Five years ago, the capital city of Montpelier, Vermont, set a bold and audacious goal: for the city’s municipal buildings and operations to be Net Zero by 2030. What can a small city (under 7,000 people) with a volunteer energy committee do at the municipal scale? Come learn from Montpelier’s progress, challenges, and future plans.

We will present new analyses showing how commercial facilities in Massachusetts (and beyond) can maximize energy savings and resiliency by installing solar + electric storage systems. We will review and explain how to take advantage of a suite of incentives and revenue streams including the SMART solar incentive with storage adder, the new energy efficiency performance incentive, the federal investment tax credit (ITC), demand charge management, and net metering.

Transforming existing buildings is especially challenging with public-owned affordable housing buildings that rely on public funding and grants and must continue to house residents during major renovations. This session will share the successes of the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA), which in 2014 vowed to reduce energy intensity by 20% in a decade.  CHA met that goal in only four years, and continues to improve their portfolio. Speakers will discuss incentives, strategies, priorities and certifications integrated into the design and planning process.

Strategic investment in renewable energy has the potential to address two of the greatest challenges of our time: climate change and growing inequality. It’s possible to source, finance, develop and maintain solar projects in the built environment that provide meaningful environmental and economic benefits in communities that have borne undue burden from pollution and high energy costs, while delivering strong and stable financial returns to solar developers and investors.

If insulation, air sealing, performance testing, and high-efficiency HVAC systems were as exciting to home buyers as granite countertops and walk-in closets, the demand for energy-efficient homes and energy efficiency upgrades would increase dramatically. Home energy labeling allows owners, realtors, and developers a platform to market and value building energy efficiency. It provides a strategy for educating, engaging, and exciting consumers about high-performing home features that lower utilities, improve health and comfort and increase home value.

Boston’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050 will require deep energy reductions in 86,000 buildings. Among the challenges of reaching this goal are the feasibility of retrofitting at scale at a realistic cost, financing this work, maintaining affordable operating costs, and crafting incentives and requirements to make all this happen. This panel of experts in design, construction, operations, finance and regulation will discuss both the technical and policy sides of these issues, provide updates on current policy, and share lessons and real data on actual projects.

The number one obstacle to Zero Energy (ZE) buildings is the perception of increased cost. This session will debunk this myth. Utilizing readily available products, practices and technologies, Zero Energy buildings are being constructed in increasing numbers across Massachusetts. And with the help of state and utility rebates for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, these projects are being delivered at little or no additional first costs.

Urgent climate goals require state programs such as Mass Save to better target comprehensive decarbonization – applying efficiency, electrification, demand response, and solar+storage – in an equitable manner that addresses differences in local building characteristics. Meanwhile cities and towns, including low income/urban, suburban, and rural communities, are making commitments to local climate neutrality and social equity for their citizens.

Energiesprong and practitioners selected by RetrofitNY are developing standardized and scalable methods to achieve whole-building near-zero energy retrofits while maintaining multifamily tenants in place. Energiesprong, based in Europe, has successfully transformed 4,500 affordable units and RetrofitNY is currently in proof-of-concept phase.  The session will provide an introduction to standardized retrofits for multifamily housing, an overview of the best practices in Europe, and the practical implementation in the US market.