Building Electrification Summit: Clean and Healthy Homes for All

Join the California Energy Commission (CEC) and EPRI for a two-day summit, exploring affordable, reliable, and equitable pathways to electrifying buildings. The summit will take place October 10-11, 2023 in Sacramento, CA at the California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters.

Building electrification is a key pillar of California’s efforts to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2045. This cutting-edge event will convene government, industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss strategies and impacts of building electrification in California. Special emphasis will be placed on equity and publicly funded building decarbonization programs for low-to-moderate-income customers.

Join leaders, experts, and implementers for panel discussions, presentations, and networking.

Sessions:
Event Recordings are available on the event pages below.

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM

Registration

09:00 AM - 09:20 AM

Welcoming Remarks
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

  • Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, CEC
  • Wade Crowfoot, Secretary California Natural Resources Agency

09:20 AM - 10:00 AM

Plenary 1: California's Vision for Clean and Healthy Homes for All
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

The buildings where we live and work are a key piece of California's 100% clean energy future. Every home should have clean air and should operate using affordable, carbon-free energy. In this opening plenary session, agency leaders will explore and expand upon this positive vision and discuss what energy agencies are doing to make it a reality for all.

Moderator: Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, CEC

  • Liane Randolph, Chair, CARB
  • David Hochschild, Chair, CEC
  • Alice Reynolds, President, CPUC
  • Martha Guzman, Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM

Break

10:20 AM - 11:00 AM

Plenary 2: Building Electrification and California’s Clean Energy Economy
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

Energy efficiency in buildings has resulted in proven outcomes of robust green jobs and economy-wide benefits. Decarbonizing California’s buildings is an opportunity to expand these benefits to an unprecedented scale. This plenary will discuss how good planning, workforce development and thoughtful implementation will help establish the certainty the private sector needs to take building decarbonization to scale.

Moderator: Panama Bartholomy, Founder and Executive Director, Building Decarbonization Coalition

  • Shannon Baldwin Davis, Vice President, Schneider Electric
  • Jessie Hammerling, Co-Director, UC Berkeley Labor Center Green Economy Program
  • Arnab Pal, Senior Consultant, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Cai Steger, Director of Policy Research, BW Research

11:00 AM - 11:40 AM

Fireside Chat: Success Stories of Electrification
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

Utility forerunners in successful electrification of homes share lessons learned and offer insight for scaling up building electrification in a way that maximizes customer benefits.

Moderator: Alex Summe, Director of Electrification & Customer Solutions, EPRI

  • Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, SCE
  • Paul Lau, CEO and General Manager, SMUD
  • Carla Peterman, Executive Vice President, PG&E

11:40 AM - 12:00 PM

Special Announcement
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

12:00 PM - 01:15 PM

Lunch Break

01:15 PM - 02:00 PM

Session 1a: Federal and State Incentive Programs
Auditorium (First Floor)

Incentive programs play a key role in building market capacity and spurring innovation needed to reach the goals of clean and safe homes for all. Current program administrators will share their experiences launching successful programs and thoughts on additional investment needed to support the housing transition to all electric.

Moderator: Kara Rinaldi, President and CEO, AnnDyl Policy Group

  • Christine Collopy, Deputy Director of Building Decarbonization, Renewable Energy & Decarbonization Incentives Division, CEC
  • Nick Zanjani, Section Head, Building Decarbonization and Renewable Gas Section, Energy Division, CPUC
  • Teddy Kisch, Senior Fellow, Energy Solutions
  • Karen Zelmar, Home Energy Rebates Program Manager, U.S. DOE

01:15 PM - 02:00 PM

Session 1b: Load Flexibility - A New Tool For Affordability, Reliability and Resilience
Room 221 (Second Floor)

Load flexibility is going to be critical to unlocking the full potential of electrified buildings. Installing more electric appliances in new and existing homes provides a unique opportunity to expand load flexibility programs and tools to align customer demand with the supply of clean energy. This session will explore the load flexibility tools in use and under development and discuss additional actions that expand opportunities for load flexibility to enhance affordability, reliability and resilience.

Moderator: Jessica Granderson, Division Director, LBNL

  • Cisco DeVries, CEO, OhmConnect
  • Timothy Treadwell, Sr. Program Manager, San Diego Community Power
  • Stefanie Wayland, Load Management Standards Lead, CEC
  • Ammi Amarnath, Principal Technical Executive, EPRI

02:05 PM - 02:50 PM

Session 2a: Electrification Communication - Educating and Inspiring the Public
Auditorium (First Floor)

To support the success of clean and healthy homes for all, we need to build public understanding of new technologies and encourage the participation and advocacy of building decarbonization programs. Agencies, community organizations and industry members have respective roles and collaborative opportunities to influence education and outreach. This session will discuss successful efforts and opportunities to expand current communications, identify innovative partnerships and design effective approaches for these critical efforts.

