Beth Eckenrode
Username
Beth Eckenrode
Proposer First Name
Beth
Proposer Email
beth.eckenrode@aurosgroup.com
Proposer Last Name
Eckenrode
Proposer Phone
(412) 860-0416
Proposer Job Title
Co-founder
Proposed Session Description
To find the most cost-effective path to an existing building's decarbonization potential requires expertise in building science AND data science. One without the other will sacrifice cost, performance or both. Our industry is littered with short-sighted, performance-limiting decarbonization tactics. Physics-based modeling and simulation is the key to determining a building's decarb potential. A digital twin combines simulation & trended data to show the steps along the path to zero carbon.
Why is this session important?
Owners do not typically identify the optimum decarbonization potential of their existing buildings before they start making investments in reducing carbon emissions. Most decarbonization work is done tactically and incrementally with no respect given to the holistic nature of building performance. The consequence is that owners will make transactional choices, typically to invest in lower emissions equipment, with the unintended consequence of locking-in unnecessarily high levels of carbon emissions for the life of those systems. According to the IPCC, low ambition policies and actions will lock-in carbon and energy waste for decades if not centuries. A better solution is to create a whole-building decarbonization master plan which identifies a building's optimal decarbonization potential before any investment in building performance. By utilizing a decarbonization master plan, building owners can make the proper decarbonization choices in the proper sequence to achieve a building's full decarbonization potential in the most cost-effective manner.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Some of the most underperforming buildings in the country reside in urban areas where the most financially and health-compromised people live, work, study etc. Municipalities and governmental authorities are doing their best to compel building owners to invest to reduce fuel poverty and ensure everyone has access to healthy indoor air quality. The urgency presented by decarbonization provides the opportunity to align social, environmental and economic goals but only if we use the tools that enable holistic, transformative and systemic change. This session provides a demonstration of how to use contemporary tools to accelerate progress toward building efficiency/decarbonization while improving occupant health and ensuring resilience of buildings during extreme weather conditions. Combining building science and data science offers the path to the equilibration of outcomes.
Learning Objectives
Discover and be able to define for other key stakeholders in your organization the critical components of a holistic decarbonization master plan.
Describe the role that building technology and smart building infrastructure play in valuing the benefits of building decarbonization.
Recognize the differences between statistical models and physics-based models, along with the simulation capabilities necessary to achieve a building's optimum decarbonization potential.
Explore the potential for and required steps to sell efficiency improvements in an Building Efficiency Credit market.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 3 - Prior knowledge strongly recommended.
NYC 2023 Areas of Focus
Session Format Details
Demonstration of the building science and data science tools necessary, utilizing a Digital Twin, to create a Decarbonization Master Plan and value the benefits of decarbonization -- 30 or 45 minutes. Followed by a discussion and brainstorming session of the variety of ways these tools may be used to optimize all forms of building performance (energy, carbon, IAQ, thermal comfort, lighting, sound, etc) and prioritize investments across a portfolio of buildings-- 30 or 45 minutes. This session could be either 60- minutes or 90- minutes with demo and discussion split 50/50.
Recommended Length
60-minute session
90-minute session
Comments about your speaker roster
This video shows Mr. Stevenson co-presenting with a collaborator. If you go to minute 6:50-10:30, you will hear Mr. Stevenson presenting the base concepts of our suggested session for BuildingEnergy NYC. The video attached here was presented at SkyFoundry, which is a Smart Building audience (data science). The interests of this audience are focused on optimizing building performance on a day-to-day basis which was the purpose of this presentation. Our proposal for BuildingEnergy NYC 2023 is focused on using these tools, plus the addition of a digital twin (KODE Labs) to develop a "decarbonization master plan" for a building or groups of buildings as described above. This would be the first time this approach would be presented for decarbonization purposes that we know of anywhere in the world. It's "where the puck is going", not where is it or where it's been.
Mr. Stevenson is co-author of the award-winning book, The Power of Existing Buildings -- Save Money, Improve Health and Reduce Environmental Impacts
Mr. Demaj is the winner of the 2023 Purpose Award for purpose-driven leadership in the Midwest technology community.
AUROS Group and KODE Labs are previous Finalists for the prestigious Realcomm Digie Awards, which recognizes companies who have gone "above and beyond" to positively impact the built environment through the intelligent application of technology, automation, and innovation.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
Embedded in the sharing of tools are building science concepts of -- Passive House, RESET Air, physics-based modeling and simulation
Embedded in the sharing of tools are data science concepts of -- independent data layer, digital twins, advanced data analytics including fault detection and diagnostics
Reviewer 1
Sullivan, Jim
Reviewer 2
Engoren, Elizabeth
Proposal #
134
Committee Decision
Being Considered