Program || EEBA Summit 2025

A Bolt from the Blue: Mysterious plug loads and other lessons for achieving optimal performance from a side-by-side new housing construction comparison

Advanced construction products and practices offer significant opportunity to elevate home comfort and performance. It’s often difficult to assess the outcomes of these practices because of limitations of budget, time, or other project constraints. This presentation will describe the results of a unique post construction monitoring effort to assess the operational differences between two sides of a duplex constructed in Indianapolis Indiana. The west unit has been constructed to PHIUS standards and utilizes solar production, and the east unit constructed with “better-than” code minimum targets, which allows for a side-by-side comparison. There are comparisons of comfort, energy usage, cost, and other home performance factors during operation. The analysis will point out the importance of initial and ongoing commissioning for new technology, and address how performance gains can be offset by unforeseen circumstances.

Learning Objectives

1. Compare the performance outcomes between two sides a duplex structure with one side constructed to near/above code standards and the other side constructed to PHIUS standards.

2. Identify building technologies and characteristics that have direct and indirect influence on building performance.

3. Understand the importance of initial and ongoing commissioning to achieve favorable performance outcomes.

4. Identify technologies and practices that allow effective performance monitoring and analysis.

Presenters

Nick Cindrich, Researcher, NREL
Tom Collins, Associate Professor of Architecture, Ball State University
Pamela Harwood, Professor of Architecture, Ball State University

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Rooms 2/3

Leadership and Communication: Two Tools Not Used Properly In Business

I know a speaker who stated, “Your job as a leader is to adapt to the needs of your followers.” I vehemently disagree: “The role as a leader is to create a vision and path toward an obtainable goal as a team.” It is a mentality, a way of thinking, and a way of performing that sets the Company’s standard and tone. Communication is how we convey the message, though what is said or assumed is usually not clear what we mean.

Business owners in the trades tend to come up through the ranks and generally have not had formal business training (even if you have, you still probably have these challenges). This presentation focuses on the leadership and communication aspects of our companies. Using the attendee’s information about their companies, we will first discuss your leadership intent and how the role should look. With some fun and memorable exercises involving role-playing and communication skills, we will learn how to communicate effective leadership and better communication with your company practices.

Learning Objectives

1. Define what good leadership looks like

2. Define what good communication looks like

3. Combine the two: Leadership and Communication

4. How do I work with those who just don’t want to play along

Presenters

Larry Heuvelman, Business Strategist Consultant

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Room 4

HVAC Vitals for Builders

HVAC in high performance homes is complex: getting sizing right, correctly installing and commissioning systems, additional equipment to deal with (ventilation, dehumidifiers, etc), not to mention proprietary controls and smarter systems! Adding complexity is the 2025 industry-wide change to refrigerants with lower global warming potential which will be most successful with a commitment to best practice on install, commissioning and maintenance. Builders can promote success by learning more about HVAC best practices, setting expectations with scopes of work and knowing how to verify and inspect the quality of install. Come learn tangible techniques and strategies that builders can implement to support and hold accountable HVAC trade partners like reviewing load calculations or documenting proper evacuation and refrigerant charge at start up. In addition to teaching technical best practices and lessons learned from the field, we will discuss continuing education and soft skills for accountability and mutual respect.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the importance of obtaining and reviewing a Manual J load calc
2. List important items to put in a HVAC contract or scope of work that will set expectations for the install and operation
3. Outline strategic quality control methods and metrics for holding installers accountable
4. Acknowledge the complexity of high performance HVAC and commit to continuing education that will support better coordination, install and commissioning practices

Presenters

Sophie Ashley, Designer, Energy Vanguard
Todd Usher, Founder, Addison Homes

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Rooms 5/6

BREAK in Manufacturers' Showcase

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
2:00 - 2:30 PM
Manufacturer's Showcase, Halls A & B / Main Corridor

Connected Communities Mean Big Deals for Builders

In 2022, DOE funded ten Connected Communities projects around the country to explore different ways that buildings can interact with the electrical grid to bring greater resilience to our power systems, improve grid reliability, and enable a diverse array of clean energy sources to be used. Several of these projects work with new homebuilders and developers to integrate distributed energy resource (DER) equipment and devices into these homes and enroll homeowners and renters in voluntary utility programs to provide the needed grid benefits. To do this, new business models are being developed that define new ways that builders, their customers, and the utilities can work together to bring greater value to all stakeholders. Three years into their projects, these teams will share their lessons learned, challenges, and business opportunities for the building industry to add value to the homes they deliver and ultimately, to their customers.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about distributed energy resource (DER) devices, where they are used and why, and how utilities are using them today.
2. Discover new business opportunities as a home provider, to work with utilities and your customers to scale "connected communities" approaches.
3. Realize how you can earn additional revenue from working with utilities as a builder or developer.
4. Understand how to help your customers get paid by their utilities from the products and systems you specify in your homes.

Presenters

Ari Rapport, IBACOS
Kate Forrest, Sensior Scientist, Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) at UC Irvine
Tom Hines, Principal, Tierra Resource Consultants

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Healthier Homes Begin with Healthier Building Materials

Science-based methods that link the chemical contents of building products with human and environmental health hazards have become well-established over the past decade. Product ingredient disclosures that report this information, as well as information tools to select products with desired health characteristics, are now affordable and easy-to-use by any design project team member, without the need for advanced training. This session will explain the industry standard methodology of the Health Product Declaration (HPD) and how, using web-based tools, project teams can easily make informed decisions that promote the use of healthier building products, backed up by the full transparency of open standards and publicly available information. An end-to-end example of how this information is created by manufacturers and used in product selection by project teams will be demonstrated, using two important products in residential construction: roofing and insulation. It will also demonstrate how this information provides documentation to support many green building certifications, such as Indoor AirPlus, LEED, Living Building Challenge and others with a focus on healthier materials.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will understand the science-based methods for linking the chemical contents of building products with human and environmental health hazards.

2. Participants will learn how manufacturers collect and report health information about their products, and how it is made transparent and publicly available with the demonstrated web-based information tools.

3. Participants will learn about the information that is required to evaluate the human and environmental health hazards in building materials, the affordable tools now available to building project teams that make it possible without the need for expert training, and how builders can easily incorporate this step into their product selection process.

4. Participants will learn how product content and health information disclosures simplify providing documentation for green building certifications such as Indoor AirPlus, LEED and Living Building Challenge.

Presenters

Wendy Vittori, Executive Director, Health Product Declaration Collaborative
Dennis Wilson, Vice President of Environment, Social, Governance (ESG), Saint-Gobain
Paul Shahrairi, Green building and the application of technology in the real estate, design, engineering, and construction industries.
Andrew Guido, VP of Sustainability & Innovation, Empire Communities
Aaron Smith, CEO, EEBA

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
Rooms 2/3

Advances in Foam Plastic Insulations - Transparency with LCAs, EPDs and HPDs

In this session, participants will delve into the evolution and advancements in foam plastic insulation products, exploring its journey from inception to modern-day applications. We will highlight the performance features of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) and graphite polystyrene (GPS) insulation materials, while debunking common myths and misconceptions about these products. We will explore how these characteristics of foam insulation contribute to green building rating systems and resilient, high-performance homes. Additionally, attendees will learn how life cycle analysis is utilized to assess the environmental, health, and safety aspects of SPF and GPS insulations. The session will conclude with a demonstration of how Environmental (EPDs) and Health Product Declarations (HPDs) are used to compare various insulation choices.

Learning Objectives

1. Expand knowledge of the evolution and advancements in foam insulation products, including spray foams and polystyrene materials, exposing some myths and misconceptions of foam plastic materials
2. Recognize how foam insulation performance features contribute to sustainable architectural design, green building rating systems and resilient, high-performance homes
3. Learn how life cycle analysis is used to assess environmental, health, and safety aspects of these foam insulations
4. Use Environmental Product Declarations and Health Product Declarations to compare insulation choices

Presenters

Kelly Frauenkron, Market Segment Manager, BASF
Chris Bradlee, Sustainability Manager, BASF
Luis Espada, Leads the North American Business for the Neopor insulation product line, BASF

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
Room 4

Lessons from the Affordable Housing World in a Cold Climate

Join us for a discussion of how to plan for energy efficient affordable housing projects that can achieve the goals of efficiency, staying on budget, and meeting your compliance goals. We will walk through how and when to bring in an energy consultant to the early design stages of projects will help to ensure the proper pieces to the many components are properly specified and incorporated. Then we will talk through how to comply with various funding streams and certifications, while achieving all the financial incentives available. Our tales from the field will show what elements of training the build team, key pieces for verification, and how testing throughout projects will help ensure success. We will wrap up with real world case studies and examples of efficient affordable housing projects from a northern cold climate.

Learning Objectives

1. Assessing and consulting at the beginning stages of projects spanning multiple years and program versions
2. Navigating various funding streams, certifications, and incentives available
3. Field training, verification, and testing with onsite trades
4. Real world results of performance, incentives, and certifications

Presenters

Phil Anderson, QA and New Homes Manager, Center for Energy & Environment
Jake Selstad
Tony Beres, Specialist in Residential New Homes, CEE
Andy Nail, RFI, CEE

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
Rooms 5/6

Xcel Energy Networking Reception in Manufacturers' Showcase

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
3:30 - 5:00 PM
Manufacturer's Showcase, Halls A & B / Main Corridor

Offsite Event at The Energy Conservatory

Details coming soon!

