Commercial & Institutional

Water: Life Blood of Our Infrastructure

NYC uses about a billion gallons of water per day, and the system that delivers it to our tap is both vast and frail, as is the system to dispose of and reuse our water. Water costs many owners more than energy, and sometimes property taxes. Learn about the system, NYCDEP incentives to reduce usage, successful retrofit projects, and the current and future state of NYC’s sewer system.

Passive House: Affordable, Retrofit, and Huge

Probably the most adopted newer certification in the building industry, Passive House is a US and international standard that small to very large owners are using to build and retrofit. Simple, affordable, and durable, this standard works in many types of buildings. Learn from four experienced practitioners about how smaller buildings are retrofitted, how affordable housing is built within budget, and how large scale dormitories and other buildings will be built in the future.

Benefits of Cx and RCx: Compliant Buildings, Healthy People

This discussion will examine multifamily and commercial commissioning and retro-commissioning projects with an emphasis on: code compliance; increasing energy savings; preventing building system failures; resolving operations and maintenance issues; and improving indoor environmental quality (IAQ). The session presentations will describe some of the most common aspects of buildings, such as ventilation, to lesser-known measures, like user tools and resources available in the marketplace to start commissioning buildings for compliance, efficiency, and health.

Airsealing and Firestopping: Smart Science

Air leaks cause comfort, energy, fire, durability, and vermin problems throughout buildings. Recent studies have shown that: stack effect losses in high rise buildings leak large amounts of treated air (who knew?); airsealing as part of new construction helps meet performance standards and increase comfort; and airsealing individual apartments as part of retrofit projects saves occupants money and increases comfort in those units. Listen to three diverse presentations on methods and results in airsealing projects.

BQDM: Retrofitting for Reliability

From Brownsville to Woodhaven, new policies and practices that are changing how we identify, finance, and implement energy conservation projects. This session will provide an overview of Con Edison’s Brooklyn Queens Demand Management (BQDM) program then dive into the innovative strategies that are improving grid reliability and savings dollars. From big to small, commercial to residential, we’re covering it all.

New York City's Data Revolution

Building owners and decision-makers of New York City’s largest buildings now have more information than ever before to understand their energy consumption and prioritize investments in new equipment and maintenance. Many building owners are undertaking efficiency measures as a result of this information, but they still face a range of obstacles to pursuing building upgrades, such as limited capital, difficulties navigating financing and incentive programs, and the complexities of undertaking energy efficiency upgrades.

Tiny Bubbles: The Deal With Spray Foam

“Is Foam Evil?”—that’s how this session was originally titled. Saner heads prevailed: foam is so highly insulating, so airtight, so slick on the jobsite, how could we ask such a question? Wait—it’s just those wonderful features that suck us in and make us love foam and forget about those toxic chemicals, occupational hazards, climate impacts, and faulty installations. Is that evil? Come discuss design choices, material options, and building science with our panel.

Balancing Historic Preservation and Energy Performance

Historic New England’s approach to weatherization emphasizes preservation over intervention. But as shown by the energy retrofit that achieved an over 60% reduction in energy usage at the Lyman House, a National Historic Landmark, energy performance and preservation can co-exist. This session will discuss HNE’s preservation philosophy and how it guides the organization’s energy conservation projects. We will share an energy usage analysis of all 36 HNE properties and discuss how that information is used to prioritize actions.

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