Moderator: Amber Beck, Project Manager of Building Decarbonization Engagement, CEC

  • Friday Apaliski, Director of Communications, Building Decarbonization Coalition
  • Sage Canchola-Welch, Principal, Sunstone Strategies
  • Zach Pierce, Senior Manager, Rewiring America
  • Leah Louis-Prescott, Manager of Carbon-Free Buildings, RMI

02:05 PM - 02:50 PM

Session 2b: Energy Data Modernization - Opportunities and Challenges
Room 221 (Second Floor)

Smart use of energy data will be key to successfully electrifying buildings. This session will discuss some of the technology advancements that use and provide data to drive successful programs. The discussion will also cover the opportunities that data collection and analysis offer to improve programs and ensure safe, efficient integration of new technologies in new and existing homes.

Moderator: Jason Harville, Energy Data and Analytics Office, CEC

  • Carmen Best, Chief Policy Officer, Recurve
  • Andy Frank, Founder and President, Sealed
  • Mudit Saxena, CEO and Founder, XeroHome

02:50 PM - 03:10 PM

Break

03:10 PM - 04:00 PM

Plenary 3: Decarbonizing Housing for Front-Line Communities
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

State and federal programs are providing millions of dollars in incentives and technical assistance for programs that support decarbonization of new and existing homes in low-income and disadvantaged communities. However, there is much more that needs to be done to ensure this transition is truly equitable. This session will explore the actions needed to help decarbonize all California households.

Moderator: Juila Hatton, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rising Sun Center for Opportunity

  • Jennifer Gress, Chief of Sustainable Transportation and Communities Division, CARB
  • Andy Brooks, Senior Director, Association for Energy Affordability
  • Phoebe Seaton, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Leadership Counsel

04:00 PM - 04:50 PM

Plenary 4: The Road Ahead - Policies and Partnerships Needed to Get to Zero
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

California can realize the vision of clean and healthy homes for all through the combined efforts of all parties supporting building decarbonization efforts. This session will explore the complementary authorities and partnerships key to success.

Moderator: Michael Sokol, Director, Efficiency Division, CEC

  • Merrian Borgenson, Director, California Policy, Climate & Clean Energy Program, NRDC
  • Abby Young, Climate Protection Manager, BAAQMD
  • Jennifer Gress, Chief of Sustainable Transportation and Communities Division, CARB

04:50 PM - 05:00 PM

Closing Remarks for Day 1
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

  • Katie Jereza, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Affairs, EPRI

05:00 PM - 06:00 PM

Reception
Lobby

 

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM

Registration

09:00 AM - 09:20 AM

Welcoming Remarks
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

  • Katie Jereza, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Affairs, EPRI
  • Ramachandran Narayanamurthy, Deputy Director, Building Technologies Office, U.S. DOE

09:20 AM - 10:20 AM

Plenary 1 Financing Solutions - How Public and Private Sectors Work Together to Finance Building Electrification
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

Attracting investment from capital markets and private investors is critical to providing funding at the order of magnitude needed to electrify all California homes. This session will explore programs that have fostered collaboration between private investment and government, as well as other partnerships that support growth in markets and innovation.

Moderator: Omar Siddiqui, Customer Insights Program Manager, EPRI

  • Dan Adler, Deputy Director for Climate Finance, IBank
  • Kelly Delaney, California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority
  • Ravi Malhotra, Founder and President, ICAST
  • Michael Duarte, Chief Real Estate Officer, Fresno Housing Authority
  • Holmes Hummel, Clean Energy EWorks and Stanford Doer School

10:20 AM - 10:40 AM

Break

10:40 AM - 11:35 AM

Plenary 2 Transforming the Market for Home Appliances
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

The market for electric home appliances is growing dramatically, providing builders, designers and consumers new options to decarbonize homes. In this session, major industry manufacturers will share their experiences to date, plans for the future and insights into what is needed for a successful transition to decarbonized homes for all.

Moderator: Alex Summe, Director of Electrification and Customer Solutions, EPRI

  • Chris Day, Global Vice President Product Strategy, Rheem Manufacturing
  • Dana Fischer, Director of Regulatory Strategy, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc.
  • Joshua C. Greene, Corporate Vice President, A. O. Smith
  • Mark Lessans, Senior Director, Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, Johnson Controls
  • Steven R. Scarbrough, Senior Vice President, LG Electronics USA
  • Nathan Walker, Senior Vice President of Environmental Business Development, Daikin Comfort Technologies

11:35 AM - 12:00 PM

Fireside Chat Government Leading by Example
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

In the transition to electrified buildings, government can and should lead the vanguard. In this session, leading government agencies discuss their plans on how to achieve decarbonization in government buildings and beyond.