Day 1: Sep 17, 2025
5:30 - 9:00 PM

Zero Energy Ready Homes Builder Panel – Insights on Successfully Building, Marketing and Selling America’s Best Homes

DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) has grown from a program leveraged by a small number of innovators to a nationally recognized symbol for high performance homes that “live better.” This dramatic growth has occurred through market fluctuations, supply chain challenges, new technology rollouts, and increases in the ZERH program efficiency levels. In this moderated session you’ll hear from a panel of leading ZERH production builders as they share their views on technical, marketing, and business strategies that have enabled them to successfully leverage Zero Energy Ready Homes in their businesses.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about challenges builders have faced in designing and building Zero Energy Ready Homes
2. Understand marketing strategies used to build consumer awareness of the benefits of Zero Energy Ready Homes
3. Understand how builders utilize different incentives to construct Zero Energy Ready Homes
4. Review the steps for getting started with the Zero Energy Ready Home program

Presenters

Megan Cordes, Director Sustainability and Building Science, Beazer Homes
Dennis Webb, Vice President of Operations, Fulton Homes
Bill Rectanus, VP of Operations, Thrive Home Builders
Phil Crone, Vice President State & Regulatory Affairs, Leading Builders of America
Kevin Brozyna, VP of Operations, Insight Homes

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
8:30 - 9:30 AM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Registration & Check-in - 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
7:00 - 8:30 AM
Upper Level Ballroom Concourse

Leveraging HERS Scores to Receive Higher Appraisal Values

Join us for an informative session designed to highlight the latest updates to the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Seller Guidelines and explore how energy-efficient builders can leverage HERS scores to secure appraisal values that are 3-9% higher. We’ll present valuable insights from three of the nation’s six largest builders, along with real-world appraisal data from leading energy-efficient builders like Beazer Homes, Thrive Homes, KB Home, and Fulton Homes. This session is an essential opportunity to understand how incorporating energy efficiency can boost home values and drive success in today’s market.

Learning Objectives

1. Unlock Higher Values: Learn why not obtaining a HERS score means missing out on potential appraisal values that are 3-9% higher.

2. Maximize Profit & Affordability: Discover how you can use these higher values to increase your profit margins or offer seller concessions to make your homes more affordable for buyers.

3. Influence Consumer Behavior: Understand how HERS scores and utility cost savings are going to become key selling points on major websites like New Home Source and Realtor.com, driving a shift in consumer preferences.

4. Simple & Accessible: Find out just how easy it is to implement this strategy, and that it applies to all Conventional, VA, and FHA loans—not just Green Back Mortgage Securities or EEMs.

Presenters

Steve McKanna, National Sales Trainer
Dennis Webb, Vice President of Operations, Fulton Homes
Damien Mercer, FBC Home Loans
Ryan Riveras, Chief Executive Officer, Accelerated AMC

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
10:00 - 11:00 AM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Scaling Up Affordable Triple-Pane Windows

High-performance windows are an effective tradeoff option for builders striving to meet the higher total UA values of the 2021 IECC, opening the door to certification in the ENERGY STAR and DOE Zero Energy Ready Home programs as well as the potential for the $5,000 per home 45L federal tax credit and local utility incentives. Better windows could allow builders to meet code targets with standard building practices and avoid training crews to install continuous exterior insulation, or adding extra attic or foundation insulation. But the cost of high-performance windows and the uncertainties about high-volume availability have made it difficult for production builders to pursue this otherwise problem-solving tradeoff. These are just a few of the barriers builders voiced at last year’s lively EEBA Summit pre-conference builder-window company matchmaker event. In this session, the researchers, utility groups, and window industry reps who make up the Partnership for Advanced Window Solutions will provide a follow-up to that session, reporting on what we’ve learned and more importantly some of the exciting progress to date in addressing these builders’ concerns. In the past year, the U.S. window industry has gone through an unprecedented period of product design advancement that has brought to the market more affordable high-performance window options at scale enabling low-cost drop-in glass trade-off enablers to meet higher performance standards. We’ll hear from a custom window maker-turned-IGU maker that has launched two high-speed thin-triple IGU production facilities in different parts producing 2,500 thin-glass insulated glazing units (IGUs) per day, ready to be inserted into double-pane frames by any U.S. window manufacturer for U.S. markets. We’ll also hear about an innovative golden carrot request for proposals CEE has launched with utility funding to see what window manufacturer could take those funds the furthest in innovating their manufacturing lines to ramp up their production of affordable builder-grade triple-pane windows at high enough scale to meet the needs of large production home builders in the Midwest and beyond. Finally, we will hear from a highly respected and trusted energy modeling, rating, and inspection firm with on the performance trade-offs higher performance windows can realistically offer.

Learning Objectives

1. Discover how much windows impact overall building energy load.
2. See what climate-specific building assembly tradeoffs are possible when builders choose high-performance windows over standard windows.
3. Explore how new "thin glass" IGU technologies can be a cost-effective strategy to meet code requirements without disrupting traditional glazing and construction practices.
4. Hear what window makers and utilities are doing to make triple-pane windows more accessible for builders.

Presenters

Brad Begin, Alpen High Performance Products
Steve Byers, CEO, EnergyLogic
Katherine Cort, PNNL
Theresa Gilbride, Building Energy Efficiency Researcher, PNNL
Steven Sylvestre, Initiative Manager - High-Performance Windows, Center for Energy & Environment

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Rooms 2/3

ZERH & Affordable Housing: How builders are creating affordable, high-performance homes with DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Program

DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily program is experiencing widespread interest from developers, designers, and affordable housing organizations. Many partners are interested in leveraging incentives associated with the program, including references in state Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs, the 45L federal tax credit, and the 179d tax credit, in addition to many local and regional utility and green building programs. Further, many affordable developers with sustainability goals find that the ZERH program establishes a high level of performance that provides residents with health benefits, affordable energy bills, and a high standard of living. The certification demonstrating compliance is also invaluable to investors seeking market transparency. This educational session will introduce you to the key elements of Multifamily Version 2 and provide insights from One Roof Community Housing’s Brae View project in Duluth, an affordable project designed to meet this version of the ZERH program.

Brae View Senior Housing will be a 72-unit 55+ affordable senior apartment building located in the Duluth Central Hillside Neighborhood. All the apartments at Brae View will be restricted to seniors earning less than 60% AMI and many are further restricted to lower incomes. Brae View will be a quality building that also focuses on green building and will be certified under Green Communities, Energy Star, and DOE ZERH V2 certifications. The funding mix includes 4% LIHTC, Minnesota Senior Housing Infrastructure Appropriations, Duluth ARPA and HOME ARP.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the core elements of the ZERH Multifamily Version 2 program requirements.
2. Review the key funding sources used by affordable developers to enable the construction of ZERH Multifamily Version 2 projects, including the 45L tax credit.
3. Learn about the technical strategies used by current projects to achieve the program’s requirements.
4. Review the steps for getting started with the program.

Presenters

Phil Anderson, QA and New Homes Manager, Center for Energy & Environment
Dakota Sol, Housing Development Manager, One Roof Community Housing
Sarah Santiago-Cok, Building Science Consultant, Newport Partners, LLC
Bob Faulkner, Senior Project Manager, Frerichs Construction
Matt Huntress, Senior Architect, LHB Architecture, Engineering, and Design

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Room 4

Compounded Benefits of High Technology Homes - A Real World Analysis

In this panel format session, we will go into a detailed demonstration of how advanced technology can result in compounded benefits for occupants, builders and manufacturers. This real-world example will highlight how, what may on the surface appear to be unrelated advanced technologies, can in practice elicit benefits beyond the simple aggregation of individual stated values. Whether in terms of operational and embodied carbon, resilience in construction, energy efficiency, occupant comfort, homeownership affordability, quality of life and indoor air quality; this panel includes Beazer Homes, a nationally recognized high performance homebuilder, Daikin and EnPhase, advanced technology product manufacturers, and PEG, a leader in high-performance residential new construction consulting. Attendees will learn how, as illustrated in this case-study, advanced construction practices and high technology equipment such as inverter technology and battery storage, are documented to create a downstream net result benefit that exceeds the unit-benefit values typically associated with simple offsetting of one technology for another. Builders, Raters and Product Manufacturers will benefit from learning about how these elements can be assessed in aggregate.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how inverter technology opportunities in HVAC and Solar + Battery Storage can deliver opportunites beyond simple efficiency improvements and grid resilience.
2. Learn how builders can leverage these opportunities for enhanced occupant experience, improved housing affordability and higher quality homes.
3. Learn how seemingly disparate technologies can be shown to have combined benefits beyond what would typically be anticipated.
4. Learn how to bring together construction methodologies with high performance technology through closley aligned relationships between builders, manufacturuers and raters.

Presenters

Matthew Cooper, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, PEG, LLC
Justin Krupa, Manager, Empirical Solutions
Kelly Hearnsberger, ice President of Advanced Product Marketing & Innovation, Daikin Comfort
Brian McCarthy, Co-Owner, Abrazo Homes
Bobby Thompson, Director of Operations, Beazer Homes

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Rooms 5/6

BREAK in Manufacturers' Showcase

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
9:30 - 10:00 AM
Manufacturer's Showcase, Halls A & B / Main Corridor

Opening of Manufacturers' Showcase & Lunch Served

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
11:00 - 1:00 PM
Manufacturer's Showcase, Halls A & B / Main Corridor

Transforming Our Communities Into Grid Assets

Part of what happens on the power grid starts in the homes we build. Meeting the rising demand for electricity presents a challenge, but also an opportunity to transform our homes from energy consumers into energy producers and distributors. In this session you'll hear from builders who have communities enrolled in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs and are deploying battery storage at scale. The session will be moderated and led by California’s largest VPP company with over 53,000 customers and 200 megawatts capacity- comparable to a medium-sized gas power plant.

