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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Past Webinars

Information about past Commercial Building Energy Alliance (CBEA) Webinars, including videos and slides, appears on this page. The following Webinar archives are available for viewing in Windows Media Player as Windows Media Video (WMV) files. To view these WMV files, you will need a computer running Microsoft Windows with Windows Media Player, version 9 or later. Download Windows Media Player.

Past Webinar Titles:

July 30: Hydrocarbon Refrigerants in Self-Contained Commercial Refrigeration Equipment

Hydrocarbon refrigerants, already in widespread use internationally, are beginning to gain acceptance in the U.S. market. In this webinar, representatives from Emerson Climate Technologies and True Manufacturing provided an introduction to hydrocarbon refrigerants, discussed their potential uses in retail and food service applications, and presented an overview of the technologies and features used in systems utilizing hydrocarbons. Time was reserved at the end of the presentations for questions from attendees.

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June 28: Whole Building Energy Modeling — Reducing Modeling Time with the OpenStudio 0.8 User Interface and the Building Component Library

This webinar provided attendees with a preview of recent improvements to NREL and DOE's free open-platform energy modeling software, OpenStudio. The newly developed OpenStudio version 0.8 features integration with the Building Component Library, an online repository of reusable components for rapid and consistent energy modeling. The presenters also demonstrated a complete and easy-to-use modeling workflow using the OpenStudio SketchUp Plug-in and the stand alone OpenStudio application.

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June 25: Refrigerated Display Case Controls

Electronic case controllers are a proven technology that can offer significant savings potential to supermarkets and other food retail operators. This presentation provided an overview of case control functionality and how the technology can be applied to commercial refrigerated display equipment to lower electrical installation costs, improve product quality, and provide operation savings related to maintenance and energy costs.

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April 19: High Efficiency Troffer Specification v3.0 Webinar

On February 15, 2012, DOE released the CBEA High-Efficiency Troffer Lighting Specification v3.0, which sets performance requirements for high-efficiency LED and fluorescent troffer products in 2'x4', 2'x2', and 1'x4' configurations. If designed and installed properly, high-efficiency troffers that meet the specification can realize energy savings of 15-45% on a one-for-one basis compared to traditional fluorescent troffers, and up to 75% if integrated with dimming, occupant, or daylight controls.

In addition to the direct energy cost savings, maintenance costs are reduced because of the need for fewer and less frequent lamp replacements. Jeff McCullough and Michael Myer of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory described the technical design, and performance aspects of the specification. Kevin Powell of the General Services Administration (GSA), who served as the CBEA Chairperson for this project, discussed opportunities for high-efficiency troffers in GSA facilities, and provided an update on troffer lighting demonstration projects underway at GSA.

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April 10: Update on the 2012 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey

The next Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) will be conducted in April 2013, collecting data for reference year 2012. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is currently working with stakeholders to finalize the survey questionnaire by June 2012. This webinar provided information on the timeline of key events in the 2012 CBECS, discussed improvements, and let participants know how to provide feedback to EIA.

March 26: Tools and Practices for Implementing Green Leasing

Misaligned incentives between building owners and tenants are a prominent barrier to increasing energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Green leasing (or energy-efficient leasing) is a non-technical solution that allows property owners and occupants to share energy efficiency costs and benefits. Showcasing green leasing is a market solution to improve building energy efficiency. This webinar was targeted to a broad audience — from building owners and tenant organizations to lawyers and building raters — and showcased a new green leasing library website. This website is a one-stop shop for green leasing resources and was developed in coordination with BOMA, the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the U.S. Department of Energy, NYU, GSA, and the Institute for Market Transformation.

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March 12 & 15: DOE Commercial Building Energy Asset Rating Pilot Project Information Webinar

DOE is looking for commercial building owners, managers, or operators interested in participating in the commercial building energy asset rating pilot program, starting in spring 2012. Webinar participants received an analysis of their building's energy performance at the system level and a list of cost-effective energy efficiency recommendations for each building entered in the pilot. Technical support was provided throughout the webinar process.

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March 8, 2012: Updating Chicago Properties without Capital Expenditure or Debt

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) recently launched a Commercial Building Program, which includes credit enhancements for Managed Energy Services Agreements that allow building owners to upgrade their facilities without capital expenditure or the assumption of debt. During this webinar, the program administrator at CMAP shared details on the program and answered questions regarding eligibility, benefits, and how to get started.