Moderator: Nancy Ander, Special Advisor to Chair Hochschild, CEC

  • Paul Farnan, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States Army, Installations, Energy and Environment
  • Carl Mas, Vice President for Policy, Analysis & Research, NYSERDA

12:00 PM - 01:15 PM

Lunch Break

01:15 PM - 02:00 PM

Session 1a: Neighborhood Scale Building Decarbonization
Auditorium (First Floor)

This session will explore how we transition entire communities from the gas system to electrified homes in a way that supports gas decommissioning, the reliability of the electric system, and healthy and affordable communities.

Moderator: Beckie Menten, Senior Regulatory and Policy Specialist, BDC

  • Rachel Kuykendall, Principal Strategic Analyst, Decarbonization Strategies, PG&E
  • Ari Gold-Parker, Associate Director, E3
  • Nate Taylor, Director of Integrated Infrastructure Planning, SoCalGas
  • Rebecca Foster, CEO, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation

01:15 PM - 02:00 PM

Session 1b: The Power of Local Governments
Room 221 (Second Floor)

Local governments are frequently the vanguard for state and federal decarbonization advances. Communities are leading the way in energy policy through advanced building codes, clean energy procurement, and a host of efforts to transition from fossil fuels. This session will provide an opportunity to hear from inspirational communities.

Moderator: Kelly Sanders, Dr. Teh Fu Yen Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, USC

  • Chris Read, Sustainability Manager, San Luis Obispo
  • David Jacot, Director of Distributed Energy Solutions, LADWP
  • Rafael Reyes, Director of Energy Programs, Peninsula Clean Energy

02:05 PM - 02:50 PM

Session 2a: Electrification and Affordable Electric Rates
Auditorium (First Floor)

Building electrification has the potential to improve energy affordability significantly in California. Examination of a heavily electrified future reveals significant downward rate pressure from increased electricity sales. Whether this benefit is seen directly by those who electrify or is shifted to other ratepayers depends heavily on rate structure. Consumer decision making and financing options will similarly be affected by electricity rates. This session will focus on how rate structures can accelerate building decarbonization and improve energy affordability.

Moderator: Akhilesh Ramakrishnan, Associate, Brattle Group

  • Mohit Chhabra, Technical Lead and Advisor, Climate & Clean Energy Program, NRDC
  • Andy Campbell, Executive Director, Energy Institute at Haas, UC Berkeley
  • Paul Phillips, Supervisor, Electric Rates, CPUC
  • David Jacot, Director of Distributed Energy Solutions, LADWP

02:05 PM - 02:50 PM

Session 2b: Workforce Development for an Equitable, Electrified Future
Room 221 (Second Floor)

The transformation to electrify California homes will create job opportunities in a wide variety of industries. This session will explore the jobs, educational programs and partnerships that will create the workforce critical to decarbonization.

Moderator: Heather Feldman, Director, Training and Development, EPRI

  • Dawn Weisz, CEO, Marin Clean Energy
  • Curtis Notsinneh, Chief Deputy Director, California Workforce Development Board
  • Tom Enslow, Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo (California State Pipe Trades Council & Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers)
  • Bernie Kotlier, the California State Labor Management Cooperation Committee for the IBEW-NECA

02:50 PM - 03:10 PM

Break

03:10 PM - 04:00 PM

Plenary 3 Innovation Speed Round - Technologies and Innovations Enabling Affordable, Reliable, and Equitable Building Electrification
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

Electrifying our buildings creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop creative solutions to common barriers. In this session, innovative companies showcase their technology and explain how they are enabling building electrification.

Moderator: Jonah Steinbuck, Director, Energy Research and Development Division, CEC

  • Jason Wexler, VP of Thermal Engineering, Gradient
  • Sam Calisch, Founder and CTO, Channing Street Copper
  • Taylor Keep, Electrification Solutions Lead, Span
  • Alexey Dubov, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder, Mighty Buildings
  • Paul Lambert, CEO and Co-Founder, Quilt
  • Phillip J. Consiglio CEM, Consultant to Conservant Systems
  • Susan Stone, CEO, Ubiquitous Energy

04:00 PM - 04:30 PM

Closing Dialog
Auditorium (First Floor), Simulcast in 221 (Second Floor)

California Energy Commission principals highlight key takeaways from the summit and set the stage for continued action.

  • David Hochschild, Chair, CEC
  • Commissioner Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, CEC

04:30 PM - 05:30 PM

Reception
Lobby