Learning Objectives

Understanding our electrical grid and its history.
Learn how we can meet today’s and tomorrow’s growing electrical demand.
Understand what role homebuilders are playing in stabilizing the grid and turning their homes from energy consumers into energy producers.
Discover the benefits homebuyers are experiencing from battery storage and virtual power plant programs.

Presenters

Megan Cordes, Director Sustainability and Building Science, Beazer Homes
Christopher Rauscher, Head of Grid Services & Virtual Power Plants, Sunrun

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Achieving Net Zero Energy Today: Key Challenges and Solutions

For high-performance, net zero energy (NZE) homes it is critical to get the building enclosure and mechanical systems right. While renewable energy can be added or acquired later, it is not as easy to change the overall efficiency of the building design, enclosure, or MEP systems. The key is to identify cost-effective approaches to get the loads low and efficiencies high. This session will explore how to achieve NZE while addressing critical comfort, building durability, and indoor air quality challenges. Specific design strategies and technologies will be shared that can help you design and construct a successful NZE home today.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize important building science principles and approaches for net zero energy homes

2. Be able to apply these principles to building enclosure designs and construction

3. Be able to apply these principles to mechanical system strategies and designs

4. Exposure to high-performance enclosure technologies and mechanical systems for this market

Presenters

Pat Huelman, Associate Extension Professor in Energy and Building Systems, University of Minnesota
Darrel McMaster, Sustainable Homes Inc.

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Rooms 2/3

The Nexus of Building Science, Energy Efficiency, and Building Resiliency

House performance includes everything from aesthetics, long term durability, safety, efficiency, and resiliency and as professionals in the building industry we tend to focus on one of these performance goals rather than focusing on the commonality amongst the goals. This session will focus on the commonality of the goals and how to achieve them all through simple techniques that leverages the sound building science that is the common throughout the performance goals we have and want to sell.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the basics of Building Science.

2. Learn about the relationship between the IECC and Building Science.

3. Understand the relationship between energy efficiency and resilency.

4. Learn about programmatic building for code compliance, energy efficiency, and extreme weather event resiliency.

Presenters

Robby Schwarz, Founder, BUILDTank, Inc.
Rob Howard, President, Howard Building Science

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Room 4

Wildfire Resilience: Protecting Homes and Communities

The Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles County, alongside devastating blazes like the Lahaina Fire in Hawaii and the Marshall Fire in Colorado, underscore the escalating threat of wildfires to suburban communities nationwide. Seven of California’s 10 most destructive wildfires have occurred in the last decade, inflicting severe economic and social losses. This session will examine how wildfire spreads through the built environment, the causes of building ignition, and the factors driving conflagrations. Practical mitigation strategies to strengthen individual structures and neighborhoods will be explored, alongside insights into property insurance and accurate wildfire risk assessment. Why it matters: Wildfires pose significant business challenges, including rising construction costs, stricter regulations, and increasing demand for resilient homes. Effective mitigation and risk-informed design offer solutions to reduce losses, enhance insurability, and meet market expectations for safer, sustainable communities in a time of growing environmental risks.

Learning Objectives

1. How wildfires attack the built environment and factors associated with suburban conflagration
2. We are not powerless; meaningful mitigation actions that will reduce the risk, and reduce damages at the property and neighborhood level.
3. Factors affecting property insurance, and understanding the true wildfire hazard communities face
4. Details of Wildfire Prepared Home and designation process

Presenters

Fred Malik, Managing Director of the FORTIFIED program portfolio, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Rooms 5/6

BREAK in Manufacturers' Showcase

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
2:00 - 2:30 PM
Manufacturer's Showcase, Halls A & B / Main Corridor

Lessons Learned: A Realistic Path to More Resilient, Lower Carbon, Healthier Homes

Homebuilders keep hearing and reading about the newer and growing interest in building homes that are more resilient and have a lower carbon impact. But what does that really mean? And how can homebuilders do this from a realistic, pragmatic, and profitable point of view?

This session will leverage a panel including homebuilders, energy raters, and building science experts to define and illustrate what it realistically means for a home to be built more resilient and lower in carbon impact – in a way that’s realistic, practical, and profitable for homebuilders. Specific, relevant strategies and examples will be presented. The healthier home benefits of increased resiliency will also be illustrated. A panel discussion format with audience participation through facilitated questions, answers, and discussion will maximize knowledge sharing of industry and job site based lessons learned for everyone in attendance. While both of these trends are newer to homebuilding, the session panel will not only address realistic, achievable ways they are planning to achieve resiliency and carbon goals in the near future, but also what they are doing today. Panel members and the audience will discuss what has worked, what will work, as well as strategies that they wouldn’t use again. Attendees will leave this session with realistic insights they can apply to building homes today and into the future, and a clearer understanding of what increasing the resiliency and reducing the carbon impact of the homes they build means for their business.

Learning Objectives

1. Gain an understanding of what increasing the resiliency and reducing the carbon impact of homes realistically means for a homebuilder, as well as the healthier home benefits of increased resiliency.

2. Learn the challenges and opportunities of incorporating these trends into home designs and a homebuilding business.

3. Explore resiliency and carbon strategies being used today, or being planned for the near future, by other homebuilders in the industry.

4. Understand how a homebuilder can begin planning today for incorporating increased resilience and decreased carbon strategies into their business in the future, and when these new strategies may need to be available in their new homes.

Presenters

Matthew Cooper, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, PEG, LLC
Bill Shadid, Strategic Marketing Leader, AeroBarrier
Gord Cooke, Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Cracking the Carbon Code: EPDs, RESNET 1550, and the Builder’s Advantage

In a world where carbon transparency is becoming a competitive edge, builders and sustainability professionals need more than just good intentions—they need data they can act on. This session demystifies Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and their role in the RESNET 1550 standard, then connects the dots to BEAM, the tool that’s changing how we measure embodied carbon in homes. Whether you're a builder, rater, or sustainability leader, this session will equip you with the knowledge to turn carbon data into smarter decisions and stronger market positioning.

Learning Objectives

• Gain an understanding of what EPDs really tell us—and what they don’t
• Gain an understanding of how RESNET 1550 leverages EPD data to quantify carbon impact
• Gain an understanding of how BEAM brings it all together in a builder-friendly format
• Learn what insights matter most to builders looking to lead in low-carbon construction

Presenters

Chad Eby, Corporate Director of Sustainability, Taylor Morrison
Shawn Hunter, Global Sustainability Director, DuPont
Jacob Deva Racusin, Lead Embodied Carbon Researcher and BEAM Trainer, New Frameworks
Chris Magwood, RMI & Builders for Climate Action

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
Rooms 2/3

A Toolkit: Design, Finance, Build Affordable Multifamily

Eagleville Green with 41 affordable (60% AMI) dwellings in seven buildings, helps to fill a gap for moderate income households in Storrs, CT. The community provides families, couples, and individuals stacked flats and townhomes meeting Passive House (PHIUS) certification while emphasizing neighborhood connectivity. The project became reality through local, state, and federal financing and grants as well as utility incentives. Maximizing the thermal envelope, air sealing, and HVAC equipment and appliances brings the predicted HERS Index to 40 before PV and 0 after. Located in a relatively clean utility grid area, the Carbon Index is also 40. The BEAM Tool was utilized as proof of concept for lower embodied carbon materials and finishes to help maximize whole-life carbon best practices.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the basic loans, grants, and incentives that financed this project
2. Apply lessons learned for high performance envelope and equipment installation
3. Decide which choices lead to whole-life carbon best practices
4. 4. Define low-cost, easily replicable tools for decarbonization in affordable multifamily

Presenters

Karla Butterfield, Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates
W. Mark Gendron, Professional Engineer & Founding Principle, Acorn Consulting Engineers
Nicholas Jones, Senior Efficiency Consultant, Eversouce

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
Room 4

Stop the Destruction Loop: FORTIFIED’s Path to Resilience

Over the past decade, severe wind, hail, and severe convective storms have caused billions in losses across the U.S. As climate-driven weather intensifies, property owners and insurers demand more resilient structures. This session introduces the FORTIFIED program by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a voluntary resilient construction standard chosen by more than 80,000 property owners. Attendees will explore FORTIFIED’s research-backed, three-tiered designation standards—Roof, Silver, and Gold—focusing on the critical roles of robust roofing, reinforced garage doors, and a fortified building envelope in reducing damage. Learn how FORTIFIED construction lowers recovery costs, speeds up rebuilding, and minimizes disruption for homeowners.
Why it matters: Severe weather increases costs and risks for builders. FORTIFIED provides a competitive edge, reducing losses, enhancing insurability, and meeting market demand for durable, climate-ready properties.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how severe weather drives demand for resilient construction.
2. Explore FORTIFIED’s standards for homes, multifamily, and commercial structures.
3. Learn how robust roofing, garage doors, and building envelopes enhance FORTIFIED compliance and customer value.
4. Understand how resilient construction can increase the affordability and insurability of residential and commercial properties.

