Healthy Existing Buildings (HEB) Working Group

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The HEB Working Group will build on the HEB Initiative and conduct its own research and leverage the knowledge and expertise in building design, construction, energy, and O&M of CEA Members to develop a comprehensive approach incorporating core system attributes, holistic strategies, and best practices that support California’s goals and promote the CEA in this emerging domain. The HEB Working Group supports the CEA vision of a healthy and equitable built environment through its work to establish a new tripartite approach to healthy existing building rehabilitation, retrofitting, and operations and maintenance. This three-part approach centers around creating HEBs that are healthy for people, healthy for the economy and market, and healthy for the environment.

Click here to learn more about the HEB Initiative.

Building Energy Efficiency Standards Working Group

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CEA’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards (BEES) Working Group collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders, including manufacturers, contractors, commissioning providers, acceptance test technicians, and others to develop measures that will deliver energy savings, reduce costs and move California closer to its energy and environmental goals.

Recently, the Alliance authored two measure proposals for the 2022 update to Title 24. The proposals were submitted to the California Energy Commission (Energy Commission)  for formal review in the Spring of 2020. Feedback from the Energy Commission was processed throughout the Summer and proposals were discussed in public stakeholder meetings hosted by the Energy Commission in September 2020.

• Demand Responsive Controlled Receptacles - a measure providing options for the use of automated demand responsive control systems for 120-V receptacles in nonresidential buildings including newly constructed commercial buildings, building additions and building alterations.

• Expanded Exceptional Designs - a proposed design option for nonresidential buildings that uses measured building performance as the primary method for verifying energy code compliance.

The measure proposals were adopted by the Energy Commission in August 2021 and are included in the 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards.

Led by Cori Jackson, CEA Co-Chair & UC Davis, California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC)

Working Group Members include:

• Doug Avery, CEA Co-Chair & California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP)

• John Busch, Leviton

• Alper Erten, PAE Consulting Engineers

• Tanya Hernandez, Acuity Brands

• Michael Jouaneh, Lutron Electronics

• Bernie Kotlier, California Labor Management Cooperation Committee (CAL LMCC)

• Charles Knuffke, WattStopper/Legrand

• Scott Metker, Autani

• Craig Ochoa, Morrow-Meadows Corp.

• Axel Pearson, Design Lighting Consortium

• David Young, ETC

• Jon Zelinsky, Prasino Energy

LEARN MORE : 2022 BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS INITIATIVE

Code Compliance Improvement Working Group

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CEA’s Code Compliance Improvement Working Group collaborates closely with building departments, contractors, manufacturers, and others working across California in the building trades.

In 2020, the Working Group engaged with the California Energy Commission in cooperative efforts to develop a new Central Nonresidential Data Repository (CNDR) for energy compliance forms and information in support of improved compliance and enforcement of California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The Alliance collaborated with those whose expertise as the Lighting Controls Acceptance Test Technician Certification Providers, both National Lighting Contractors Association of America (NLCAA) and California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program  (CALCTP), were invaluable in providing insight to the Energy Commission regarding the use of acceptance test registries for lighting control compliance.

CEA’s Code Compliance Improvement Working Group will continue to monitor the CNDR issue, provide updates, and assist in the creation of a well-designed, comprehensive solution that promotes greater compliance with existing codes. The Working Group will also undertake newly identified opportunities to achieve CEA’s strategic goals toward greater energy code adherence and enforcement mechanisms.

Led by:

Michael Scalzo, National Lighting Contractors Association of America (NLCAA)

Dan Suyeyasu, CodeCycle

Working Group Members:

• Doug Avery, California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALTCP)

• Phil Hall, Phil Hall Images & Light

• Cori Jackson, UC Davis, California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC)

• Bernie Kotlier, California Labor Management Cooperation Committee (CAL LMCC)

• Christopher Ruch, National Energy Management Institute

• Randy Young, The Joint Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy (JCEEP) 

LEARN MORE: CEA’S CODE COMPLIANCE IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE

DOWNLOAD: CEA’S CNDR PROPOSAL

Cost-Effectiveness Metrics Working Group

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CEA’s Cost-Effectiveness Metrics (CEM) Working Group supports the development of modern, comprehensive, and fully vetted definition of cost-effectiveness, as well as the metrics and methodologies for use by California agencies tasked with energy analysis, code development, and similar regulatory responsibilities.

