Clean Energy Homes: Day 2

Clean Energy Homes: Key Systems & Energy Modeling – Day 2

This is day two of a two part series. Please register for both dates (9/8 & 9/9) to complete the session.

CES Learning Units: 2 LU

Clean Energy Homes are all-electric.  The case for building this way has never been stronger.  All electric homes are lower first cost, lower operating cost, safer, more comfortable, with Greenhouse Gas emissions roughly half that of mixed fuel homes.  Zero Net Energy pioneers Nick Brown and Robert Fortunato will cover the reasons why we should consider all-electric designs for homes and multifamily buildings.  This includes the economics, health and safety, and climate reasons.  They will cover the key systems to change the four end uses typically running on natural gas over to electric: Heating, Water heating, Clothes drying, and Cooking.  The Title 24 compliance picture has changed significantly since 2019 in favor of all-electric designs, and we’ll show the beneficial impact all-electric designs can have on energy code compliance through case studies of single family homes, multifamily buildings, and ADU garage conversions.  Attendees will leave with a better understanding of why they should consider all-electric home designs on future projects, how to achieve all-electric designs cost-effectively, and how to work with their energy consultant to get the maximum value for their all-electric designs.

Learning Objectives:

+ Key products and systems used in all-electric homes (heat pumps for space conditioning, heat pump water heaters, induction cooktops, and electric clothes dryers)

+ How to model all-electric systems for Title 24 compliance

+ How the all-electric compliance pathway works in practice – prescriptively and performance modeling

+ Cost-effectiveness of all-electric designs compared to traditional designs

+ Single-family and multifamily examples plus remodels and ADUs

+ Quality of life reasons to consider all-electric designs

    – IAQ

    – CO2 emissions and footprint

     – Safety

– Grid greening from 33% to 100% renewables in next 26 years; why burden a home built today with gas when it will have increasingly clean electricity available to it and 100% clean by 2045?

Presenters:

Nick Brown, Energy Consultant 

Nick Brown is an energy consultant and owner-builder of Net Zero Nest, a 2014 Net Zero Energy remodel of a Long Beach ranch style house.  He teaches various classes for Southern California Edison and Energy Code Ace on energy code topics.  He is owner of Build Smart Group, which  assists builders and architects in designing energy efficiency into buildings.  He is a Certified Energy Analyst (CEA) and Board Member of CABEC and was voted Member of the Year for 2019.  Nick is part of a CalSEED Clean Tech grant winning team working on a product that promises to lower peak period energy use in summer cooling season using Phase Change Materials.  Prior to becoming an energy consultant, Nick served as President of Merlex Stucco for 15 years.  He holds a BA in Economics from Princeton University and a MBA from the University of Michigan with a Manufacturing concentration.

Robert Fortunato, President of ForStrategy Consulting

Robert Fortunato is President of ForStrategy Consulting and Owner/Builder of the multiple award-winning Green Idea House, one of the first affordable, net zero energy, zero carbon case study houses made with standard construction materials and off the shelf technologies.  Robert’s credentials include: a degree from the Wharton School of Business, a background in real estate brokerage, adjunct faculty at an international innovation/social entrepreneurship school.  He also coached startups and developed the built environment strategy at the LA Cleantech Incubator.  Robert recently completed the Levine Affordable Housing Development Program at UCLA.  He is currently assisting housing developers in significantly reducing capital and operating expenses while scaling solutions that are better for our health, economy and the environment – and the marketability of the building.

This program is brought to you by Southern California Edison