Presenters

Fred Malik, Managing Director of the FORTIFIED program portfolio, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
2:30 - 3:30 PM
Rooms 5/6

BREAK in Manufacturers' Showcase

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
3:30 - 4:00 PM
Manufacturer's Showcase, Halls A & B / Main Corridor

Building Market Stability: How Resilient Construction Standards Drive Insurance Availability and Affordability

This presentation reveals how builders and contractors can use groundbreaking research data to transform their business prospects and communities' resilience. Drawing from a first-of-its-kind study by the Center for Risk and Insurance Research (CRIR), we'll demonstrate how resilient construction standards create a powerful dual impact: dramatically improving building performance while stabilizing volatile insurance markets.

The session will also provide strategic insights for construction executives and business leaders to capitalize on this market opportunity. You'll learn how to leverage state funding mechanisms and policy incentives to reduce implementation costs, build compelling business cases using Hurricane Sally's proven ROI metrics, and position your organization as a market leader in the rapidly expanding resilient construction sector. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to scale FORTIFIED™ and Wildfire Prepared Home™ operations, differentiate their portfolio in competitive markets, and develop long-term revenue streams while building communities that attract sustained investment and maintain property values through climate volatility.

Learning Objectives

1. Turn data into dollars—use Hurricane Sally's 55-74% reduced loss frequency to build your business case in more than just coastal areas.

2. Crack the insurance code—understand how FORTIFIED™ and Wildfire Prepared Home™ construction stabilize volatile insurance markets and create availability and affordability.

3. Navigate the cash—learn how to participate in and market financing options in states offering grants and incentives to fund disaster-resistant construction standards.

4. Lead the conversation—connect the dots for community resilience, by starting with your sales regions.

Presenters

Alex Cary, Director of FORTIFIED Market Development, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Julie Shiyou-Woodard, President and CEO, Smart Home America

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
4:00 - 5:00 PM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Navigating the Uncertainty and Confusion about Energy Efficiency Programs, 45L and 179D Tax Credits, and HUD 221(d)(4) Loans in Today’s Political Climate!

Today’s political climate brings some uncertainty and confusion to earning tax credits and HUD Loan eligibility. We will guide builders of single family and multifamily homes through this changing landscape in pursuit of the 45L Tax Credits and 179D Tax Credits, as well as HUD 221(d)(4) Loans for builders of multifamily homes. Our political climate also brings some uncertainty to the continuation of popular Energy Efficiency Programs, such as the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Programs, and the DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Homes (ZERH) Programs. We will bring clarity to the status of these Energy Efficiency Programs, and highlight the requirements and many cost-effective strategies for your homes to be able to earn these certifications. We will discuss what your trades may have to do differently, who is responsible, and when to address. And we will highlight how RESNET HERS Raters can be your resource in guiding you to be able to earn the available 45L and 179D Tax Credits, and to be eligible for HUD 221(d)(4) Loans. Your RESNET HERS Rater can help you realize how close you already are to earning these benefits, and what else you can do to get there cost-effectively.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about the Status and Availability of the 45L Tax Credits for builders of single family and multifamily homes, and the 179D Tax Credits and HUD 221(d)(4) Loans for builders of multifamily homes.
2. Learn about the Status and Availability of the ENERGY STAR and ZERH Programs, and better understand the many cost-effective building strategies to be able to earn these certifications.
3. Identify ways to guide your trades’ priorities so that your homes are built to be able to earn these Energy Efficiency Program certifications, and so you can earn available tax credits and be eligible for these loans. Learn which trades are responsible for which items, and when to address each of these items.
4. Learn how HERS Raters are your resource to earn the available 45L and 179D Tax Credits and to be eligible for HUD 221(d)(4) Loans.

Presenters

Billy Giblin, Quality Assurance Field Specialist, RESNET

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Rooms 2/3

Breaking Thermal Bridges in Concrete and Steel Construction

Thermal bridges occur whenever a structural material crosses through an insulation layer, forming a superhighway for heat to escape the building, especially if the structural member is metal. They happen almost everywhere framing members exist in the envelope of standard stick-frame construction. At R-1 per inch, wood framing is somewhat forgiving. But if your construction materials are concrete and steel, thermal bridging is a serious problem. Concrete conducts heat about ten times faster than wood, and steel about 300 times faster. This session will show you how to break several thermal bridges commonly found in steel and concrete multifamily and single-family buildings. We’ll talk through ways to attach balconies with almost no thermal bridging. We’ll show you how to reduce thermal bridging at the steel cladding attachments for exterior stone, brick, and metal facades. We’ll even demystify thermal breaks where concrete floor slabs extend through the thermal envelope to become cantilevered balconies or podiums and plaza decks. We’ll also show some best practices for insulating concrete walls and providing a thermal break between floor slabs and concrete stem walls that works for both single-family and multifamily construction. And we’ll show you where you can find this guidance and much more in the DOE Building America Solution Center.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn what a thermal bridge is and how material choices impact thermal losses.
2. Identify the most common thermal bridges in concrete and steel buildings.
3. Discover specific methods for breaking thermal bridges in metal-framed and concrete wall construction.
4. Understand methods for stopping thermal bridging in foundations and floor slabs.

Presenters

Joe Lstiburek, Founding Principal, Building Science Corporation
Christian Kaltreider, Building Systems Engineer, PNNL

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Room 4

HVAC Reimagined: Low-Load Strategies for Combined Heating, Cooling & DHW in High-Performance Homes

This session, led by Robert Benjamin of Aris Hydronics, explores the technical and practical applications of advanced air-to-water heat pump systems with low-temperature hydronic distribution and high-efficiency heat emitters for high-performance and Passive House-caliber projects. Designed for builders and HVAC professionals seeking proven, scalable methods to meet strict energy goals, the session presents real-world data and decision-making frameworks drawn from National Lab-partnered field demonstrations and building owner-pilot installations. We’ll examine the integration of heating, cooling, and domestic hot water using low-GWP refrigerants (R32 and R290) heat pumps and walk through the key hydronic HVAC system architecture choices: piping configuration, thermal storage design, pump selections, control sequencing, and micro-zoning strategies that support low-load modulation and maximizes building energy use stability. The interaction between envelope quality, internal gains and losses against dynamic indoor and outdoor thermal fluctuations and system response will be mapped in detail using monitoring data from projects in varying climates. Attendees will also gain insight into thermal storage as a microgrid or grid-responsive design tool for load shifting, and to balance occupant comfort needs with peak energy demand mitigation. This session is solution-focused,and grounded in first-hand lessons from the field—offering practical takeaways for builders committed to resilience-first design.

Learning Objectives

1. Present real-world data and decision-making frameworks drawn from National Lab-partnered field demonstrations and building owner-pilot installations.

2. Examine the integration of heating, cooling, and domestic hot water using low-GWP refrigerants (R32 and R290) heat pumps + key hydronic HVAC system architecture choices.

3. Explore the technical and practical applications of advanced air-to-water heat pump systems for high-performance and Passive House-caliber projects.

4. Gain insight into thermal storage as a microgrid or grid-responsive design tool for load shifting and to balance occupant comfort needs with peak energy demand mitigation.

Presenters

Robert Benjamin, Founder and CEO, Aris Hydronics
Dan Wildenhaus, Senior Technical Manager - Training and Consulting Services, Center for Energy & Environment

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Rooms 5/6

Xcel Energy Networking Reception in Manufacturers' Showcase

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
5:00 - 6:30 PM
Manufacturer's Showcase, Halls A & B / Main Corridor

New Bohemia Networking Event

Stay tuned for details

Day 2: Sep 18, 2025
6:30 - 9:00 PM

BuildingsNEXT (Solar Decathlon) Student Presentation

Day 3: Sep 19, 2025
8:00 - 8:45 AM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

EEBA Building Excellence Awards

Join us for the EEBA 2025 Building Excellence Awards, a prestigious celebration of outstanding achievement in High Performance Homebuilding! This year, we have extended the categories to commemorate Zero Energy Ready Homes (ZERH - previously the Housing Innovation Awards).

This event recognizes and honors the trailblazers who are shaping the future of homebuilding. The awards will highlight excellence and innovation in ZERH and Sustainability Leadership! We are excited to highlight industry builders, chosen through the nomination process and reviewed by the EEBA Executive Committee to receive these Building Excellence Awards. Projects nominated must be completed or under construction.

Learn more: https://summit2025.eeba.org/awards

Day 3: Sep 19, 2025
8:45 - 10:15 AM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

What Have We Learned? Perspectives from the EEBA Legends

Presenters

Gord Cooke, Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction
Mark LaLiberte, Co-Founder and President, Construction Instruction
Joe Lstiburek, Founding Principal, Building Science Corporation
Gene Myers, CEO of Thrive Home Builders, Thrive Home Builders, Inc.
Sam Rashkin, Chief Architect of the Building Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, TruHome Facts & Retooling the Housing Industry

Day 3: Sep 19, 2025
10:30 - 11:30 AM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Registration & Check-in

Day 3: Sep 19, 2025
7:00 - 7:30 AM
Upper Level Ballroom Concourse

Registration & Check-in - 12:00 - 5:00 PM

Pre-Conference: Sep 16, 2025
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Upper Level Ballroom Concourse

The Pushback Playbook: Protecting Green Building Progress *Separate Registration Required

Federal action won’t stop the evolution of sustainability, but what we do next will define it. As landmark voluntary programs like ENERGY STAR, Indoor AirPlus, Zero Energy Ready Homes, WaterSense, and tax credits like 45L and the IRA are feeling the squeeze of federal rollbacks and shifting priorities, it’s up to us to determine where to go from here. At this pre-conference strategy session, we’ll roll up our sleeves and explore what’s working, what’s at risk, and how we can protect, adapt, and expand the momentum for healthier, more resilient, net zero-ready homes—no matter what happens in Washington.

