Building Energy Efficiency

75% of all electricity consumption occurs in buildings. With a goal to fully electrify our building energy use, more buildings will be moving their heating, cooking, and operations systems from natural gas, propane, diesel, and fuel oil to grid electricity. Pair this with home and business electric vehicle charging and the obvious result is that the amount of electricity use in buildings is set to dramatically increase. If we reduce building energy use by 20% in both the commercial and industrial sectors today, we could save more than $80 billion annually on utility bills. And according to the US Dept. of Energy Building Technologies Office, the on-site deployment of solar, battery, and energy management technologies to flex electricity demand to better meet supply will lead to between $100 and $200 billion in electricity cost savings. This is a significant saving when considering that the National Renewable Energy Lab Electrification Futures Study estimates that full electrification would increase US electricity system costs by at least $450 billion. In short, if we want to keep energy bills down and temper electricity price increases, building energy efficiency and demand flexibility is a critical first step to electrification. Join us in conversation with Elizabeth Turner, founder of Precipitate Architecture, to explore strategies for building electrification and energy efficiency in the Upper Midwest. Host: Nick Hylla, MREA Executive Director Guest: Elizabeth Turner, Architect and Passive Building Consultant, Precipitate 0:20 – Nick introduces U.S. energy consumption 1:40 – Energy Efficiency’s role in cost savings for an electrified future 3:30 – Incentives for clean energy technologies 7:40 – Equity, Electrification, and Energy Efficiency 9:00 – Weatherization techniques 11:35 – Energy Efficient Building techniques 14:33 – Air source heat pumps and the preconditions needed 16:59 – Priorities and Challenges to Energy Efficiency 19:29 – Measuring energy efficiency 23:10 – Building code 26:27 – Energy Monitoring and management 27:20 – Federal legislation’s impact on energy efficiency 31:24 - State efforts to leverage IRA funds 35:05 – Energy efficiency’s value in the housing market -Get Connected: Precipitate Architecture: www.precipitatearch.com The Energy Fair: www.theenergyfair.org Midwest Renewable Energy Association: www.midwestrenew.org Contact: [email protected]