Recent technology developments and incentive programs are creating new opportunities for ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) at the building and neighborhood scale (networked geothermal). Practitioners designing and piloting GSHPs will describe how GSHPs can reduce the environmental burden on LMI communities by decarbonizing space and water heating.  Through design and case studies, they will describe what characteristics make a building or neighborhood a promising fit for GSHP implementation, and those posing significant challenges.

We will present tales from the trenches for ventilation approaches within the context of the Passive House building certification standard. This standard has set a high benchmark for low-energy buildings and is widely known as the most rigorous energy efficiency standard currently available. Attendees will learn how balanced ventilation is best applied in a cold climate at a large scale and how commissioning plays a key role in this process.

Public school projects are a highly visible commitment from a community towards future generations, serve a wide range of students from diverse backgrounds, and are a valuable resource to the surrounding community. This case study will show three projects that aimed to fit within the goals and budget of a public institution while focusing equally on energy, carbon, water, and waste. Linking the strategies for each goal to impacts on the health and well-being of students provides a new framework for evaluating the impacts of design.