The DOE Building Energy Codes Program (BECP) offers regular webinars on the third Thursday of every month at 1 pm (Eastern).
Continuing Education
Continuing education credits (AIA and ICC) will be offered for most of the live events. Instructions for requesting certificates of completion will be provided during each webinar.
Registration
We have modified the webinar registration process. In order to register for an upcoming webinar, you will need to create an account through the BECP Resource Hub.
- In the BECP Resource Hub, click "Register" on the bottom toolbar.
- Provide your name and email and create a password then click "Submit."
- Once logged in, you can view all resources in the Hub and register for upcoming webinars. The list of upcoming webinars can be accessed from the top banner of the home page, the Webinars/Conferences calendar on the bottom toolbar, or within "Training Resources" on the bottom toolbar and the "Upcoming Events" folder. Or you can click here.
- After you register, you will receive a confirmation calendar invitation via email with the Zoom link to join the webinar the day of the event. You can also join the webinar by logging into the BECP Resource Hub and accessing "Current Enrollments" on the bottom toolbar. Email becp@pnnl.gov with any questions.
- Following the webinar, you can generate your certificate of completion for CEUs by logging into the Hub, selecting "Student Records" on the bottom toolbar, then clicking the certificate icon on the webinar you attended.
Series Lineup
July 2024
Inclusive Energy Codes: Bridging the Gap to Achieve Equity and Environmental Justice
Date/Time: Thursday, July 18, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Maggie Kelley Riggins, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA); Bahareh van Boekhold, ILLUME Advising; Jasmine Xie, National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). Moderator: Erin Beddingfield, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Description: In case you missed it, tune into a 2024 National Energy Codes Conference replay diving into the intersection of energy codes, equity, and environmental justice. In this engaging session, experts from across the country will share insights on crafting energy codes that not only meet technical standards, but also address the needs of underserved communities, empower the workforce, and ensure Justice40 goals are being met. Learn about strategies that provide accessible and inclusive benefits throughout the entire lifecycle of energy codes—from development to enforcement and evaluation. This is a crucial conversation for those interested in how building energy policy can be a tool for positive change.
August 2024
Refrigerants and Codes: Understanding the Impact of Refrigerants Requirements on Building Codes and Standards on the Path to Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Date/Time: Thursday, August 15, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Kristen Taddonio, Refrigerant Emissions Elimination Forum (REEF); Tom Deary, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); Aanchal Kohli, California Air Resources Board (ARB).
Description: The pursuit of decarbonization of the U.S. economy by 2050 will take a multi-pronged approach. Increasing the mechanical efficiency requirements of equipment like air conditioners and water heaters is one way to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Another approach is by incentivizing the replacement of traditional refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants. However, several of the lowest-GWP refrigerant options have higher flammability or toxicity ratings, and may require updated state and local building codes to enable usage. This session will provide an overview of how refrigerants are currently handled in codes and standards, and explore what new changes and approaches could help overcome barriers to adoption of low-GWP refrigerants.
September 2024
What’s in the Latest Residential Model Energy Code: Preparing for the 2024 IECC
Date/Time: Thursday, September 19, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Gayathri Vijayakumar, Steven Winter Associates; Rob Salcido, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
Description: Hear about what’s new in the Residential 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Experts will highlight major differences between the 2024 IECC-R and the 2021 IECC-R and help practitioners understand new and updated requirements throughout the code, including the building thermal envelope, energy credits, compliance paths, and more. This session will also unpack the many new appendices introduced and describe how jurisdictions can support their adoption.
OctobeR 2024
Beyond Zero Energy: Balancing Embodied Carbon and Operational Energy Solutions to Achieve Zero Emission Buildings
Date/Time: Thursday, October 17, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Description: This webinar will discuss the difference between operational energy and embodied carbon and explore integrating a lifecycle approach to achieving zero energy and emission buildings. Learn from our speakers about the current landscape of embodied carbon and common barriers and potential solutions to balancing both embodied and operational energy in buildings.
November 2024
Resources and Best Practices for Growing the Green Building Workforce
Date/Time: Thursday, November 21, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Description: As we work to meet climate and energy goals through advanced energy codes and other initiatives at the local, state, and national level, there is great opportunity for the creation and expansion of high-quality clean energy jobs. In this webinar you’ll hear from speakers on various ways to improve training and incorporate building science and energy technologies into curriculum, grow the green building workforce, and prepare workers for in-demand job opportunities.
No webinar in December.
January 2025
New York City Case Study: Understanding the Relationship between Policy and Actual Building Energy and Emissions Data
Date/Time: Thursday, January 16, 2025 @ 1:00-2:00pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Duncan Prahl, City College of New York (CUNY)
Description: This webinar will present new research from the City College of New York (CUNY) evaluating the relationships between New York City (NYC) laws enacted over the past 15 years related to energy codes and benchmarking, building audits, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caps and actual building energy use and permit data. The team will highlight and share findings from a robust analysis comparing NYC energy code cycles and compliance pathways to predicted and actual building energy consumption and GHG emissions. In addition, CUNY will share lessons learned about the data exploration process and recommendations for jurisdictions on how to best collect data related to buildings, energy use, and GHG emissions.