Streamlining and improving the current methodology used by California regulators requires establishing mandatory cost components for consideration when calculating energy costs and savings and to measure cost-effectiveness. These Components include peak demand adders and costs for average retail electricity; transmission and generation; safety; fire suppression; cybersecurity; health impacts; carbon and environmental factors: energy and economic equity.

Led by Dan Salinas, Salinas Lighting Consult

At present, the CEM Working Group has two main foundational objectives:

• “What is CEM?” A series of videos designed to:

  • Provide a comprehensive definition of Cost-Effectiveness Metrics including an historical context

  • Offer a global view of the topic including a full range of stakeholders both in terms of geography - not exclusive to California - and their relationship to the topic (from agencies to end-users and ‘everyone’ in between

  • Outline main issues/problems/opportunities in current Cost-Effectiveness Metrics and Methodologies

• CEM Stakeholder Engagement:

  • Map full range of stakeholders

  • Cultivate wide stakeholder involvement with CEA

  • Identify stakeholder priorities

  • Articulate distinct stakeholder perspectives

Two CEM task teams are focused more specifically: 

CEM Policy Task Team

Led by Bernie Kotlier, California Labor Management Cooperation Committee (CAL LMCC)

The CEM Policy Task Team aims to leverage CEA’s position and reputation to influence key state legislators in preparation for the 2021 legislative session to modify and improve the operational definition of cost-effectiveness and bring it into alignment with other state policy priorities.

Recognizing a short term opportunity for progress toward  CEA’s overarching CEM objectives, these efforts focus on benefits that are more directly energy-related; are in conflict or do not align with state policy; and are not currently included or fully accounted for in the definition of cost effectiveness; such as:

• GHG reduction / decarbonization / methane reduction 

• Grid resilience, management, and reliability 

• Energy equity 

• Security and safety of electrical systems

CEM Research Task Team

Led by Peter Schwartz, Independent Consultant

There is an opportunity to leverage previous California Energy Commission (Energy Commission), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Investor Owned Utilities (IOU) ratepayer-funded work that were separately executed, under a single comprehensive research umbrella. The CEM Research Task Team is exploring opportunities to collect defensible data in support of a modern cost-effectiveness framework. Once the fundamental education, outreach and stakeholder engagement to develop a comprehensive definition of CEM has been completed by the Working Group, the CEM Research Task Team will begin to craft a full research framework including: 

Phase I:

• Identify and prioritize use cases development

• Identify non-energy benefits (NEBs)

• Develop CEM structure and methodology including energy and NEBs 

demonstrating end-to-end benefits 

Phase II:

• Collect and analyze prioritized use cases’ data

• Produce updated code language and propose legislation

Working Group Members:

• Gregg Ander, Gregg.D Ander LLCC 

• Doug Avery, CEA Co-Chair & California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP)

• Nancy Clanton, Visibility Innovations

• Josh Dean, CEA Executive Director  

• Pekka Hakkarainen, Lutron

• Michael Jouaneh, Lutron 

• Bernie Kotlier, California Labor Management Cooperation Committee (CAL LMCC)

• Charles Knuffke, WattStopper/Legrand

• Dan Salinas, Salinas Lighting Consult

• Peter Schwartz, Independent Consultant

• Robert Soler, Bios Lighting 

• Martin Vu, RMS Energy Engineering

• Randy Young, The Joint Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy (JCEEP)

READ MORE: CEA’S COST-EFFECTIVENESS METRICS INITIATIVE

Education and Outreach Working Group

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CEA’s Education & Outreach Working Group supports a range of educational programs and outreach activities to inform Californian’s about the state’s energy policy, goals, and regulations. The Working Group aims to provide a forum in which CEA members and guests can share their expertise to enrich CEA’s membership and the public at large through events and educational material. An outline of programs follows:

