While the official reception and opening festivities–like an address from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick–aren’t until tomorrow, the intensive half- and full-day workshops at the NESEA’s conference and trade show in Boston are well attended. The thirteen workshops focus on specific areas in the renewables industry. Architects, engineers, and contractors can get get tips and discuss the benefits of using an advanced 3D modeling tool that takes into account the whole lifecycle a building. A workshop and panel dicussion directed at municipal officials and urban planners discusses the intersection of institutions and climate change. More casual attendees can get walked through the process of retrofitting existing single family homes for greater efficiency, or get introduced to building science or domestic hot water systems.
The last mentioned workshop on domestic hot water systems has been educational for your correspondent; the presenter, Connecticut-based Everett Barber of Sunsearch, Inc., designed a presentation to take his audience through the nuts and bolts of system mechanics, through cost-benefit analysis of different systems, and into the realm of performance measurement tools and system payback. Workshop attendees included engineering students, contractors, interested homeowners, professional architects and engineers, and public sector employees. Solar domestic hot water is a technology so old in its essence that I feel comfortable referring to it as “ancient”. Its cost efficiency and range of applications in modern homes is outstanding, and it’s valuable to have an industry pro walk you through the details. The data is not always what you might expect: highest tech does not always equate highest efficiency, for instance.
NESEA decided to put their preaching into practice, as it were, and this year’s conference is officially carbon neutral through donations. Electricity was offset with the purchase of wind power from the New England Wind Fund program, and carbon offsets were donated for heating and travel impact. Conference planners encouraged attendees to make use of SpaceShare, a sort of hub for carpooling, roomshare, and information about the impact of travel and carbon offset options. Even the venue is in keeping with the generally green theme. Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center is highly environmentally conscious, thanks largely to tips from the NESEA that followed the organizations’ 2005 conference: low impact cleaning products, extensive recycling and efficiency measures–like high R-value windows and CFL’s throughout–complementary bikes for patrons, and even a waste reduction system that uses microorganisms to convert waste into liquid (appropriate for a facility just across the harbor from Deer Island, Boston’s progressive municipal waste treatment facility). It’s a pleasant space into the bargain, full of natural light and integrated outdoor elements. It’s certainly easier to listen to talks on how much harder we could be trying to introduce efficiency measures into our buildings when the proof is all around you.
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