Overview
The Deep Emission Retrofit Dialogue Series brings together the local building community to discuss emerging solutions and barriers related to building retrofits.
Please note, this event will not be recorded so we encourage you to attend!
Deep Emissions Retrofits of Homes: How to Get it Right
Building retrofits which prioritize massive reductions in operational emissions are essential to address the climate crisis. In Metro Vancouver, detached homes generate more carbon pollution than any other type of building. This is why getting the retrofit process right is so important for decarbonizing homes. Join ZEBx and HPSC for some great presentations and lots of discussion on this high-priority goal. The presentations will focus on best practices for reducing emissions from homes, from both a building-specific and local government perspective.
Speakers
Lessons Learned in Decarbonizing a Personal Residence
Gary R. Hamer, P.Eng., FEC
Residential Specialist Engineer, Advanced DSM Strategies, Conservation & Energy Management, BC Hydro
Gary’s role at BC Hydro is to advance energy savings and peak load reductions through codes and standards in the residential sector. Since joining BC Hydro in 2001, he has specialized in the efficient use of energy in residential housing. Gary’s standards work is done through the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) where he serves as Chair of Technical Committee (TC403) for the energy performance of residential equipment. These standards are used by governments to regulate minimum performance levels of equipment sold provincially or federally. Gary also serves as Lead for the CSA Working Group for Residential Part 9 Buildings which reports to the Technical Committee (TC424) on Building Energy Systems. He also serves as chair of the Development Committee for CSA EXP07 – A Load-based, Climate-specific Testing and Rating Procedure for Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners and on the steering committee for CSA EXP17 – Guidance on the Best Practices for Mechanical Systems.
Helping to advance residential construction codes, Gary is a member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) Net Zero Energy Homes (NZEH) Council and serves as the chair of their technical committee which manages the NZEH labeling program requirements. Provincially, Gary serves on a BC Energy Step Code (ESC) task force to develop guidance on the best practices of the design, installation and verification of mechanical systems in new homes.
Deep Emission Retrofits: Critical Mechanical Design Considerations
Ryan Coleman
Co-Founder/CEO, Ecolighten
Ryan is responsible for establishing and executing on Ecolighten’s vision and strategy. With over twenty years’ experience working in the private and public sector and solely focused in the energy efficiency space, Ryan is passionate about clean energy solutions. Ryan has extensive experience in residential energy services by designing and delivering energy efficiency programs for government and utility customers. Before founding Ecolighten Energy Solutions, Ryan developed his experience and expertise working in variety of roles for leading energy companies in Canada, UK and Ireland including BC Hydro, Terasen Gas, Eaga plc and Carillion plc. Ryan is also a board member of the BC Advanced Conservation & Efficiency Association and serves as Board Chair for BC’s Home Performance Stakeholder Council.
How Local Governments Can Enable the Scaling Up of Deep Emission Retrofits
Maya Chorobik
Director of Climate Leadership, Community Energy Association (CEA)
Maya has been with CEA for 4 years, and before that worked in local government. Maya’s work spans many areas of CEA’s work, including supporting the development of climate and energy plans, facilitating peer networks and coaching for staff and elected officials, and working directly with local governments on policy and project implementation. Through coordinating the new Local Government Low Carbon Retrofit Peer Network, Maya is deeply engaged in thinking about how local governments can enable widespread deep energy retrofits across BC communities.
Hosts
Jovan Cheema
Managing Director of HPSC
Jovan provides industry and program oversight, leads strategy development, and manages daily operations at HPSC. The Home Performance Stakeholder Council (HPSC) is a not-for-profit society that supports the growth of the home performance industry in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Home performance is determined by the energy efficiency, comfort, health, safety, and durability of a home.
About HPSC:
The home performance industry is made up of stakeholders that support a whole-home, or house-as-a-system, approach to residential retrofits. This holistic approach recognizes that to improve the performance of homes in BC, retrofits need to be implemented with the entire house system in mind to avoid unintended consequences of isolated retrofits.
Although this holistic approach has always been important, historically, most homeowners in BC have only been completing single energy retrofits in isolation from other home retrofits. The HPSC was established in 2015 to serve as the lead industry facilitator to increase the supply and demand for BC contractors to deliver quality, affordable services for consumers that focus on whole-home performance.
Roberto Pecora, P.Eng., CEM, LEED AP, SMT
Director of ZEBx
Roberto’s journey through the building industry extends back almost two decades and includes stops in Ottawa and Montreal before settling in Vancouver ten years ago. He has extensive experience in both new construction and existing buildings. Roberto has successfully taken on project management roles for subcontractors, a general contractor and a national project management firm. In the eight years before joining ZEBx, he worked in the building science group of a national consulting engineering firm, specializing in building assessments, capital planning, asset management and most recently, energy studies and energy management. Roberto is very well acquainted with the real estate, property management, consulting and construction industries. Most importantly, he has a deep-rooted desire in transforming the building industry to reduce its impact on climate change.