This is your chance to join forces with other leaders shaping the next era of high-performance housing. Bring your ideas. Bring your questions. Bring your influence. The choices we make now will ripple through the industry for decades.

Who Should Attend:
Builders, product manufacturers, energy raters, program operators, utilities, policymakers, advocates, and any stakeholder ready to protect the future of sustainable housing.

Powered by Xcel Energy

Register for FREE here: https://www.eeba.org/event?EventID=9377 OR add to previous Summit Registration here: https://summit.eeba.org/conference-registration?AlreadyRegistered=true

Presenters

Sara Gutterman, Green Builder Media
Ingrid Mattsson

Pre-Conference: Sep 16, 2025
1:00 - 4:30 PM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Housing 2.0 Optimization Workshop *Separate Registration Required

The housing market is teetering on the edge — the gap between home prices and household incomes has blown past severe financial burden to uncharted territory. “This is just not sustainable.” (Taylor Morrison CEO, Sheryl Palmer’s words, not mine). No builder can ignore this existential threat to the industry. Without bold, immediate action, the industry is poised to have an alarming reckoning. This session cuts straight to the chase: six proven, no-nonsense strategies to dramatically reduce costs while delivering more value and buyer satisfaction. Forget “cheap” — this is how you build better, smarter, and more affordably. This includes actionable best practices for delivering high-performance homes at significantly lower cost with a superior customer experience. Please join us.

Hosted by SIPA

Register for FREE here: https://eeba.org/event?EventID=9378 OR add to previous Summit Registration here: https://summit.eeba.org/conference-registration?AlreadyRegistered=true

Learning Objectives

1. Learn what key factors are contributing to an historic housing affordability crisis.
2. Learn six proven strategies for substantial cost savings designing and building new homes.
3. Learn how the cost advantage of homes applying the proven cost saving strategies can be effectively translated in the home sales process.
4. Learn how actual projects have successfully applied proven cost-saving strategies.

Presenters

Sam Rashkin, Chief Architect of the Building Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, TruHome Facts & Retooling the Housing Industry

Pre-Conference: Sep 16, 2025
1:00 - 5:30 PM
Rooms 2/3

Offsite Event @ Target Field - Twins VS Yankees *Separate tickets sold, see description

Join us for an exclusive pre-conference networking event at the iconic Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the New York Yankees! This unique evening brings together leading builders, suppliers, and industry professionals for an unforgettable experience of connection and camaraderie. Enjoy premium seating, lively conversation, and the excitement of America’s favorite pastime—all set against the stunning Minneapolis skyline.

Don’t miss this opportunity to forge valuable connections before the 2025 High Performance Home Builder Summit begins!

Grab tickets here for $44.75! First come first serve! https://www.gofevo.com/event/Energyenvironmental2

Pre-Conference: Sep 16, 2025
6:40 - 9:30 PM

EEBA Building Excellence Breakfast - 7:30-10:15 AM *see description for details

Celebrate the pinnacle of industry achievement at the EEBA Excellence Awards Breakfast! Join us as we honor students, builders and projects that exemplify excellence in the high performance home building industry.

This year, we're thrilled to host the prestigious Housing Innovation Awards, recognizing trailblazers leading the way toward Zero Energy Ready Homes. Don't miss the wrap-up to this inspiring event showcasing innovation, sustainability, and progress in our industry!

Finally, we will close the Summit with our EEBA Legends: Gord Cooke, Mark LaLiberte, Joe Lstiburek, Gene Myers & Sam Rashkin.

Add to Summit Registration here: https://summit.eeba.org/conference-registration

Day 3: Sep 19, 2025
7:30 - 8:00 AM
General Session Area, Halls C & D

Phil Anderson

QA and New Homes Manager, Center for Energy & Environment

Phil has worked in energy efficiency for residential buildings for nearly 20 years. He spent the first part of his career in energy efficiency working on retrofitting existing buildings to achieve high energy efficiency goals. He currently consults with builders and developers to construct very efficient new housing, performing energy ratings for various above code energy efficiency programs, and working with the CEE team that has been involved in some of the most energy efficient residential housing projects in Minnesota. Phil also works with contractors, utilities, and government agencies to help develop and deliver programs for high performance new and existing home programs. He enjoys working with architects, builders, developers, contractors, and homeowners to address the challenges of making housing more healthy, efficient, and comfortable.

Sophie Ashley

Designer, Energy Vanguard

Brad Begin

Alpen High Performance Products

Brad Begin is the CEO of Alpen High Performance Products, a Colorado-based manufacturer high performance windows and glass products. Begin has been involved in the high performance building products manufacturing and distribution business since 2006, specializing in products primarily focused on high performance building envelope solutions. Between 1994 and 2006, Begin was the President of Metalwest, a national flat rolled metal processing and distribution company also headquartered in Colorado.

Brad holds a BA in History and Political Science from Texas Christian University and a JD from the University of Texas.

Robert Benjamin

Founder and CEO, Aris Hydronics

Tony Beres

Specialist in Residential New Homes, CEE

Chris Bradlee

Sustainability Manager, BASF

Adam Broderick

Lead Scientist, DuPont Performance Building Solutions

Adam is a Lead Scientist at DuPont Performance Building Solutions, where his focus is on product innovation and new application methods to accelerate widespread adoption of improved air sealing techniques within the residential building community. After spending 10 years in the area of Materials Science and Engineering, Adam has worked for the past 5 years to apply a deep understanding of material design, combined with insights into current air sealing practices and Building Science, to deliver novel solutions in the air sealing product space. For the past 2 years, Adam has served as a building envelope consultant and regular construction volunteer / crew lead for the local Habitat for Humanity affiliates.

Kevin Brozyna

VP of Operations, Insight Homes

Kevin Brozyna is Vice President of Operations at Insight Homes of Bridgeville, Delaware, and previously served as Director of Operations for Insight from 2013 to 2019. Insight Homes has been certifying homes through DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home program since2018 and now has 510 homes certified. Insight has certified more homes per year than any other builder in the program the past two years. Before coming to Insight, Kevin cultivated his building science expertise while working for the high-performance construction consulting firm IBACOS in Pittsburgh, where he served 6 years as a Building Performance Specialist, then moved up to become the Program Manager for International Technology and Information. He started out his career as a construction manager for Arcadis Geraghty & Miller International from Mahwah, NJ.

Karla Butterfield

Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates

Ms. Butterfield has worked to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of residential buildings for over 25 years. She is focused on delivering exceptional sustainability consulting services, program certification support, and implementation of high-performance building technologies. Working with architects, developers, builders, and homeowners, Karla develops tailored sustainability strategies for both new construction and renovations.
As a top expert in her field, Karla is frequently asked to speak at events and conferences nationwide, including the RESNET, WaterSmart Innovations, Northeast Indoor Air Quality & Energy, Passive House, and ENERGY STAR conferences, as well as Greenbuild and many others.
Karla is an integral part of the initial strategic planning sessions and stakeholder workshops based on program criteria; she verifies projects pursuing the LEED® for Homes, Passive House, ENERGY STAR, National Green Building Standard (NGBS), Zero Energy Ready Homes, Indoor airPLUS, and WaterSense programs. She is also one of only fourteen NGBS Master Verifiers, a voting member on the 2020 NGBS consensus committee and a technical advisor to Home Innovation Research Labs. Karla is a board member on the nationally recognized Team Zero group and member of the NAHB sustainability committee.

Steve Byers

CEO, EnergyLogic

Alex Cary

Director of FORTIFIED Market Development, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

Nick Cindrich

Researcher, NREL

Tom Collins

Associate Professor of Architecture, Ball State University

Gord Cooke

Partner - Professional Engineer, Construction Instruction

Gord Cooke is a Partner with Construction Instruction Inc. Gord is a professional engineer with over 25 years of experience in the low and high-rise residential building industry. As an educator, industry consultant and much sought after presenter, Gord has a unique talent for taking the building science issues that he sees in the field, and presenting them in an easily understood and practical real-world manner. Gord has particular expertise in applied building science, energy efficient housing initiatives, innovative HVAC systems, ventilation and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). He has developed and delivered a multitude of workshops in these fields, as well as sales and marketing courses for builders and real estate agents to help them best promote the features and benefits of high performance houses.

Matthew Cooper

Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, PEG, LLC

Matthew T. Cooper is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of PEG LLC. Mr. Cooper’s thirty years of expertise in the evaluation, design and control of the built environment have helped to establish PEG as an industry leader and innovator. Designations and Certifications conferred upon Mr. Cooper include: LEED Accredited Professional from the US Green Building Council, National Green Building Standard Verifier from the National Association of Home Builders, the Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE) certification from the Indoor Air Quality Association, Certified Supervisor by the National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) in the disciplines of air and hydronic balance and the National Air Filtration Association’s air filtration certification (CAFT). PEG is a recognized leading provider of professional engineering design and diagnostic services in the mechanical, electrical and plumbing disciplines as well as a national leader of utility and municipal demand side control programs, green building certification, RESNET HERS Ratings, code compliance inspections and new construction ENERGY STAR and DOE ZERH certification in 27 states. Mr. Cooper completed Mechanical Engineering studies at the University of Maryland and the US Air Force College of Applied Aerospace Sciences. He also completed post graduate studies in Quality Systems Management at the National Graduate School. Mr. Cooper is on the ANSI / RESNET Standards Development Committee for the SDC 1500 – Embodied Carbon in Residential New Construction Standard and is a sitting member of the ESG for Building Advisory Group which released their inaugural ESG Defining Principles framework in February 2024. PEG has RESNET HERS Rated more than 200,000 homes in America and has been an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.

