Variable air volume (VAV) HVAC systems dominate the commercial building market but have widely varying performance. Research led by UC Berkeley has demonstrated that energy or cost reductions as high as 29% may be achieved using one of three new VAV control strategies that are simple enough to implement within existing building management systems. This course will be led by leading UC Berkeley researchers who developed these methods and/or who led the field studies, and they will address energy performance, comfort, and guidance for implementation.

A persistent housing shortage in California and beyond is driving demand for affordable, sustainable housing which also serves overarching concerns of equity and social justice. This session featured seasoned professionals — from architecture, engineering and non-profit development — who presented case studies and discussed proven and effective strategies, as well as lessons learned from a new generation of multi-family housing that is both affordable and sustainable, with many reaching LEED Platinum and/or net zero energy targets.

Building decarbonization has emerged as a key topic with a focus on building electrification. This seminar covered policy progress to date, a deep dive on technologies that deliver efficient and reliable electrification for non-residential buildings, and how  grid-harmonized buildings can utilize renewable power when it’s available. Participants engaged over two mornings with our expert panelists to learn, interact and ask questions to inform their own decarbonization work.

To deal with increasing impacts from anthropomorphic climate change, the building industry must revolutionize standard practices for design, construction and operation. This webinar featured industry professionals who are leading efforts in decarbonization of commercial buildings from cradle to grave. They presented new resources, tools and case studies, and the session included time for Q&A. The event was co-sponsored by CBE, SmithGroup, the Carbon Leadership Forum and PG&E, and was free and open to the public.

Radiant cooling and heating systems provide an opportunity to achieve significant energy and peak demand savings compared to conventional systems. Speakers at this full-day symposium included building industry professionals including engineers, architects, builders, commissioning specialist and owners who are creating high-performing non-residential buildings in California and elsewhere. Presenters also included UC Berkeley researchers who recently completed a multi-year study that led to new insights, reports, case studies and design tools.

Energy and water resource management have historically been treated as separate concerns. However, water is used in the production of nearly every major California energy source, and energy is used at multiple steps in water delivery and treatment systems. Risks from climate change and interest in resilience have increased awareness of the interdependence of water and energy systems. Speakers will explore sustainable water use and management, water-use intensity in electrical generation, and case studies where water and energy were considered holistically to promote sustainability at the building, city, and regional scale.

More than ten years ago the California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) established aspirational goals of Zero Net Energy (ZNE) for all new residential construction by 2020 and all new nonresidential and highrise residential construction by 2030 with half of existing buildings being renovated to ZNE by 2030. A group of exceptional speakers discussed topics related to state policy as well as building design and operations essential to moving to ZNE and beyond toward an efficient, low-carbon California.

This symposium brought together experts who are deeply engaged in conducting and/or applying health and wellbeing research. They shared findings that offer the potential to improve how we design, operate and measure healthy and productive spaces that benefit occupants while also supporting companies’ financial performance.

This symposium explored the interaction of ZNE buildings, DERs, and the increasingly renewable-rich electrical grid to address how recent successes are changing existing ZNE paradigms, and how our policies and strategies should evolve for a healthy economy in the next decade.

CBE research staff collaborated with Integral Group for a panel session to explore the new developments and synergies that exist when designing for zero-net energy and passive survivability.