Session 1 Speakers
JAKE MARIN
Jake Marin is the Program Manager for HVAC and Refrigeration at VEIC/Efficiency Vermont. Here, he developed Vermont’s first heat pump program in 2014 and has continued to help develop programs and guidelines for the greater Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region through his collaboration with the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP). These programs have supported the installation of over 20,000 high efficiency heat pumps and over 10,000 heat pump water heaters in Vermont alone. By implementing “flexible load management”, Jake believes that we can electrify various sectors while optimizing the unwanted impacts of load growth. He is excited to discuss some of the work being done in this space by entities across the Vermont energy industry who have embraced a collaborative approach to this exciting challenge.
WILL XIA
Will is a Program Manager in Con Edison’s Energy Efficiency and Demand Management group. He currently works on electrification initiatives and natural gas alternatives, and recently oversaw Con Edison’s filing and implementation of the New York State Clean Heat Program. Will has more than 8 years of experience at Con Edison – he has previously worked in the Emerging Technologies group where he designed and implemented innovative pilot programs, and prior to that in the Oil-to-Gas Conversion group overseeing the conversion of large buildings off of heating oil to natural gas. Will holds a BE in Civil Engineering from the Cooper Union, as well as an MBA from New York University. He is a licensed professional engineer in New York and a Project Management Professional.
ANDY MEYER
Andy Meyer is a senior program manager at Efficiency Maine. His responsibilities include residential weatherization, heating systems, appliances, and lighting. He has inspected hundreds of homes, was certified by the Building Performance Institute as a Building Analyst, is certified to handle heat pump refrigerant, and has a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College.
KYLE SVENDSEN
Kyle Svendsen is an Energy Efficiency Consultant with Eversource focusing on connecting residential customers to solutions for savings including heating and cooling rebates and the Home Energy Services program. Kyle has a decade of experience including his current position with Eversource and previous implementation roles where he has been able to experience the evolution of energy-efficient technology and the impact it has made on our customers and the industry that serves them.
Session 2 Speakers
DANA FISCHER
Dana Fischer is an Area Manager covering Maine and New Hampshire for Mitsubishi Electric supporting and training the Diamond Contractor network of heat pump installers and distributors in best practices and principles of system design. Dana previously worked at Efficiency Maine for 7 years helping establish and manage residential weatherization and heating system rebate and loan programs that continue to reduce Mainers dependence on fossil fuels. His background also includes solar thermal, municipal finance, micro-brewing, philosophy, and an MBA. Hobbies include countering entropy, gardening, and long walks on the beach.
JOHN WALCZYK
John Walczyk, a Cadmus principal, has worked at Cadmus since 2009. He has over 12 years of experience in mechanical engineering, focused on alternative energy and energy efficiency. He leads a team of Cadmus engineers who specialize in residential evaluation, measurement, and verification. He has led large-scale evaluation and heat pump research projects in Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Illinois, and Vermont. Mr. Walczyk leads an engineering team specializing in the evaluation of building electrification in both the commercial and residential sector. He also has extensive HVAC field experience including diagnostic testing of equipment, sizing practices, and assessment of installation quality. He regularly trains Cadmus employees and subcontractors and has developed and taught courses in HVAC quality installation practices to experienced HVAC contractors. Before joining Cadmus, Mr. Walczyk was a project manager for EnerNOC, a demand response provider.
MIKE CAPPUCCIO
“For nearly 40 years as an HVAC and refrigeration installer, technician, service manager, designer, and business owner I’ve learned what it takes to totally address our customer’s needs. The industry which has a reputation of being a staid and traditional one is undergoing product changes that are having a profound impact on ease of installation, service, comfort control and operating costs. Although traditional heating and air conditioning systems will be with us for the foreseeable future, I have focused on being at the leading edge of the new and innovative product changes, implementing them wherever and whenever a situation dictates. Through my sister company, Ductless Consulting, I work with other HVAC installers and distributors around the US, imparting the knowledge I have accumulated. I have also developed training on marketing, selling, installing and servicing these new HVAC innovations many of which are 3 to 4 times as efficient as the more traditional systems. I have never forgotten that despite whatever technology you employ we can never forget that there will always be value on excellent service and I stress that fact constantly with my staff. Companies that can provide such service will always have a place in our industry.”