Megan Cordes

Director Sustainability and Building Science, Beazer Homes

Megan Cordes recently joined Beazer Homes as the Director of Sustainability and Building Science. She comes to Beazer with over 15 years of experience working with forward-thinking industry leaders to advance building energy efficiency and sustainability practices thoughtfully and cost-effectively.
For more than 25 years, Beazer has been a leader in building homes ahead of current standards and beyond expectations. Beazer was the first U.S. national homebuilder to publicly commit that by the end of 2025, every home built will meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home program. In her role, Megan is responsible for furthering Beazer’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact.

Katherine Cort

PNNL

Katherine Cort is an economist with PNNL and team lead of the Residential Windows Market Transformation program. Ms. Cort has over 20 years of experience analyzing energy-efficiency programs, technologies, and research and provides technical support for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Program. She manage research projects into high-R windows, window retrofits, and window attachments including storm windows, automated blinds, and shading devices.

Phil Crone

Vice President State & Regulatory Affairs, Leading Builders of America

Jacob Deva Racusin

Lead Embodied Carbon Researcher and BEAM Trainer, New Frameworks

Jacob Deva Racusin is Lead Embodied Carbon Researcher and BEAM Trainer with Builders For Climate Action. His research in embodied carbon has focused on the impacts of residential energy retrofits, MEP equipment, biogenic carbon storage accounting, and the integration of operational and embodied carbon analysis. Jacob provides training and consultation on climate impact reduction strategy, workflow, best practices, and tool usage. His work in standards and policy development includes ANSI 1550 Embodied Carbon Standard, Vermont State Energy Code, and Annual/Agricultural Fiber Product Class Rules. Jacob is a member of the Carbon Leadership Forum and Steering Committee of the Northeast Bio-Based Materials Collective.

Chad Eby

Corporate Director of Sustainability, Taylor Morrison

Luis Espada

Leads the North American Business for the Neopor insulation product line, BASF

Bob Faulkner

Senior Project Manager, Frerichs Construction

Kate Forrest

Sensior Scientist, Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) at UC Irvine

Kelly Frauenkron

Market Segment Manager, BASF

W. Mark Gendron

Professional Engineer & Founding Principle, Acorn Consulting Engineers

Billy Giblin

Quality Assurance Field Specialist, RESNET

Billy Giblin is the Quality Assurance Field Specialist with RESNET. Billy Giblin has worked in the high-performance building and energy efficiency industry for almost 15 years. He started this work with a general contractor doing new and retrofit construction. Billy later earned a degree in Energy Management. He then went to work with Nexant, providing quality assurance for utility new home programs and state existing home programs. Billy has been an active HERS Rater since 2011 and is a RESNET Quality Assurance Designee. He has completed over a thousand QA field inspections and performance tests of HERS rated new homes. Billy played a prominent role in Utah in HERS Rater training, mentoring and technical support, as well as providing QA, training, and technical support to builders and trade contractors. As RESNET’s Quality Assurance Field Specialist, Billy travels around the country and works with the RESNET Provider and Rater network to mentor and create greater consistency in the delivery of HERS Ratings. He also provides technical assistance to RESNET’s Provider and Rater network. Billy is a regular presenter at RESNET conferences and appears regularly on RESNET’s podcasts, webinars, and on-demand virtual trainings. He also presented on an EEBA Webinar in 2022.

Theresa Gilbride

Building Energy Efficiency Researcher, PNNL

Theresa (Terri) Gilbride is a building energy efficiency researcher with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, where she supports the U.S. Department of Energy as a content manager for DOE’s Building America and Zero Energy Ready Home programs. Terri has authored or co-authored 28 reports and 35 articles on residential energy efficiency and related topics. She served as the lead editor and an author on the Building America best practice guides, a 17-volume series including climate-specific guides for high-performance home builders in all U.S. climate zones and retrofit guides on air sealing, insulation, and HVAC. She has given more than 20 talks on building performance topics at national and international conferences in the last five years. She has also published on building codes and emerging technologies such as window attachments, solid state lighting, and HVAC. Terri is the content manager for the Building America Solution Center, an online resource for home builders and remodelers that receives about 60,000 visits per month.

Andrew Guido

VP of Sustainability & Innovation, Empire Communities

Andrew Guido is the Vice President of Sustainability & Innovation for Empire Communities, based in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, with master plan developments and homebuilding operations in Ontario, Texas, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

He is a Certified Building Biologist and has overseen the design and construction of Empire's first
wellness real estate concept home, focused on improving indoor air quality (IAQ). Additionally, he is
leading the design of Empire's inaugural Net Zero Energy Home, which aims to be carbon minimal. He
also leads Empire’s Regenerative Farm initiative that is a learning project for inclusion in future master
planned communities and currently supplying employees with subsidized farm fresh produce on a
weekly basis. He is currently occupied with Empire’s inaugural ESG Report that will include Scope 1, 2 & 3 GHG emissions. With over 30 years of experience in strategic leadership and a diverse business
background, Andrew is committed to driving purposeful change in the real estate industry

Sara Gutterman

Green Builder Media

As Co-Founder and CEO of Green Builder Media, North America’s leading media company focused on sustainable living, Sara has established a reputation as a visionary thought leader and passionate advocate for sustainability. She works closely with a diverse group of stakeholders in the building industry to develop impactful, long-term green strategies that are simultaneously sustainable and profitable.
A former venture capitalist, she has participated in a portion of the life cycle (from funding to exit) of over 20 companies. She graduated from Dartmouth College and holds an MBA in entrepreneurship and finance from the University of Colorado. She lives in Lake City, Colorado with her husband, where she is an avid long-distance runner, snowboarder, and CrossFit trainer. Sara runs the Rural Segment for Energize Colorado and served as a County Commissioner.

Kirk Hammersmith

PulteGroup

Pamela Harwood

Professor of Architecture, Ball State University

Kelly Hearnsberger

ice President of Advanced Product Marketing & Innovation, Daikin Comfort

Larry Heuvelman

Business Strategist Consultant

Jay Hindmarsh

Sustainable design leader, technical architect, and specifier

Tom Hines

Principal, Tierra Resource Consultants

Tom Hines is a residential energy efficiency expert with more than 15 years of experience working with over 30 utilities nationwide. He holds a masters degree in Environmental Planning from Arizona State University. Since 1998, Tom has managed residential energy efficiency programs for Arizona Public Service Company (APS), based in Phoenix Arizona. In this position, he works closely with local builders and contractors to help provide information and education on energy efficient practices and building science principles.

Tom promotes energy efficient heating/cooling contractors through the APS Qualified Contractor program, energy efficient lighting through the APS residential ENERGY STAR lighting program, and energy efficient homebuilders through the APS ENERGY STAR Homes program.

Scott Horowitz

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Scott Horowitz, senior engineer, joined NREL in 2007 and leads the Residential Building Group’s analysis area, which includes work on building energy modeling, optimization, accuracy, and technology pathways. He is also the lead developer of BEopt, a residential building energy optimization tool used to provide support for the Building America program’s teams and energy-efficiency goals. Prior to joining NREL full time, Scott spent four years at NREL as a University of Colorado graduate student exploring enhancements to building optimization in terms of robustness and efficiency, and he was a member of the 1st place University of Colorado Solar Decathlon team. He has a master’s in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Rutgers University.

Rob Howard

President, Howard Building Science

Rob Howard is President of Howard Building Science based in Granite Falls, NC. As a Licensed General Contractor, Howard Building Science provides sustainable development and net-zero energy home construction in the High Country and Foothills of Western North Carolina. Rob has over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. He is the former Director of Construction at Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley where he built ENERGY STAR homes through Advanced Energy’s SystemVision program. He built the first Net-Zero Energy Home in North Carolina in partnership with the Appalachian Energy Center in 2005. He also built the first DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes in North Carolina in 2015. Previous roles include 5 years as a Sustainable Building Specialist with Habitat for Humanity International and 4 years as a Performance Construction Manager with Mitsubishi Electric. Rob holds a bachelor’s degree and a renewable energy technologies diploma from North Carolina State University. He also holds a master’s degree in sustainable technology and building science from Appalachian State University where he serves as a lecturer.

Pat Huelman

Associate Extension Professor in Energy and Building Systems, University of Minnesota

Pat Huelman is an Associate Extension Professor in Energy and Building Systems with the University of Minnesota's Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering and serves as Coordinator of the Cold Climate Housing Program with the University of Minnesota Extension. He is a lead faculty member for the Building Science and Technology undergraduate degree program and a principal investigator for hygrothermal testing at the Cloquet Residential Research Facility. Currently, Pat is the Project Lead for NorthernSTAR, one of the Department of Energy's Building America teams. Pat has been extremely active in professional education for the home building industry and is nationally recognized for his "systems approach" for high-performance homes. Pat's long-term focus has been on heat, air, and moisture movement in buildings and his primary expertise is in building systems and technologies that will provide energy efficiency, long-term durability, and healthy indoor air for homes. With almost 40 years in the field, Pat brings extensive experience and expertise in energy-efficient design and construction, innovative building systems, moisture management strategies, mechanical ventilation, and residential indoor air quality.

