Seminar Series - 2021

Seminar Series 2021 - DECARBONIZING HOMES

As part of our climate goals it will be essential to decarbonize homes. This seminar series examines some of the challenges, barriers and solutions. The focus is on hands-on experiences from homeowners, architects and contractors that are working on home electrification and decarbonization. We will begin with a summary of recent Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory work for DOE on pathways to large-scale home decarbonization, including cost analyses from over 1,700 projects as well as surveys of industry professionals. We will hear from our Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory colleagues who have decarbonized their homes, or are in the process of doing so. Finally, local contractors, architects and consultants will share some of the their hands-on knowledge and ideas.

See the link for information about the Seminar Series hosted by Berkeley Lab. between Nov. 17th 2021 to January 5th 2022. All the slides and videos are available at the links below.

Decarbonizing US Homes: Cost Analyses and Industry Surveys (November 17th, 2021)

Decarbonizing US Homes: Cost Analyses and Industry Surveys

November 17th, 2021 (12-1pm ET)

PRESENTATION

Decarbonizing US Homes: Cost Analyses and Industry Surveys [PDF]

Video Recording [Here]

PRESENTERS

Iain S. Walker

Iain S. Walker

Mechanical Staff Scientist/Engineer

Healthy, Efficient, New Gas Homes (HENGH), Residential Building Systems Group, Whole Building Systems Department, Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, Indoor Environment Group

Brennan D. LessBrennan D. Less

Senior Scientific Engineering Associate

Residential Building Systems Group, Whole Building Systems Department, Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, Indoor Environment Group

Núria Casquero-Modrego Núria Casquero-Modrego

Postdoctoral Researcher

Residential Building Systems Group, Whole Building Systems Department, Building Technology & Urban Systems Division

Can you DIY Home Electrification? (December 1st 2021)

Can you DIY Home Electrification?

December 1st, 2021 (12-1pm ET)

ABSTRACT

DIY approaches to home decarbonization are a great opportunity to engage with homeowners and to save a lot of the costs of upgrading a home.  In today's seminar,  we will hear from people who are trying out different DIY methods. They will share their successes and the various barriers they have faced. This will give us some insight on what parts of the home decarbonization process are the most challenging and will require extra efforts from a technical R&D perspective, as well as for the development of home decarbonization programs and strategies for getting to scale. It might even inspire attendees to try out a little DIY themselves. 

PRESENTATION

Can you DIY Home Electrification [PDF]

Video Recording [Here]

PRESENTERS

Howdy GoudyHowdy Goudey

Senior Scientific Engineering Associate

Building Technogly & Urban Systems Division, Windows & Daylighting, Building Technology Department, Windows & Envelope Materials Group, Building Facade Solutions

SpencerSpencer Dutton

Principal Scientific Engineering Associate

Energy Analysis& Environmental Impacts Division, Indoor Environmental Group, Sustainable Energy & Environmental Systems Department

BruceBruce Nordman

Energy/Environmental Policy Research Scientist/Engineer

Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, Electronics, Lighting & Networks Group, Building Technology Department

 

Jonathan WooleyJonathan Wooley

Jonathan Woolley, PhD is president of Emanant Systems – a research consultancy focused on design and control of energy-efficient grid-interactive mechanical systems for comfortable and healthy indoor environments. Since 2004, Jonathan has been involved in a wide variety of research and design addressing energy efficiency in buildings. He has unique expertise with climate-appropriate hybrid cooling systems – with which he has experience in modeling, design, commissioning, and measured performance evaluation through both laboratory and field experimentation. As a PhD student with Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley, Jonathan utilized LBNL FLEXLAB to conduct a series of experiments with radiant cooling to assess fundamental limitations with industry standard cooling load calculations. Jonathan also has design and research experience with passive solar, natural ventilation, radiant cooling and heating, indirect evaporative cooling, advanced heat pump systems, heat recovery, occupancy sensing learning thermostat controls, and zero-net energy buildings.

How to Electrify your Homes Without Panel Upgrades (December 8th 2021)

How to Electrify your Homes Without Panel Upgrades

December 8th, 2021 (12-1pm ET)

ABSTRACT

Installing a home solar array, electric vehicle charger or an auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU) can often come with a hidden cost--$2k - $4k for a new 200 Amp overhead service wire, and $16k for a 200 Amp underground service wire.
 
Come learn how to decarbonize a home and personal vehicles while staying on a 100 Amp service. We'll review power-efficient appliances and cold climate heat pumps; load balancing 240V "plug strips," EV chargers, subpanels and main panels; and PV inverters that can "clip" extra PV.

PRESENTATION

How to Electrify your Homes Without Panel Upgrades [PDF]

Video Recording [Here]

PRESENTER

SeanSean Armstrong

Sean Armstrong is the Managing Principal of Redwood Energy and has worked for 25 years in building electrification, designed the retrofit and new construction of more than 10,000 of all-electric residences for disadvantaged populations.