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February 16, 2012: CBEA High-Efficiency Troffer Lighting Specification

The specification provides minimum performance levels for LED and fluorescent 1'x4', 2'x4', and 2'x2' troffers used in commercial buildings, including offices, healthcare facilities, and restaurants, and delivers energy savings between 15% to 45% on a one-for-one basis and up to 75% with the use of controls. This webinar provided highlights of the specification and let CBEA members know where to find additional information, including where to look for products that meet the specification.

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January 18, 2012: The L Prize-Winning LED A19 Replacement—What Commercial Building Owners/Operators Can Expect in 2012

This webinar presented an update on the status of LED A19 lamp options for commercial businesses, with an overview of DOE's L Prize competition and the rigorous lab, lifetime, and field testing that went into selection of the winning lamp. During the webinar, Kelly Gordon of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory presented current A19 LED options and provided details on where LEDs are most competitive and ready. Gordon also shared insights on the L Prize competition winner, the role of partners in market development, and preliminary plans for promotions and incentives. Todd Manegold, Director of LED Lamps Marketing at Philips Lighting, outlined best applications for the winning lamp in commercial settings, Philips' plans for commercial distribution, and a financial calculator showing expected cost/payback using actual examples from field tests.

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December 7, 2011: Designing and Modeling HVAC Systems with SystemOutliner

This webinar introduced a new software application, SystemOutliner, developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to facilitate the design and simulation of HVAC systems using EnergyPlus and OpenStudio. The key user features of SystemOutliner were demonstrated and discussed, including the ability to assemble custom HVAC systems through a drag-and-drop interface and rapidly model common HVAC system types using built-in templates.

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November 30, 2011: Implementation of the ENERGY STAR® Commercial Kitchen Package

This webinar discussed strategies to implement EPA's ENERGY STAR Commercial Kitchen Package in the retail and food service sectors will be presented. Participants learned about the energy and cost-savings benefits and recommendations to successfully achieve them.

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November 21, 2011: Assessing and Reducing Plug and Process Loads in Commercial Office and Retail Buildings

Strategies to reduce plug and process loads (PPLs) for commercial offices and large retail buildings were presented. This webinar, aimed at building owners, occupants, and facility managers, outlined recent NREL research and publications designed to help them reduce PPL energy consumption.

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November 16, 2011: Restaurant Energy Performance Evaluation: How-To Guide and Spreadsheet

To address the difficulty that restaurant building owners and operators have in prioritizing energy-saving building upgrades within their building portfolio, NREL developed a performance evaluation how-to guide and spreadsheet toolkit. This webinar presented an overview of these tools, which help owners prioritize use of capital resources for cost-effective energy-efficiency measures.

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October 31, 2011: Controlling Capital Costs in High-Performance Office Buildings

This webinar presented a set of 15 best practices for owners, designers, and construction teams to reach high performance goals while maintaining a competitive budget. To achieve these goals, all key members of the integrated team must understand their opportunities to control capital costs. These best practices were derived from the design/build team experiences in constructing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) high-performance office building, the Research Support Facility (RSF).

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October 25, 2011: High Efficiency Troffer Specification Webinar

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) hosted a Webinar presenting an overview of DOE's High-Efficiency Troffer Specification by a cross-cutting project team from DOE's Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEA). The Webinar reviewed the energy-saving benefits of high-efficiency troffers, highlighted their design and implementation considerations, and identified different troffer types.

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October 12, 2011: The High Performance Windows Volume Purchase Program Webinar

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Alliance to Save Energy, the National Fenestration Rating Council, and Energetics Incorporated held a Webinar presenting an overview of DOE's High Performance Windows Volume Purchase Program (WVP) from the Building Technologies Program. The Webinar detailed the energy- and cost-saving benefits of high-performance windows and low-E storm windows for commercial buildings, defined opportunities for down-sizing HVAC systems, and provided a perspective from NFRC and guide users on how to purchase windows through the program.

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September 1, 2011: Commercial Building Asset Rating Program Focused CREEA Stakeholder Webinar

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) held a Webinar discussing the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Commercial Building Asset Rating Program. Cody Taylor, who works on commercial building energy-efficiency policy at DOE and is managing the development of the program, discussed DOE's recent Request for Information to solicit input on key issues associated with the program's development. This Webinar was recommended for Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance (CREEA) members.