Shawn Hunter

Global Sustainability Director, DuPont

Shawn Hunter

Global Sustainability Director, DuPont

Matt Huntress

Senior Architect, LHB Architecture, Engineering, and Design

Matt is a Designer and Project Architect at LHB with 15 years of experience, including eight years in multifamily housing design. His work spans luxury, mixed-use, market-rate, and affordable housing. Matt provides high-quality service, detailed project execution, and effective collaboration with consultants and contractors. Housing is a passion of Matt’s: from helping to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina to designing tiny home communities for the homeless — it’s in his DNA. As a designer, Matt creates distinctive aesthetics that respond to each project’s local context, culture, and client values. He guides the vision from concept to construction. As a project architect, Matt balances big-picture vision with technical details that enhance building longevity, sustainability, and functionality. Matt’s expertise, strong communication skills, and efficient management ensure the success of his projects. His talent, positive attitude, and collaborative approach make him an asset to any design team.

Nicholas Jones

Senior Efficiency Consultant, Eversouce

Christian Kaltreider

Building Systems Engineer, PNNL

Christian Kaltreider joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2022, with 15 years of prior experience working in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and residential construction. His primary work at PNNL currently includes the development of Extreme Heat content for the Disaster Resistance tool of the Building America Solution Center.
Before joining PNNL he worked as an engineering consultant on energy savings performance contracts, net-zero energy projects, and high-performance HVAC design efforts. He holds a master’s degree in building systems engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Prior to his university studies Mr. Kaltreider worked in residential construction for 5 years, gaining hands-on experience with every phase of the construction process. His interests and expertise include building science, HVAC systems and controls, renewable energy, passive solar building design, biomass heating, and low-tech innovation. He was awarded U.S. Patent #11026500 as sole inventor in June 2021.

Justin Krupa

Manager, Empirical Solutions

Mark LaLiberte

Co-Founder and President, Construction Instruction

Joe Lstiburek

Joe Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.E., is a principal of Building Science Corp. in Westford, MA. He has over twenty five years of experience in design, construction, investigation, and building science research.

Dr. Lstiburek has written numerous books and technical papers on building construction. He is the best selling author of the Builder Guides and has over 50 technical and journal articles to his credit.

Joe is an ASHRAE Fellow and an internationally recognized authority on indoor air quality, moisture, and condensation in buildings. BSC is one of the Building America teams that provide technical assistance to trade contractors.

Joe Lstiburek

Founding Principal, Building Science Corporation

Chris Magwood

RMI & Builders for Climate Action

Chris Magwood is obsessed with helping reverse climate change by making carbon-storing buildings that are also healthy, beautiful, efficient and inspiring and assisting others to do the same.
In 2022, Chris joined the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Embodied Carbon initiative within RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings team.
From 2011-2022, Chris was a director and teacher at The Endeavour Centre, a not-for-profit sustainable building school in Peterborough, Ontario.
In 2019, he helped to establish Builders for Climate Action, and has been leading development of the BEAM carbon estimator tool for low- rise construction. He is working closely with many levels of government to develop embodied carbon benchmarks and regulatory programs, and helping developers and builders figure out how to reverse climate change with their buildings.
Chris has authored seven books on sustainable building. His new book, Building Beyond Zero: New Ideas for Carbon-Smart Architecture, is co-authored with Bruce King and will be available in June, 2022 from Island Press.
In 1998 he co-founded Camel’s Back Construction, a design-build firm focused on straw bale construction and renewable energy.
Chris has completed an MA at Trent University. His thesis, Opportunities for Carbon Removal and Storage in Building Materials which was published in the fall of 2019.
Chris is an active speaker and workshop instructor in Canada and internationally.

Fred Malik

Managing Director of the FORTIFIED program portfolio, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

Ingrid Mattson

Ingrid Mattsson

Brian McCarthy

Co-Owner, Abrazo Homes

Steve McKanna

National Sales Trainer

Darrel McMaster

Sustainable Homes Inc.

Darrel McMaster, Master builder. Darrel has been building homes for 46 years coming from a family that started building homes in 1945. He has been a licensed GC in 3 states and has built homes in 2 others. Over that time frame he has built thousands of homes in production, multi-family and custom formats. In 2005 they set course on building only homes that could generate all of their own utilities from the environment. By 2009 they built what they called a Point Source Home™, a home that could generate all of it's utility needs from the environment and power the owners transportation. Recently they completed the first of the GEN 6 Point Source Homes™, a home with better performance, resilience and healthy environment for the owners. Always willing to push the performance and inside health quality has made Sustainable Homes an example for other industry professionals.

Damien Mercer

FBC Home Loans

Gene Myers

CEO of Thrive Home Builders, Thrive Home Builders, Inc.

Gene is owner and CEO of Thrive Home Builders (formerly New Town Builders), Denver’s leader in building green, energy efficient production homes and recent winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Housing Innovation Award.

Gene has served on numerous state and local housing groups and currently serves as a member the board of directors of Denver Civic Ventures and the Challenge Foundation. He has served on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Housing, the Boards of Housing Colorado and the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and co-chaired Denver’s Housing Task Force. His company is Denver’s largest builder of for-sale affordable housing.

As a production builder in the Stapleton community, Thrive has logged a number of firsts in Colorado and the Denver Area including:

First to offer standard solar panels
First to construct all of its homes with Colorado beetle-kill lumber
First to offer a Zero Energy option on all its single-family homes
First production homes with Zero Energy as a standard feature
First Department of Energy Challenge Home, which broadens criteria to include indoor air quality and water conservation

Nationally, Thrive has been recognized as EPA’s Millennium ENERGY STAR® Builder, EPA’s Leadership Award for Indoor Air Quality, Green Building Magazine’s Green Home of the Year and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grand Winner for Innovation in Housing.

Andy Nail

RFI, CEE

Tim O'Brien

President, Tim O'Biren Homes

Ben Park

Research Engineer, NREL

Ben Park is a research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He is dedicated to enhancing the energy efficiency and sustainability of residential environments. He earned his Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2016. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in the development and refinement of building energy modeling software. His areas of expertise include building energy modeling and the development of building energy simulation tools.

Lars Powell

Executive Director, Center for Risk and Insurance Research (CRIR) at the University of Alabama

Ari Rapport

IBACOS

Ari leads IBACOS’ Homes That Give BackSM initiative, which is focused on changing the way homes are designed, constructed, and delivered. This vision is based on IBACOS’ fundamental belief that all homes must be safe, healthy, durable, comfortable, efficient, responsible, connected and affordable.

Ari has eight years of experience performing Home Energy Rating System (HERS®) home energy ratings per Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) standards, and he is a champion for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program. He works with homebuilders to certify homes under the U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STAR® for New Homes program. He also works directly with national and regional homebuilders to employ construction practices and technologies to reach the DOE’s Building America program performance targets in occupied test houses and community scale activities in both new and existing construction.

Ari consults with building product manufacturers regarding technologies that will result in improved energy savings, evaluating these technologies in the field under “real world” conditions.

Sam Rashkin

Chief Architect of the Building Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, TruHome Facts & Retooling the Housing Industry

Sam Rashkin is Chief Architect of the Building Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, where he leads the development of high-performance home innovations through the Building America and DOE Zero Energy Ready Home programs. Sam is a registered architect and has served on the national steering committees for NAHB’s Green Builder Guidelines, USGBC’s LEED for Homes, EPA’s Water Sense label, and on the development team for EPA’s Indoor airPLUS label. He has served as the national director of ENERGY STAR 1994-2011. Sam has delivered hundreds of presentations, articles, technical papers, reports, and seminars, and books on energy efficient and green construction.

Christopher Rauscher

Head of Grid Services & Virtual Power Plants, Sunrun

Bill Rectanus

VP of Operations, Thrive Home Builders

Bill Rectanus, COO at Thrive Home Builders. Bill is a dynamic leader and experienced manager with business to business sales, account management, project management, and sustainability experience. Recognized as a dedicated self starter skilled at managing multiple projects in tandem. Outstanding trainer who continually creates excitement and interest while effectively presenting complex information. Passionate about the advancement of energy efficiency, building science and renewable energy.

Ryan Riveras

Chief Executive Officer, Accelerated AMC

Sarah Santiago-Cok

Building Science Consultant, Newport Partners, LLC

Sarah Santiago-Cok has been working in construction and sustainability since 2019. She joined Newport Partners in 2022 and provides technical support for DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program. She helped to develop the Multifamily Version 2 specifications, provides support to builder and developer partners, and develops training materials for the program. Sarah has also developed and presented training on emerging technologies, supported the exponential growth of the ZERH program, and engaged with high school students to encourage the development of the green building workforce. Sarah’s background prior to joining Newport includes work with Habitat for Humanity, research in the adaptive reuse of historic structures, and civil engineering and architectural design work.

Robby Schwarz

Founder, BUILDTank, Inc.

Robby Schwarz has been a champion of the applied building science industry for over 25 years. He Founded BUILDTank, Inc. in 2020 to be a practical building think tank whose mission is to use what we learn by applying building science in the field to affect meaningful change in the construction industry. To chase issues that hold the industry back and generate ideas and innovations that move sustainable building into mainstream building. Robby is a sought-after trainer and routinely presents at RESNET®, EEBA, the Colorado Chapter of the IECC®, Educode, and local Home Builders Associations, Colorado Energy Office, Xcel Energy and more.
Robby works with industry partners and builders offering a complete set of research, training, consulting, energy modeling, code and program compliance, inspections and diagnostics services designed to help clients build homes that perform.

