Shanti focuses on applied research and design processes for commercial building energy efficiency and building integrated renewable energy. This work includes facilitating numerous integrated design processes needed to realize low and zero energy commercial buildings. He has been responsible for the post occupancy energy performance evaluation of several high profile, low-energy commercial buildings. He has worked with AIA, USGBC, ASHRAE, IES, and DOE to provide development and modeling support, as well as serving as project committee chair for the Small Hospital and Healthcare Facilities Advanced Energy Design Guide. His recent research has focused on developing a classification and energy optimization modeling system for zero energy buildings.

Recent applied research work has focused on providing energy efficiency technical support for various zero energy building and research projects, including many of the 50% savings commercial and public building projects in Greensburg, Kansas, the Quick Start New Orleans School district, and various large retail national account partners. He also provides integrated design and technical assistance to DOE’s EnergySmart Hospitals Program and Hospital Energy Alliance.

He has authored or co-authored 24 peer reviewed technical and conference papers on designing and evaluating low and zero-energy commercial buildings, and his recent presentations include a Practice GreenHealth Webinar on Integrated Design and at multiple conferences, including ASHRAE, ASHE, Greenbuild, and ACEEE.

Shanti will discuss the varying definitions of zero net energy and how do you set a specific energy goal for a specific project?

• On-site vs. off-site energy solutions. How effective is the ASHRAE definition of zero net energy that includes only on-site energy in its language? What are the limits of either approach?
• How do you deal with user energy requirements (plug loads) that are unregulated, generically calculated, and a dominant design driver today and in the future?
• Occupant behavior is key in achieving real energy reductions. What does it mean to be a tenant in a zero net building?

Martha Brook, a licensed mechanical engineer in the state of California, has worked at the California Energy Commission for 19 years, where she has gained experience in long-term energy demand forecasting, building energy efficiency standards (Standards), and research and development of energy efficient technologies for residential and commercial buildings. Ms. Brook is currently leading efforts to advance the Standards to deliver the climate change benefits of low carbon footprint buildings.

Martha will talk on the importance of energy efficiency, and public policy / regulatory structures needed to Zero net energy. She will talk about how elective this will be and related questions:

• What does Title 24, the California building energy code, look like in 2020?
• When does Title 24 recognize the use of renewable energy systems and natural ventilation benefits?
• How do you deal with user energy requirements (plug loads) that are unregulated, generically calculated, and a dominant design driver today and in the future?
• Design professionals are starting to employ a variety of ‘non-standard’ design solutions, beyond the modeling capabilities of Title 24. What changes/additions to Title 24 are envisioned?
• How are building codes structured in a zero net energy environment?
• Should ASHRAE Standard 90 be retooled for zero net energy use?
• How is the energy efficiency of the existing building stock viewed?
• Occupant behavior is key in achieving real energy reductions. Does regulation have a role?

Andrew Tang is Pacific Gas & Electric’s Senior Director of the Smart Energy Web. Mr. Tang manages PG&E’s Demand Response Programs, which manages over 800MW of Peak demand; the Clean Air Transportation Group, which is exploring the electrification of the transportation sector; and the Energy Information Network which is piloting Home Area Network technologies. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Tang was the Director of European WiMAX Solutions Development for Intel Corporation. Mr. Tang spent the first 15 years of his career as an investment banker with Montgomery Securities, NationsBanc, JP Morgan and Greenbridge Partners.
 

Anna LaRue is a senior regulatory analyst with the Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Pilot Program at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Previously, she was an architectural program coordinator with the PG&E Pacific Energy Center. She has been an instructor for Boston Architectural College, a researcher on demand response technology at the UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment, and has worked for Building Science Corporation and the Cleveland Green Building Coalition. Anna earned a Master of Science in Architecture with a concentration in Building Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in Physics from Smith College.
 

Dr. William Miller is Manager of Strategic Planning for Energy Efficiency at PG&E. He has worked at PG&E for twenty-five years, gaining experience in forecasting, strategic market analysis and energy efficiency planning, measurement, policy and litigation issues. He has been responsible for the demand side of energy efficiency components of the majority of PG&E's integrated resource plans since 1990, working on forecasting, integration with other IRP elements and litigation before the California Public Utilities Commission and California Energy Commission. Dr. Miller is on the Board of the Association of Energy Service Professionals. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota, and prior to joining PG&E, he spent ten years in academia, engaged in teaching and research.

• How ‘tightly’ do you need to control peak/daily energy use?
• Are financial incentives (time-of-day rates) enough? Do you need significant penalties also?
• How effective are utility scale energy storage options (necessary for renewables)?
• One of the limiting factors to significant off-site generation is stranded generation. How is the new grid structured?
• The current grid has limitations on two-way energy flow. Can portions of the grid be altered to allow more or does the grid need to be changed entirely?
• Building energy efficiency is obviously essential - energy supply and demand must always be in balance). What is the utility role in the demand side of the equation – how do incentives play into this?
• Occupant behavior is key in achieving real energy reductions. Does the utility have a role in providing greater feedback/information to each user?

Mark oversees Advanced Buildings work at the New Buildings Institute. A licensed architect in Washington and Montana, and a LEED Accredited Professional, Mark has been consulting on sustainable design and energy efficiency for 15 years. His career has encompassed a broad range of technical topics, including building and site design, energy use, occupant health, daylighting, and high performance mechanical systems. Mark has consulted on hundreds of capital projects, ranging in scale from single and multi-family residential projects to large commercial office buildings. He has also developed curriculum and conducted numerous training sessions on sustainable design and energy efficiency. Prior to joining NBI, Mark worked as a Senior Consultant on sustainable design at Paladino and Co., and as an energy efficiency Consultant at Ecotope Inc. At NBI, Mark is responsible for the development of technical publications, training material, and program development to support the incorporation of energy efficiency strategies in new commercial construction.

Mark will talk about measurement and verification needs - verifying that zero net energy is achieved:

• How immediate does feed back need to be and is the feedback to operator or tenant?
• How often (the frequency) do you need to confirm zero net energy operation?
• What are the costs associated with M&V?
• How do strategies change for smaller buildings?
• The use of IPMVP options and execution?
• What are the responsibilities of a manager of a zero net energy building?
• What are the responsibilities of an owner of a zero net energy building?
• How does commissioning enter this discussion?

Joe DiStefano leads the regional and large-scale master planning team at Calthorpe Associates. He is an urban planner with more than 15 years experience in land use, transportation, and regional and corridor planning and policy. His work and research ranges from federal and local transportation and land use planning and policy to transit-oriented design and implementation strategies. He also specializes in the relationship between land use and climate and energy impacts, and has lectured extensively on the subject.

Joe will discuss the view of sustainable communities as opposed to individual sustainable buildings.

• What are the key issues and ranking of community design issues?
• What are the key design issues at the building level (faηade design for one)?
• What expectations you have as a starting point for a Zero Net Energy community or building?
• What goals do you look to establish with a client and design team on each project?
• What are the legal implications associated with zero energy communities?