Educational Resources

• CEA-Produced Video Library  (current and upcoming topics) 

  • Demand Responsive Controlled Receptacles 

  • ATT Certification

  • Cost-Effectiveness Metrics

  • Outcome-Based Code

  • DC Microgrids & DERs

  • Workforce Development & Training (DOE AHJ Training)

  • Real-time Pricing and Load Management

  • Membership Outreach

• Member Resources 

  • CEA-developed presentations 

  • CEA-led research and case studies

• Public Resources

  • Code measure proposals

  • Policy recommendations

  • Position papers

  • Research & case studies

Outreach & Events

• Presentations from member meetings & workshops

• Convening events

• Conference presentations and proceedings 

• Training programs

CEA Working Group & Task Team Support

The Education & Outreach Working Group also supports all Alliance Working Groups and Task Teams to further their work and achieve CEA Initiative-driven objectives. Following are examples of its education and outreach project goals:

• Help regulators and rule-makers understand the market

• Help the market understand Codes, Standards and Policy

• Develop permanent feedback loop with the California Energy Commission and stakeholders

• Articulate key incentives to join CEA

Led by John Busch, Leviton

Working Group Members:

• Lawrence Lamontagne, The Title 24 Expert

• Clifton Stanley Lemon, CEA Business Development Director

LEARN MORE: CEA’S EDUCATION & OUTREACH INITIATIVE

Outcome-Based Approach Working Group

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CEA’s Outcome-Based Approach (OBA) Working Group (originally Outcome-Based Code) aims to make a data-driven case for both outcome-based code compliance and building performance standards. There is an industry-wide understanding that buildings do not perform how they are expected to, as designed and calculated by energy code, but there is limited and in-cohesive data clearly illustrating and defining this gap. The OBA Working Group plans to conduct research on a large inventory of buildings to quantify this gap and then use the findings of the study to promote an outcome-based code compliance pathway, outcome-based building performance standards or a combination of both. The OBA Working Group aims to support CEA’s broader goal of driving meaningful, innovative policy improvements by contributing to the existing research in support of OBA and educating policy makers on why an outcome-based approach to building energy performance is crucial.

OBA Research: Study “Modeled vs. Measured Energy Use in Buildings”.

Code compliance models are not meant to predict the actual performance of buildings, but rather to compare the performance of a building design to the energy code.  As a consequence, there is a gap between code compliance models and the actual performance of buildings.  And that gap can be considerable.  In 2008 New Buildings Institute released “Energy Performance of LEED for New Construction Buildings” which found significant and highly variable gaps between energy models and actual performance.  Therefore, CEA is pursuing an initiative to incorporate actual energy outcomes into energy codes in order to ensure that the codes are delivering the performance levels expected by policy makers, addressing unregulated loads, and providing more flexibility in meeting increasingly stringent energy use requirements. As one of the first components in this effort, CEA is launching a research project that will survey California buildings, quantify the difference between modeled and actual building energy use performance, and identify the factors that drive those differences.

Working Group Members:

• Led by Demetra Tzamaras, Center for Sustainable Energy 

• Sean Denniston, New Building Institute (NBI)

• Doug Avery, California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALTCP) 

• Rebecca Baptiste, Center for Sustainable Energy (CES)

• Jean Bonander, California Street Light Association (CAL SLA)

• Nancy Clanton, Visibility Innovations

• Kelly Seeger, Signify

• Dan Suyeyasu, CodeCycle

• Alex Baker, Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)

• Stephen Gunther, Center for Sustainable Energy (CES)

• Kelly Seeger, Signify

• Dick Lord, Carrier

• Randy Young, The Joint Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy (JCEEP)

• Alper Erten, PAE Engineers

• Josh Dean, CEA Executive Director

LEARN MORE: CEA’S OUTCOME-BASED APPROACH INITIATIVE