Wednesday, June 14
Building from our Case Study sessions, these small group sessions designed for participants to roll up their sleeves and dig into thorny topics. These workshop sessions will stimulate thought leadership, provide valuable "take home" implementable knowledge, and forge meaningful partnerships.
11:30 a.m. - States and Communities: Aligning for Impact
Federal funding will provide many new financial and other resources to communities to develop and implement climate plans. How can states, communities, industry, and other critical stakeholders work together to leverage this funding to create climate plans and implement the projects outlined in those plans? In this workshop, we’ll tackle questions about how these stakeholders can work together to create climate plans that align energy, equity, and environmental goals. We’ll dig into how communities can best utilize various federal programs, what partnerships should be in place to take advantage of federal resources, and how climate plans can embed community leadership and equity from the beginning.
Workshop A - Planning and Capacity Building: Explore how to develop or update a jurisdictional energy plan.
Facilitator
- Maggie Molina, Branch Chief, State and Local Climate and Energy Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Workshop B - Program Development and Implementation: Examine how the development of projects and programs could include stakeholder and community voices for maximum impact and equity.
Facilitator
- Katherine Donatelli, Project Officer, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
11:30 a.m. - Heat Pumps Work, Let's Make Sure Heat Pump Programs Do Too!
There is much to be excited about when it comes to the growth of heat pump programs in the region. And still, heat pump programs continue to navigate a wide range of challenging questions to ensure long-term market transformation. Fortunately, the region is home to a wealth of experience and innovation when it comes to program development, design, and implementation. In this workshop, we’ll explore some of the complexities of program design and implementation through group problem solving. We'll hone in on the urgent challenges related to scaling, consumer satisfaction, and how to develop programs that thrive in underserved communities.
Workshop C - Happy Programs, Happy Customers: Explore strategies and best practices for how to structure programs that most effectively meet multiple objectives.
Facilitator
- Philip Chao, Officer, NJ Board of Public Utilities
Workshop D - Serving Underserved Communities: Explore strategies and best practices for how to structure programs that meet the needs of consumers in underserved communities.
Facilitator
- Amar Shah, Manager, Building Electrification, Rocky Mountain Institute
3:45 p.m. - Integrated Funding: Braiding, Weaving & Stacking
After previewing different ways to tackle community decarbonization with new funding sources, we will break out into groups and work through different ways to braid and stack funding for equitable decarbonization projects.
Workshop A - Paying for Projects: Explore strategies and best practices for how to structure programs so that funding can be assembled and retrofit projects can get done.
Facilitator
- Tina Bennett, Vice President, NEEP Board of Directors, Advisory Committee Co-Chair
Workshop B - Place-based Funding Strategies: Explore strategies and best practices for how to structure programs to meet the goals of building decarbonization, particularly in underserved communities.
Facilitator
- Dale Bryk, Director of State & Regional Policies, Harvard Law Environmental & Energy Law Program
3:45 p.m. - Help Wanted: Workforce Development Training
What does it take to support a program that can expand and diversify the energy efficiency and building electrification workforce in a sustained way? What partnerships are critical to developing a "full lifecycle" program that identifies, trains, places, and keeps workers in good-paying, local careers? What are common pitfalls in workforce development programs and how can policymakers, funders, and implementers avoid them?
Workshop C - Employment Barriers: Discuss barriers to training and long-term careers, while offering perspectives on how to overcome them. Uncover existing challenges and new opportunities.
Facilitator
- Hammad Chaudhry, Senior Manager, Conservation & Load Management, AVANGRID, Inc.
Workshop D - Recruitment Barriers: Examine clean energy recruitment efforts and how to create a diversified candidate pool.
Facilitator
- Katherine James, Recruitment and Career Development Manager, Center for Smart Building Technology, Roxbury Community College