Events from the DCSEU

Designing Energy Efficiency Programs, Beyond Energy

Technical Session at AEE World Energy Conference with DCSEU Director of Program Management Office, Solome Girma

Date & Time:
Tuesday December 1st, 2020 4:30pm - 5:00pm

Preserving affordable housing continues to be a priority for all major cities in the US. The Nation’s Capital has expanded on this effort to run innovative low-income energy efficiency programs to do more than just energy efficiency. The DC Sustainable Energy Utility's (DCSEU) Income Qualified Efficiency Fund is designed to support projects that improve buildings, neighborhoods, or whole communities, while generating green jobs. Further, the strong emphasis on utilizing local contractors to perform the work held spur economic development in these communities. The engagement of building owners and their residents is an important aspect of the program. The presentation will detail how a successful low-income program can be designed to meet multiple goals for the city, inclusive of job creation, utilization of local contractors, and meaningful energy savings for the most vulnerable residents.

The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) World Energy Conference Virtual 2020

Dates:
Tuesday - Friday, December 1st-4th, 2020

Attendees of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) World Energy Conference Virtual 2020 will be able to learn from industry leaders, access live technical sessions, live panel discussions, and on-demand recordings. For more information on how to register for the AEE Wrold Energy Conference and conference schedule details please visit world.aeecenter.org.

The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) and National Housing Trust (NHT) are hosting a Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) Workshop for Affordable Housing Owners and Managers. As a apart of this workshop the DC Department on Environment & Energy (DOEE), DCSEU, International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST), DC Green Bank, and the DC Building Innovation Hub will give presentations directly related to BEPS and resources to assist with BEPS compliance.

Thursday December 3rd, 2020 10:00am - 12:00pm

• Ensure that participants understand the proposed rules for implementing D.C.’s Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) and how their buildings will be impacted;
• Solicit feedback from participants on the proposed rules;
• Connect participants to resources that are available to help them ensure their buildings will comply with the requirements; and Brainstorm continued learning opportunities to address participants’ priority concerns.

Energy Savings Through Tenant Engagement Programs

Topic Session at the Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference (BECC) with DCSEU Energy Associate, Stephanie Gonzalez

Monday December 7th, 2020 2:30pm - 3:45pm

The D.C Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) has been supporting Low Income residents and building owners since 2011. For long the low-income programs provided support for efficient technology adoption and conservation practices. Existing utility programs do a good job in supporting the building owners needs to reduce their overall building carbon foot print. However, capital improvement plans can be augmented with behavioral programs to further the mission of sustainability. The rewards of energy savings are typically realized by the building owner and not always passed on to the residents or tenants, as buildings are mostly master metered. In 2018 DCSEU decided to start focusing on engagement with end user by implementing a pilot program. This data driven pilot makes use of in-unit smart devices along with an engagement plant to educate tenants and prompt behavioral changes to realize energy savings. In turn the program intends to reward tenants by decreasing their rent based on their participation and performance. The project was designed to be implemented in a 140 unit high-rise multi-family building with 90% bi-lingual tenants who have large families and multiple day jobs. The pilot has not only been designed to fit the needs of the community in this building but also achieve every bit of savings considering the building has recently undergone a modernization project. As a result, we expect to see true behavior savings. The goal is to achieve 2% energy savings from this study. This paper shares the details of the program, process of its implementation and the roadblocks faced along the way.

The Behavior, Energy, & Climate Change (BECC) Conference

Tuesday - Thursday, December 7th-10th, 2020

The Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference (BECC) features over 150 speakers and 30 sessions bringing highly sought-after experts from around the world and industry. plenary sessions, lighting presentations, and virtual poster sessions covering over 18 topical areas requested by past BECC attendees are some of the things you can expect at the 2020 conference. For more information on how to register for the BECC Conference and conference schedule details please visit beccconference.org.