimization, thermal bridge mitigation and… Full Description	Ryan Abendroth Stefan Goebel Shannon Pendleton	Marina 1	Enclosure and Structure MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Process and Practice

Tuesday, March 24 - 2:30 to 3:30
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Retrocommissioning For Existing Buildings It’s no surprise that optimizing and maintaining building operations is crucial to achieving planned carbon and energy savings. And yet, a majority of HVAC systems and building… Full Description	Ilene Mason Julia Rogers Neetu Siddarth Jesse Stallions	Harbor 1	Enclosure and Structure MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Process and Practice
From Gas to Electricity with Speed and Equity Our gas system is oversized for a future of clean electricity. To rightsize it as we transition to electricity for the least cost, greatest speed and with equitable outcomes, we… Full Description	Audrey Schulman Mary Wambui	Harbor 2	Energy Production and Storage Finance and Incentives Justice and Equity MEP Systems
Closing the Materials Gap: Practical Steps for Making Better Materials Choices Everyone wants lower-carbon, healthier materials. The hard part is execution: data gaps, risk management, substitution pressure, and the sheer volume of products. In this panel,… Full Description	Kena David Andrea Love Misha SemeLev Charley Stevenson	Harbor 3	Justice and Equity Material Impacts Process and Practice
Are You Smarter than a Phius Reviewer? Think you can outsmart a Phius reviewer? Put your building science skills to the test in this “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader” style quiz show that combines technical insight,… Full Description	Betsy Cooke Molly Craft Margaret Goetsch Nicole Schuster	Marina 1	Enclosure and Structure Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
Who Pays and Who Saves? How Electric Rates Shape Equitable Multifamily Electrification Electric rate design and metering decisions determine who pays, who saves, and who benefits from building electrification, especially in affordable multifamily housing. In… Full Description	Ella Mure Eva Rosenbloom	Marina 3-4	Finance and Incentives Justice and Equity MEP Systems Policy, Codes and Standards

Tuesday, March 24 - 4:00 to 5:00
Session Title	Speakers	Location	Areas of Focus
Deep Energy Retrofits, Round 3: A Holistic Cost Analysis This session offers fresh perspective on previous NESEA presentations, “Why We Stopped Doing Deep Energy Retrofits” (2023) and “The Deep Energy Retrofit Controversy Revisited” (… Full Description	Michael Hindle Kyle Macht	Harbor 1	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort Material Impacts MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance
Designing the Future of Learning: Insights from Passive Schools The Stretch Energy Code update focuses on passive building principles as an underpinning to all compliance paths, resulting in non-residential commercial use types assessing and… Full Description	Katherine Bubriski Ryan Dirks Jess Farber Nicole Peterson	Harbor 2	Enclosure and Structure Health and Comfort Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
The Balancing Act: Reducing Embodied and Operational Carbon in High-Performance Envelopes As codes become more stringent and low embodied carbon goals more mainstream, projects face sometimes contradictory priorities in balancing energy efficiency with embodied… Full Description	David Charney Felipe Francisco Rachael Gerry	Harbor 3	Enclosure and Structure Material Impacts Policy, Codes and Standards Process and Practice
Multifamily Ventilation Systems: Do We Really Need CAR Dampers? Constant air regulators (CAR dampers) are instrumental to the success of central mechanical ventilation systems, assuring that fresh air gets to bedrooms and living areas while… Full Description	Sarah Carter James Petersen	Marina 1	Health and Comfort MEP Systems Operations and Maintenance Policy, Codes and Standards