Brendan Kavanagh
Username
Brendan Kavanagh
Proposer First Name
Brendan
Proposer Email
brendan@byggmeister.com
Proposer Last Name
Kavanagh
Proposer Company/Organization
Byggmeister
Proposer Phone
(978) 505-7174
Proposer Job Title
Project Manager & Performance Manager

Boston 2023 Areas of Focus

Proposer Additional Info
Over the last 4 years as Byggmeister's performance manager I've been tasked with digging into the issue of refrigerant leakage on our heat pump systems. Byggmeister has installed quite a few heat pump systems on projects in the greater Boston area over the last 1-2 decades and have already seen our fair share of refrigerant leakage issues. As we both help our clients deal with those issues and continue to install more heat pump systems this issue has been and likely will be at the front of my mind for some time.
Proposed Session Description
In this time of rapid heat pump deployment most commonly used refrigerants are very potent global warming agents if released into the atmosphere, so it's important we all do what we can to mitigate against that. We will discuss why it's important to prevent refrigerant leakage, common ways refrigerant can leak in residential retrofit applications, and what both practitioners and homeowners can do to mitigate the impact of refrigerant leakage in their homes and projects.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
This does not address diversity, equity, and/or inclusion in any way I can see, however I'd be more than open to including this in some way if anyone has suggestions.
Learning Objectives
Better understand the various negative impacts associated with refrigerant leakage and the general scale of the issue.
Consider the potential for refrigerant leakage in developing, designing, and implementing carbon reduction retrofits for residential homes.
Limit the impact of actual refrigerant leaks and the potential for refrigerant leakage in equipment you own or operate.
Help others better understand this issue so that we can all move forward in reducing carbon emissions with more confidence.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
I don't believe directly, however it's definitely been mentioned in a number of other presentations.
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 1 - No prior knowledge needed.
Session Format
Collaborative problem-solving session
Presentation followed by facilitated discussion or breakout groups
Session Format Details
We have a slight preference for a longer presentation but would be open to any available length. Open to ideas/suggestions but thinking a fairly typical presentation followed by questions, maybe either a 40-45 minute presentation with 15 ish minutes for questions or a 60-70 minute presentation with 20 ish minutes for questions? TBD
Recommended Length
60-minute session
90-minute session

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2023

Comments about your speaker roster
I (Brendan) am thrilled Jon is up for presenting on this topic with me at BE24 as I think he has put out some of the best content on this topic over the last few years. He has a PhD. in Ecology and has been working in the residential home performance space for over 20 years. He is a frequent contributor to GreenBuildingAdvisor.com and speaker at his regional New York State building performance association conferences. He already has a few slides decks from presentations within the last 4 years that we feel we can update and adjust to focus on retrofit work and potentially simplify to make it more digestible for general contractors and homeowners. I will be bringing the retrofit contractor perspective to the discussion and I've been thinking a deeper dive on this topic is needed in order to better assess how far does it make sense to go in energy/carbon retrofit work.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
I'm not sure if this presentation needs to center around retrofits, as this issue is very relevant to new construction as well. That said it feels like there is so much to say about this topic that it could very easily fill a few presentations so I thought I'd focus it using that lens because it is my area of expertise and it feels widely applicable to audience members either in the professional or personal lives.
Reviewer 1
Roth, Kurt
Reviewer 2
Roth, Kurt
Proposal #
148
Committee Decision
Being Considered

Presenters

Full Description
Refrigerant leaks have the potential to minimally reduce the carbon emissions savings associated with the use of a heat pump system and maximally turn a heat pump system into an environmental liability. As this is becoming more known by practitioners and homeowners alike it is creating warranted concern and in turn likely slowing down the electrification effort. We'd like to help folks understand this issue better and be empowered with methods to minimize refrigerant leakage as much as possible.