He co-authored five practical guides to building electrification, provided legal and technical support to dozens of gas bans nation-wide, helped develop the 2016/2019/2022 and 2025 Title 24 California Energy Codes, and has received sustainable design awards from the United Nations, the U.S. Department of Energy and the SoCal Building Industry Association.

Planning, Designing and Installing Home Electrification (December 15th 2021)

Planning, Designing and Installing Home Electrification

December 15th, 2021 (12-1pm ET)

ABSTRACT

Consulting on home electrification projects is a highly variable exercise, ranging from a few phone calls or emails to a months-long engagement with homeowners and their design and construction teams. While different owner goals, budgets, and existing conditions make every project unique, this seminar will review the types of challenges typically encountered and some common steps to arriving at solutions, along with specific examples. The seminar will conclude with thoughts about how changes in the building industry might reduce friction in the electrification process.

PRESENTATION

Home Electrification: Planning and Design [PDF]

All Electric High Performance Retrofits [PDF]

Video Recording [Here]

PRESENTERS

AnnAnn V. Edminster

Ann Edminster is a green building consultant based in Petaluma, laser-focused on decarbonizing homes and communities. Trained as an architect, she facilitates design teams, coaches other building practitioners, teaches, develops education programs, and rabble-rouses in the climate space in her spare time

 

KeithKeith O'Hara

Keith O'Hara is the president and owner of Eco Performance Builders. He is a licensed general, HVAC, and insulation contractor, specializing in mechanical design, installation and commissioning, insulation systems, and all electric zero net energy home builds. O'Hara and his team have completed more than 600 all electric home performance retrofits and built and sold three all electric, high performance zero net energy homes in the Bay Area.

Rapid Electrification of Existing Buildings: Problems and Opportunities (December 22nd 2021)

Rapid Electrification of Existing Buildings: Problems and Opportunities

December 22nd, 2021 (12-1pm ET)

ABSTRACT

Getting to scale with home decarbonization requires making it easy to do in ways that are fast, affordable and practical. A key barrier to home decarbonization is the time delay and cost associated with upgrading home electric services.  This seminar will discuss approaches that address these topics and provide solutions that are being implemented by industry leaders. This will include methods for planning home decarbonization, identifying key barriers for getting to scale and the "Watt Diet" concept for limiting the need for electric service upgrades.

PRESENTATION

Products Needed for Making Electrification Easier [PDF]

Accelerating the Electrification of Everything [PDF]

Video Recording [Here]

PRESENTERS

JosieJosie Gaillard

Josie Gaillard is a retired product manager whose work at SunPower in the early 2000’s helped launch the company from a small start-up to a multinational solar manufacturer with a downstream installation business, a first of its kind in the solar business. She currently works full-time on climate change, advising elected officials on decarbonization policy at the state and local levels and developing effective approaches to building electrification. Her work electrifying existing buildings in San Mateo County has provided insight into both the current impediments to electrification and solutions that are fast, affordable and practical. She currently serves as a commissioner on Menlo Park’s Environmental Quality Commission where she co-wrote the city’s Climate Action Plan. Josie has a BA from Princeton and an MBA from U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

TomTom Kabat

Tom Kabat is a mechanical engineer with more than 30 years of building energy, gas and electric utility program and resource planning experience including renewables and efficiency. An early retirement allows Tom to work on a variety of climate preservation projects including pursuing Reach Codes, Climate Action Plans, DIY electrification of his own home, while assisting with others, co-authoring guides to electrification, developing a “Watt Diet” for electrifying buildings without upsizing the electric panel, developing contractor training material and presenting talks on electrification. Tom serves on the boards of SunWork.org, Carbon Free Silicon Valley and on the Menlo Park Environmental Quality Commission.

 

Trials and Tribulations of Home Electrification (January 5th 2022)

Trials and Tribulations of Home Electrification

January 5th, 2021 (12-1pm ET)

ABSTRACT

What's it really like to electrify your home?  To answer this question several LBNL staff members will share their experiences in pursuing home electrification. They will tell us about both the good and the bad experiences and share some of the practicalities we will need to address if we aim to get to scale with home decarbonization.

PRESENTATION

Trials and Tribulations of Home Electrification [PDF]

Video Recording [Here]

PRESENTERS

AlanAlan Meier

Energy/Environmental Policy Senior Scientist/Engineer

Electronics, Lighting & Networks Group, Building Technology Department, Building Technology & Urban Systems Division

 

DaleDale Sartor

Affiliate

Center of Expertise for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers, High Tech & Industrial Systems Group, Building & Industrial Applications Department, Building Technology & Urban Systems Division

Chris Chris Stratton

Chris Stratton is an energy and sustainability consultant at Arup. He is a DIY net-zero home remodeler and a former building science researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Chris holds master's degrees in architecture and environmental studies from the University of Oregon and lives with his family in Pasadena, CA.