Session 3 Speakers
DONOVAN GORDON
Donovan Gordon is Director of Clean Heating & Cooling for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He leads New York’s efforts to develop markets that support renewable, high efficiency, and clean thermal systems. He is charged with conceptualizing, driving and implementing a portfolio of products to encourage and enable customers and partners to invest in low-carbon clean heating and cooling systems, and with advancing New York's progress towards self-sustained markets. Donovan received a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from St. Francis College and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
MARCIN POLAK
Marcin Polak works at Con Edison in the Energy Efficiency and Demand Management Department where he supports the program management and strategy teams with the implementation of various technologies, and administers technical reviews of large commercial & industrial projects. Prior to Con Edison, Marcin worked as an energy engineer managing the compliance assistance process for whole-building energy simulations for LEED and NYSERDA New Construction Programs. He also developed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to analyze air flow, moisture migration and integrated thermal comfort. Marcin is a licensed professional engineer and holds a M.Sc., in Mechanical Engineering from Warsaw University of Technology in Poland and a M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Aalborg University in Denmark.
JOSHUA KESSLER
Josh Kessler is a clean energy professional with 15 years of experience in utilities, state government, and consulting. He is currently a program manager at National Grid, focusing on its large commercial & industrial energy efficiency portfolio. Previously, he designed and implemented incentive programs to support VRF and other clean heating and cooling technologies at MassCEC. Josh is a data junkie who spends most of his “free time” with his two young kids.
Session 4 Speakers
JAMES PETERSEN
James Petersen began his career in building systems in 1986 and founded Petersen Engineering, Inc. in 1992. He has always had a passion for energy efficiency and is an industry leader in advancing sustainability, occupant health and comfort, resiliency, simplicity and affordable solutions in the built environment. James leads and collaborates with project teams to optimize the integration of MEP/FP systems with architecture, sites, building enclosures, and building science fundamentals. The results are durable, simple and affordable buildings that are leading the way towards a zero-carbon future. James is a licensed Professional Engineer in seven states and DC. He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Philosophy from the University of New Hampshire.
GARRETT ALEXANDER
Garrett Alexander has been in the HVAC industry for over a decade, in both in-field and management roles. He has worked on a wide variety of projects and systems that include chiller plants, boiler plants, geothermal systems, WSHP's and VRF/VRV and believes that VRF/VRV systems are playing and will continue to play a critical role in the future of HVAC and building construction. Currently Garrett works for General Air Conditioning and Heating as a project manager and BIM Coordinator, and previously worked at Johnson Controls as a controls technician. He has seen the changes in building construction over the years and the need for HVAC systems that fit into smaller footprints and more efficient systems in general. Garett has an Economics degree from Tufts University.
MUHAMMAD HASSAN
Muhammad Hassan is an HVAC sales professional specializing in ductless and VRF technology with Trane New England. Previously, he worked as a sales engineer in the Carolinas focused on light commercial and VRF equipment. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a Degree in Aerospace Engineering and is currently pursuing his MBA at UMASS Amherst.
CHRIS LYLE
Chris Lyle, a building systems engineer at Steven Winter Associates, is an expert in new construction commissioning as part of LEED, energy code, and incentive program support. Through his commissioning work, Chris has conducted design reviews, installation inspections, and functional testing of many VRF systems in multifamily and commercial buildings. He has also developed and led NYSERDA-funded commissioning and VRF trainings and helped produce a VRF best practices guide for Eversource.
JS RANCOURT
JS Rancourt is a Principal at DXS New England (manufacturer representatives for Daikin), who is focused exclusively in VRV/VRF and ASHP technology. Since he co-founded DXS Ontario in 2012, he has been applying ASHPs and VRV/VRF technology in cold climates and has spearheaded the largest VRV project in North America. JS moved to New England in 2016 and founded the local branch of DXS out of Peabody, MA. He primarily works with consulting engineers and building owners, and prides himself on educating the industry on topics such as ASHPs, VRF, refrigerants, and strategic electrification of HVAC. JS is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.