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August 31, 2011: Commercial Building Asset Rating Program Focused HEA and REA Stakeholder Webinar

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) held a Webinar discussing the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Commercial Building Asset Rating Program. Cody Taylor, who works on commercial building energy-efficiency policy at DOE and is managing the development of the program, discussed DOE's recent Request for Information to solicit input on key issues associated with the program's development. This Webinar was recommended for Hospital Energy Alliance (HEA) and Retailer Energy Alliance (REA) members.

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August 24, 2011: Whole-Building Energy Modeling with OpenStudio Webinar

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosted a Webinar focusing on the application suite of OpenStudio, a free open-platform software product developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NREL. The application suite is primarily used by architects, engineers, and others involved in the design, construction, or facility management industries, including building owners and homeowners who are considering retrofits to existing structures or design options for new construction. The presenters were Nicholas Long and David Goldwasser of NREL. They discussed energy modeling, the use of energy simulation, and typical barriers to using energy simulation. They also demonstrated how OpenStudio can support energy modeling as an integrated part of the design process, from pre-design through post-occupancy.

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August 3, 2011: Financial Incentives for Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings Webinar

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance (CREEA) hosted a Webinar detailing how energy-efficiency incentives can impact commercial real estate organizations and favorably impact the financials of energy-efficiency investments. The presenters were Jason Erwin, Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE); Brian Lips, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE); and Charlie Goulding of Energy Tax Savers, Inc. They provided key insights and information on accessing local, state, utility, and federal energy-efficiency incentives (including the Federal 179D Tax Incentive) to help participants navigate the often-difficult energy-efficiency incentive landscape more easily.

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July 19, 2011: CBEA High-Performance 2'x2' Troffer Specification Webinar

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) hosted a Webinar presenting an overview of the CBEA High-Performance 2'x2' Troffer Specification developed by a cross-cutting CBEA Project Team, and released on June 30, 2011. Jeff McCullough, of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), provided an overview of the energy-saving benefits of the high-performance troffers, identified troffer types, and highlighted the design and implementation considerations of high-performance 2'x2' troffers.

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June 16, 2011: Tenant Space Submetering Webinar

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) hosted a Webinar presenting an overview of tenant space submetering. Mike Hoffman, of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), developed the content, which addressed the benefits of tenant submetering, general overviews of meter types, and the design and implementation considerations of tenant space submetering.

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May 20, 2011: CREEA Existing Buildings Project Team — Whole Building Baseline Webinar

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hosted a Webcast to discuss tools and resources to help Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance (CREEA) members create an energy baseline. Companies may want to create a baseline as part of its management plan. A baseline energy model is specific to a building and can provide detailed guidance in energy savings measures, especially with capturing effects of interactions of measures in different systems.

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May 6, 2011: CBEA LED High Efficiency Parking Structure Lighting Specification Webcast

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hosted a Webcast presenting an overview of the High Efficiency Parking Structure Lighting Specification. Michael Myer from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) gave an overview of the High Efficiency Parking Structure Performance Specification and addressed energy-efficient lighting options for parking structures and garages, as well as financial incentives. John D'Angelo presented Cleveland Clinic's recent parking structure lighting renovation at their site in Cleveland.

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February 23, 2011: High-Performance Rooftop Unit Specification Overview for Building Owners and Operators

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) worked with members of the Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEAs), including Target and Walmart, to develop new performance criteria for high-performance rooftop units (RTUs). To achieve the best-in-class RTUs requested by industry partners, DOE is encouraging manufacturers to follow this new specification. Through these efforts, DOE aims to facilitate market-based solutions to deploy high-efficiency RTUs, which provide huge energy and financial savings to building owners. This Webinar provided an overview of the specification and how it will benefit building owners and operators. Learn more about the specification on the High Performance Rooftop Unit Challenge Web page.

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February 17, 2011: DOE-Sponsored CBEA LED Parking Lot (Site Lighting) Webcast

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hosted a Webcast presenting an overview of the LED Parking Lot (Site Lighting) performance specification. Michael Myer from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) gave an overview of the specification developed by PNNL and the alliance members, discussed deployment efforts to increase the adoption by CBEA members, and showcased sites that have successfully adopted the specification. Mark Peternell of Regency Centers discussed their approach and experience incorporating the specification into their parking lot portfolio.

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