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.

District Energy has proven to be a resilient energy source able to lower carbon emissions in major cities and worthy of expansion. In this session, you’ll learn about strategies to govern district energy systems in the Boston region; how district steam, hot water, and chilled water solutions are rolling out on a national scale; how a major city uses waste water to meet thermal energy needs; and how geothermal heating and cooling can be expanded to supply district heating in a suburban application.

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.