Past Webinars
September 2023
How Building Codes Facilitate Resilient Communities
Date/Time: Thursday, September 21, 2023 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Ellen Franconi, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL); Krystal Laymon and John Ingargiola, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and Brian Levite, ICF
Description: With the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, understanding the resilience benefits of building codes is more important than ever. By improving the energy efficiency of buildings, energy codes help enhance occupant safety comfort and reduce energy costs, use, and emissions. In addition, they contribute to individual and community resilience by improving grid reliability, and in the event of a power outage, enhancing passive survivability in buildings, thereby keeping occupants safer for longer. In this webinar, presenters will explore research findings from a recent DOE report and federal, state, and local activities related to the resilience benefits of building codes and energy efficiency.
October 2023
Strategies to Equitably Expand the Energy Codes Workforce
Date/Time: Thursday, October 19, 2023 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Maggie Kelley Riggins, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA); Monica Guevara, Emerald Cities Collaborative; Andy Winslow, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)
Description: Hear from workforce development professionals on techniques to grow and expand the energy codes workforce in a way that prioritizes equity. This webinar will examine the specific issues facing the codes workforce and highlight programs and partnerships seeking to address them. Speakers will introduce regional challenges to growing a diverse workforce and discuss innovative outreach and training efforts for contractors, HVAC professionals, whole-home retrofit experts, and more.
November 2023
What You Need to Know About the New Energy Standard for Commercial Buildings: ASHRAE 90.1-2022
Date/Time: Thursday, November 16, 2023 @ 1:00-3:00pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Don Brundage, Southern Company - Member of SSPC 90.1, Chair of SSPC 90.1 during the 2022 development cycle; Len Sciarra, Farr Associates - Vice Chair of SSPC 90.1, Chair of the Lighting Subcommittee during the 2022 development cycle; Michael Myer, PNNL - Consultant to SSPC 90.1 Lighting Subcommittee; Richard Lord, Carrier Corporation - Chair of SSPC 90.1, Vice Chair of SSPC 90.1 during the 2022 development cycle; Michael Tillou, PNNL - Chair of the Energy Credits Working Group, Consultant to SSPC 90.1 Envelope and Energy Cost Budget Subcommittees; Michael Rosenberg, PNNL - Member of SSPC 90.1 and the Energy Cost Budget Subcommittee
Description: Discover what's new in ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2022. Speakers on the 90.1 Standing Standards Project Committee and various subcommittees will highlight major changes in ASHRAE requirements. Specific topics will include building envelope, power, lighting, and renewables, energy cost budget method, mechanical equipment, total system power ratio, and additional efficiency requirements (energy credits).
January 2024
Best Practices for Understanding and Improving Compliance: Field Studies, Circuit Riders, and More
Date/Time: Thursday, January 18, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Shaunna Mozingo, Mozingo Code Group; Chris Burgess, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA); Jackie Dadakis - Green Coast Enterprises; Adam Berry - Colorado Energy Office. Moderator: Ed Carley, National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)
Description: Learn about current energy code compliance best practices and case studies. Presenters from across the country will draw on experience from the field to introduce and explain how to successfully implement field studies, circuit riders, and other compliance strategies.
February 2024
Addressing Existing Buildings: Building Performance Standards and Implementation Support Tools
Date/Time: Thursday, February 15, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Billierae Engelman, U.S. Department of Energy; Harry Bergmann, U.S. Department of Energy; Sydney Applegate, ORISE Fellow/U.S. Department of Energy; Joshua Kace, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL); Isabel Langlois-Romero, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Molly Curtz, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
Description: There is a great opportunity to make an impact by addressing the energy use and performance of existing buildings. In this webinar, speakers will discuss the use of Building Performance Standards (BPS) and outline best practices, tools, and financial incentives that can be leveraged to support BPS implementation.
March 2024
Energy Code Enforcement Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Communities
Date/Time: Thursday, March 21, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Hope Medina, Shums Coda Associates; Jeni Larsen and Bobbi Kaufman, Clearwater County, Idaho; Daniel Kaufman, Industrial Economics (IEc). Moderator: Tess Studley, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)
Description: With fewer building department staff, longer distances to travel between job sites, and less opportunity for workforce education and training, energy code enforcement can present unique challenges in rural communities. This webinar will highlight some of these specific challenges faced by code officials and others in the field and describe existing solutions and new opportunities to help improve code enforcement and compliance.
April 2024
The Intersection of Energy Codes and Electrical Codes on the Road to Decarbonization
Date/Time: Thursday, April 18, 2024 @ 1:00-2:30pm ET (12 CT /11 MT /10 PT)
Speakers: Brennan Less, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL); Amie Lewis, New Buildings Institute (NBI). Moderator: Chris Perry, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Description: As the U.S. building stock electrifies and decarbonizes in the coming decades, an unprecedented amount of new electrical load will be added to the grid. How easy or difficult this transition will be depends, in part, on both building energy codes like the IECC and ASHRAE 90.1 and the electrical codes like the National Electric Code (NEC). This session will address NEC requirements around solar PV, home batteries, Energy Management systems, as well as exploring implications for electric panel sizing. Speakers from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and New Buildings Institute (NBI) will summarize the barriers identified in the electrical code and proposed changes, present on guidelines for complying with the NEC, and discuss various ways that the electrical and energy code intersect.