Smart Energy Voices Smart Energy Decisions

In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host Debra Chanil speaks with Melissa Banks, Regulatory and Utility Advocacy Director at Trane Technologies, about the complex landscape of building decarbonization and sustainability. Banks discusses the increasing importance of regulatory compliance, utility incentives, and tax benefits in making energy efficiency projects financially viable for businesses and building owners.

She explains the significance of understanding local utility incentives and shares examples of utility programs that offer substantial rebates for energy-efficient upgrades and emphasizes leveraging these incentives and working with experts to help maximize the financial benefits of their sustainability efforts — making the path to decarbonization both achievable and affordable.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…


How regulations are impacting organizations’ decarbonization efforts (02:09)

National, state and local energy codes (03:47)

Building performance standards, electrification policies, and climate and emissions reporting regulations (06:06)

Available incentives to reduce emissions (14:52)

How to leverage tax incentives (18:39)


Click here for full show notes

Connect with Melissa Banks
On LinkedIn

As the Regulatory and Utility Advocacy Director at Trane Technologies, Melissa Banks is responsible for leading Trane’s climate-related regulatory thought leadership, market intelligence, and influence in the energy sector. She has over 15 years of experience in helping industry stakeholder groups advocate for sustainable and resilient community infrastructure solutions. 
 
Melissa holds a B.S. in Public Relations from California State University and an M.B.A. from Rutgers University. She can be found hiking trails throughout the Pacific Northwest with family in her spare time.

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In this episode, Debra Chanil welcomes Emily Freeman, Circular Economy Policy Advisor of the City of Boulder. Freeman highlights strides in three core principles of the circular economy and how Boulder's initiatives align with the city's ambitious climate action goals. 

As Boulder continues its journey towards carbon neutrality, Freeman's insights offer a blueprint for other cities and organizations seeking to integrate circular economy principles into their sustainability strategies and policies.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…


The role of a Circular Economy Policy Advisor (04:21)

The value of building material reuse in reaching net-zero goals (06:02)

City of Boulder’s sustainable deconstruction ordinance (08:07)

The deconstruction of Boulder Community Hospital (9:40)

Future applications of the ordinance (19:48)

The City of Boulder as a circular economy leader (22:00)


Click here for detailed show notes

Resources & People Mentioned:

Metabolic

KL&A


Connect with Emily Freeman

On LinkedIn

Emily Freeman is a Circular Economy Policy Advisor for the City of Boulder. She oversees the success of Boulder’s deconstruction ordinance to keep carbon-intensive building materials available for reuse and recycling. Since ordinance implementation, Boulder has diverted 85%, or 111,168,000 pounds, of building materials from the landfill. Boulder’s landmark hospital deconstruction saw 93.5% diversion with the true highlight being the innovative approach to direct structural steel reuse from the hospital into new city construction. Emily leads efforts to identify policy mechanisms to further deconstruction opportunities, engage with contractors, and drive progress towards the city’s climate goals. Emily is an experienced public and private sector sustainability professional adept at developing sustainability roadmaps, analyzing waste audits, managing environmental management systems, and developing circular economy policies. She holds a Masters in Sustainability from Arizona State University. She currently serves on the Board of Build Reuse and is a Commissioner for Colorado’s Solid & Hazardous Waste Commission. In her downtime, Emily enjoys getting outside with her husband and their dog and loves teaching her three-year-old to ride a bike.

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In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host Debra Chanil sat down with Marshall Duer-Balkind, Director of Policy Programs at the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), to talk about building performance standards (BPS) and their implications for the energy transition. He also gives an overview of IMT's mission and work, focusing on their efforts to improve the efficiency and performance of buildings through policy development and equitable decarbonization.
Duer-Balkind delves into the specifics of BPS policies and the need for long-term planning by building owners and tenants to meet their requirements, emphasizing that "doing nothing ain't free." He discusses how building performance standards intersect with other market trends such as climate change mitigation, financial considerations, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) requirements, as well as the need for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to achieve sustainability goals.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

BPS policies, and their implications to owners and tenants (04:29)

How BPS policies intersect with other market trends (20:30)

The importance of long-term planning (27:46)


Click here for detailed show notes

Resources & People Mentioned:

DOE Better Buildings

Better Climate Alliance


Connect with Marshall Duer-Balkind
On LinkedIn

Marshall Duer-Balkind is the Director of Policy Programs at IMT, where he works to develop and implement policies for driving high-performance buildings, grounded in community priorities and technical quality.
Marshall is an international expert in policies and technologies to improve the energy and carbon performance of buildings and communities, with over a dozen years of experience in the for-profit, government, and non-profit sectors. Prior to starting his current role with IMT in April 2023, he worked as a consultant at the deep green engineering firm Introba, where he managed cutting-edge decarbonization plans and policies for over 20 cities and 15 institutions across North America. He has also worked for the District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE), where he built and ran one of the first benchmarking and disclosure programs in the U.S., supported the groundbreaking Clean Energy DC plan, and evaluation, measurement, & verification of the DC Sustainable Energy Utility’s energy savings and other performance targets. Prior to that, he was one of IMT’s first “City Advisors” embedded in a local government. 
Marshall is a key contributor to the first building performance standard programs in both the U.S. and Canada, as Co-Chair of Washington, D.C.’s Building Energy Performance Standards Task Force, and a member of the City of Vancouver’s Carbon Pollution Limits Technical Advisory Committee. Marshall holds a Master’s of Environmental Management degree from the Yale School of the Environment and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Computer Science from Oberlin College. He is proudly born and raised in Washington, D.C.

