The Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference (BECC) Topic Session with Stephanie Gonzalez

December 7, 2020 2:30PM - December 7, 2020 3:45PM

Energy Savings Through Tenant Engagement Programs

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

Date & Time:

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 

Dates:

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.