Corey Self

Director – Corporate Sustainability and ESG Reporting, PulteGroup

Paul Selnau

Certified Passive House Consultant, Schadler Selnau Associates

Jake Selstad

Jake began his energy efficiency career in 2012 as a Conservation Corps volunteer with the Neighborhood Energy Connection (merged with CEE in 2017) primarily focused on existing homes. He started with direct installs, then whole home assessments and eventually performing quality assurance inspections on retrofit projects. Around 2016 Jake began to pivot to new construction and became a RESNET HERS rater in 2017. Since 2017, Jake has completed hundreds of ratings in both single and multifamily projects. These projects range from standard HERS ratings, through Energy Star, Indoor AirPlus, DOE ZERH and even several Phius Certified projects. In his current role as senior rater, Jake now helps new construction projects meet their energy efficiency and certification goals. Whether working with someone building a dream home or a full project team working on a large multifamily apartment, Jake offers guidance from early design through completed construction and certification.

Bill Shadid

Strategic Marketing Leader, AeroBarrier

Bill Shadid leads marketing for AeroBarrier and is also an architect. He brings relevant experience across his dual career background to AeroBarrier, with over 25 years in marketing, product management, and new product innovation in his current career in addition to over 9 years in his first career as a sustainable architect. Bill has extensive experience with new, innovative sustainable and energy efficiency building technologies – including several years with air sealing and building envelope products.

Paul Shahrairi

Green building and the application of technology in the real estate, design, engineering, and construction industries.

Julie Shiyou-Woodard

President and CEO, Smart Home America

Aaron Smith

CEO, EEBA

Aaron Smith is the CEO of the Energy and Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) which represents a community of over 50,000 builders and their stakeholders across North America that are truly the early adopters and innovators in driving sustainable transformation of the homebuilding industry.

Aaron has over 25 years of experience in home construction, building products, sustainability and non-profit board leadership. He has worked for companies including Kohler, Uponor and ASSA ABLOY as well as startups in Silicon Valley and his own building and remodeling company. Aaron previously served on non-profit Boards for Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC), CT Sustainable Business Council, and co-founded the CT Collaborative - Living Building Challenge.

Aaron completed his undergraduate studies at West Point and St. Cloud State University and is a 2016 graduate of the Yale University MBA program with a focus on Sustainability. He loves green building and sustainability as well as hockey, hiking, skiing, gardening and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, 3 boys and 4 cats and chickens at their home in Minneapolis.

Dakota Sol

Housing Development Manager, One Roof Community Housing

Dakota Sol is the Housing Development Manager at One Roof Community Housing, a nonprofit organization based out of Duluth, MN. Dakota works in affordable multifamily housing development and manages One Roof projects from initial concept through successful completion. He has strong finance skillset as well as a passion for developing quality affordable housing that is also energy efficient and environmentally conscious. Dakota has been working with One Roof for over 5 years and previous experience included running an affordable car loan program and providing homebuyer education and counseling services. When not working Dakota enjoys getting into the woods and exploring the North Shore of Lake Superior with his wife Yoana, 11-month-old Mateo, and their dog Nalu.

Steven Sylvestre

Initiative Manager - High-Performance Windows, Center for Energy & Environment

Steve Sylvestre is the initiative manager for High-Performance Windows (HPW) at Center for Energy and Environment. The HPW initiative is part of Minnesota's Efficient Technology Accelerator, a statewide market transformation effort funded by Minnesota's investor-owned utilities. Prior to joining CEE in 2023, Steve worked for 15 years in Chemistry R&D, including 10 years at Cardinal Glass Industries, one of the largest manufacturers of residential insulated glass units (IGUs) in the country. Steve led insulating glass sealant R&D, new product qualification, and service life prediction projects at Cardinal Glass. Additionally, he led the site’s sustainability work as their Sustainability Specialist, and was a founding member of the Safety, Environmental, Ergonomic, and Security (SEES) team that achieved MNSTAR/OSHA VPP status in 2020.

Doug Tarry

Doug Tarry Homes

Doug Tarry is the President of Doug Tarry Homes, one of North America's Leading Net Zero Homebuilders, having built and labeled more Net Zero / Net Zero Ready homes than any other builder in Canada. Doug is the Author of the book "From Bleeding Edge to Leading Edge: A Builders Guide to Net Zero Homes." The book explores the philosophy of building Net Zero Homes, why Net Zero might not be the right goal, “The Four Principals of Modern Design”, how customers have changed, and why LifeARK™ will be a part of our future.

Bobby Thompson

Director of Operations, Beazer Homes

Todd Usher

Founder, Addison Homes

In 2002, Addison Homes became the only company in South Carolina to certify 100% of its homes to high-performance standards such as Energy Star and EarthCraft House, and, most recently, U.S. Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home.

As the first builder in the U.S. to earn NAHB's Master Certified Green Professional designation, Todd freely shares his expertise with the building industry. He serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Clemson University's Department of Construction Science and Management, where he encourages the next generation of builders to pursue residential green building. Todd is also a frequent guest speaker in courses within the Sustainability Science Major at Furman University. Todd volunteers on several boards including Trees Greenville and the National Association of Home Builders where he is the Education Chair for the SC Home Builders Association.

Wendy Vittori

Executive Director, Health Product Declaration Collaborative

Dennis Webb

Vice President of Operations, Fulton Homes

Dennis is the Vice President of Operations for Fulton Homes where he oversees Sales, Marketing, Operations, and the Fulton Homes Design Center. In his 25 years there he has led the charge of using technology combined with past retail experience to help transform the company into one of the most advanced homebuilders in the country in the areas of customer experience, operations, and marketing. He served on the city of Tempe’s Development Review Commission for 12 years and is President of the Board of Directors for the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA). Prior to joining Fulton Homes, he was Vice President of Stores for Eagleson’s a men’s clothing retailer owned by Ira Fulton, who sold the business to concentrate on homebuilding. Before Eaglesons, Dennis had a 20 year retail career with Hart, Schaffner and Marx, where he held increasingly responsible positions of Salesman, Store Manager, Buyer, Merchandise Manager, General Manager, and Store President. Dennis graduated from Chapman University in Orange, CA, and currently resides with his wife Janis of over 40 years, in Tempe, AZ. His daughter Laura is the Executive Director of a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, and son Darin is a lawyer in San Diego.

Dan Wildenhaus

Senior Technical Manager - Training and Consulting Services, Center for Energy & Environment

As a Technical Advisor, trainer, and consultant for residential, multifamily, and small business programs Dan has completely immersed in the discussion of what is required to create High Performance Buildings and the technologies that operate within them. After completing his bachelor’s degree at the Evergreen State College, with a focus on Energy Studies, Dan has developed over 29 years of experience, 15 of them working directly for a contractor; performing energy audits and Ratings, weatherization and HVAC repairs, consulting, and analysis for private clients in both New Construction and the existing buildings market. Over 10 years ago, Dan transitioned to the consulting side of the business, working with program implementation companies and finding a home at the Center for Energy and Environment. Dan currently provides Decarbonization and HVAC consultation, technical management, market channel development, and training and presentation services for a variety of programs across the country.

Dennis Wilson

Vice President of Environment, Social, Governance (ESG), Saint-Gobain

Program

Track Color Key

Pre-Conference: Tuesday, September 16, 2025

12:00PM

1:00PM

6:40PM

Day 1: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

7:30AM

9:00AM

11:00AM

1:00PM

2:00PM

2:30PM

3:30PM

5:30PM

Day 2: Thursday, September 18, 2025

7:00AM

8:30AM

9:30AM

10:00AM

11:00AM

1:00PM

2:00PM

2:30PM

3:30PM

4:00PM

5:00PM

6:30PM

Day 3: Friday, September 19, 2025

7:00AM

7:30AM

8:00AM

8:45AM

10:30AM

Registration & Check-in - 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Welcome, a Brief History of EEBA, and The State of Our Industry: Perspectives from EEBA Legends

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Opening of Manufacturers' Showcase & Lunch Served

The Sustainability Waters Have Gotten a Bit Choppy...So What Now?

Learning Objectives

Presenters

A Bolt from the Blue: Mysterious plug loads and other lessons for achieving optimal performance from a side-by-side new housing construction comparison

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Leadership and Communication: Two Tools Not Used Properly In Business

Learning Objectives

Presenters

HVAC Vitals for Builders

Learning Objectives

Presenters

BREAK in Manufacturers' Showcase

Connected Communities Mean Big Deals for Builders

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Healthier Homes Begin with Healthier Building Materials

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Advances in Foam Plastic Insulations - Transparency with LCAs, EPDs and HPDs

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Lessons from the Affordable Housing World in a Cold Climate

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Xcel Energy Networking Reception in Manufacturers' Showcase

Offsite Event at The Energy Conservatory

Zero Energy Ready Homes Builder Panel – Insights on Successfully Building, Marketing and Selling America’s Best Homes

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Registration & Check-in - 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Leveraging HERS Scores to Receive Higher Appraisal Values

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Scaling Up Affordable Triple-Pane Windows

Learning Objectives

Presenters

ZERH & Affordable Housing: How builders are creating affordable, high-performance homes with DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Program

Learning Objectives

Presenters

Compounded Benefits of High Technology Homes - A Real World Analysis