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In this episode of Smart Energy Voices, host Debra Chanil welcomes Sharon L. Nolen, Program Manager & Fellow, Global Natural Resource Management at Eastman Chemical, for a dive into Eastman's journey toward decarbonization, emphasizing the pivotal role of energy efficiency in their strategy. Sharon highlights Eastman Chemical's commitment to sustainability, focusing on mitigating climate change, mainstreaming circularity and caring for society.
Sharon outlines Eastman Chemical's goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing renewable energy usage by 2030, providing examples of energy efficiency projects across analytics, utility systems, distribution, and manufacturing processes, emphasizing their cost-effectiveness and long-term sustainability benefits. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

Eastman Chemical’s decarbonization journey (02:21)

Energy efficiency initiatives (04:45)

Goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (07:28)

Technological innovations in decarbonization (09:24)


Click here for detailed show notes

Resources & People Mentioned:

DOE Better Plants Program


ENERGY STAR® Industrial Partner Program


Connect with Sharon L. Nolen
On LinkedIn

Sharon L. Nolen is an Eastman Fellow and leads Eastman’s Global Natural Resource Management program as well as one of the company’s three Sustainability Subcouncils. She represents Eastman in the DOE Better Plants Program and the ENERGY STAR® Industrial Partner Program and serves on the Industrial Advisory Board for the National Alliance for Water Innovation. Nolen was recently selected by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to lead the Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee (ITIAC), which is charged with helping to decarbonize America's industrial sector.
Sharon is a frequently invited speaker at national and international energy conferences. She has been published in Chemical Engineering Progress and Chemical Processing and authored a chapter in the book, “Energy Management and Efficiency for the Process Industries.” She was named the 2019 International Energy Manager of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers and received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Energy and Sustainability Award in 2020.  Sharon is a Professional Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager.

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Subscribe to Smart Energy Voices on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, aCast, PlayerFM, iHeart Radio
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In this episode, we join experts during the opening session of the Net Zero Forum Spring for important updates on hourly carbon-free energy matching. The session, titled "What's Old, New, and Next for Hourly Carbon-Free Matching Products" and presented by Constellation, sheds light on the changing landscape of clean energy and the importance of hourly 24/7 carbon-free energy as a new industry standard. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

Defining hourly carbon-free matching (5:06)

Policy tailwinds and the future of clean energy procurement (7:15)

Customer perspectives and the evolution of the energy market (10:35)

The future of granular certificates and energy trading (16:00)


Click here for detailed show notes.

Resources & People Mentioned:

Smart Energy Decisions Kicks Off 2024 with Net Zero Forum Spring

Hourly Carbon-Free Energy Matching | Constellation

Constellation

LevelTen Energy

Microsoft

ComEd

FedCenter - EO 14057

ICE

Regulatory Assistance Project

EPRI

Clean Energy Accounting Project (CEAP) - CRS


Connect with Brian Megali
On LinkedIn

Brian Megali leads the Clean Energy Policy team in the Public Policy group at Constellation. His team is responsible for providing power sector forecasting and analysis of existing and proposed environmental policies, climate change policies, market design initiatives, and policies designed to promote low- and emissions-free energy resources. Brian’s team also coordinates advocacy efforts at the state, regional, and federal levels.

Connect with Katie Soroye
On LinkedIn

Katie Soroye is VP of Granular Procurement Solutions at LevelTen Energy, the industry’s leading provider of renewable transaction infrastructure. She leads the business strategy and development behind LevelTen’s granular certificate solutions, designed to accelerate clean energy transactions and decarbonize at scale. A self-proclaimed energy nerd, Katie has worked in the energy industry for more than 15 years, including leadership roles at an investor-owned utility, B Corporation, and early-stage start-ups. Outside of work, Katie enjoys lots of R&R (reading and running) in Seattle.

Connect with Chuck Hanna
On LinkedIn

Chuck Hanna is the Vice President of National Accounts and Solutions Sales at Constellation. In this role, he leads a team of sales professionals in providing comprehensive energy solutions to commercial and industrial retail customers across the nation including two-thirds of the Fortune 100. This includes leadership and management of associations where Constellation is the endorsed energy supplier.

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Subscribe to Smart Energy Voices on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, aCast, PlayerFM, iHeart Radio
If you're interested in participating in the next Smart Energy Decision Event, visit smartenergydecisions.com or email our Community Development team at attend@smartenergydecisions.com.