2020 Peer Preview logo (revised 11-17-20).

In lieu of the in-person 2020 Peer Review, the Building Technologies Office (BTO) hosted the 2020 Peer PReview, a virtual and free series of interactive plenaries, from Monday, November 16 through Wednesday, November 18, 2020. These plenaries featured remarks from DOE leadership and invited thought-leaders, researchers, and practitioners that served as a platform for an exchange of ideas and consultation with peers.

Download the Peer PReview Brochure and Speaker Biographies

The Peer PReview Brochure describes the event’s sessions and speakers, including a welcome letter from BTO’s Director, essays on hot topics in the buildings industry, a detailed agenda, and more.

You may download the biographies of 2020 BTO Peer PReview’s speakers, as well.

Stay Connected to BTO – and Each Other!

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Download the Presentations, Watch the Sessions

All of each day’s Peer PReview plenaries were recorded and transcribed, which you can download below for each day.

Navigate to a specific day:

Monday 11/16 | Tuesday 11/17 | Wednesday 11/8

Presentation slides will be available to view and download shortly. Monitor this webpage for updates.

Headline banner that says "Day 1 - Monday, November 16."

Message from DOE and BTO Leadership

  • Slides: David Nemtzow, Building Technologies Office director, U.S. Department of Energy

Virtually as Good as the Real Thing – Remote Inspections: There are many rapidly emerging solutions that remote/virtual inspections and ratings can provide, but what is their post-pandemic fate? Will remote inspections complement and enhance in-person inspections in the future – or replace them altogether?

  • Video – Remote Home Assessment Demo: David Nemtzow, Building Technologies Office director, and Madeline Salzman, technology manager, U.S. Department of Energy
  • (No slides): Steve Byers, CEO, EnergyLogic
  • Slides: Jason Elton, senior consultant, Earth Advantages
  • Slides: Valarie Evans, building official, City of Las Vegas
  • Slides: Jessica Granderson, staff scientist and deputy of research programs for the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • (No slides): Jack Mayernik, senior energy analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Remarks from Daniel R. Simmons, former Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

  • Video: Learn about the American-Made Buildings Challenge, “E-ROBOT,” that former Assistant Secretary Simmons announced in his remarks.

The Loads They Are a-Changin’: As end-use building technologies, consumer preferences, and state and local policies evolve, how should the BTO community respond to beneficial electrification and changing building energy loads?

  • Slides: Donovan Gordon, director of clean heating and cooling, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
  • Slides: Saul Griffith, founder and chief scientist, Otherlab
  • (No slides): Rachel Huang, director, energy strategy, research and development, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
  • (No slides): Avni Jamdar, director, Emerald Cities Collaborative, San Francisco Bay Area
  • (No slides): Alejandra Mejia, Building Decarbonization Advocate, Climate and Clean Energy Program, National Resources Defense Council
  • (No slides): Maggie Molina, branch chief, State and Local Energy and Environment Program, U.S. EPA
Headline banner that reads "Day 2 - Tuesday, November 17."

Message from BTO Director

  • Slides: David Nemtzow, Building Technologies Office director, U.S. Department of Energy

Message from Alex Fitzsimmons, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, U.S. Department of Energy

Hardware is Hard: How Do We Commercialize "Hard Tech" Building Innovations Faster? What are the latest and greatest practices for innovation in the hard-tech space? Hear from startups, investors, and entrepreneurs about how hard-tech researchers can prepare for customer discovery and find product-market fits that cross the "valley of death" and succeed.

  • Slides: Kipp Bradford, CTO, Treau Inc.
  • Slides: Ilan Gur, CEO, Activate
  • Slides: Ramsay Huntley, sustainable finance strategist, Wells Fargo
  • Slides: Alexandria Lafci, co-founder and COO, New Story
  • Slides: Edmund Pendleton, lead instructor, Regional Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Program, University of Maryland
  • Slides: Katie Rae, CEO and managing partner, The Engine

IMPEL Your Innovation! Hear IMPEL+ participants pitch their innovations in a "Shark Tank"-style panel of entrepreneurs, potential funders, and other experts. See what advice the experts give them and provide your own!

  • Slides: IMPEL+ Overview: Speakers and Expert Mentor Panelists:
    • Karma Sawyer, program manager, Emerging Technologies, Building Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
    • Mary Hubbard, Building Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
    • Reshma Singh, program director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Expert Mentor: Kipp Bradford, CTO, Treau Inc.
    • Expert Mentor: Erin Keys, director of sustainability, Austin Technology Incubator
    • Expert Mentor: Alexandria Lafci, co-founder and COO, New Story
  • Slides: Luis Fernandes, Ph.D., principal scientific engineering associate, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Slides: Steve Norwood, president, Norwood Architecture Inc.
  • Slides: Wale Odukomaiya, Ph.D., research engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  • Slides: Erik Page, CEO, Blue Iris Labs Inc.
  • Slides: Elise Strobach, Ph.D., CEO, AeroShield
  • Video: IMPEL Introduction
Headline banner that reads "Wednesday, November 18."

Leading Local – Clean Energy Approaches: Local government leaders across the country are designing and deploying programs to meet clean energy and environmental goals. Learn how – and where – clean energy programs are going, what challenges they’ve encountered, and those they’ve overcome.

  • (No slides): Harry Bergmann, Building Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy
  • (No slides):Brian Blackmon, director, City of Knoxville Office of Sustainability
  • (No slides): Mark Chambers, director of sustainability, New York City
  • Slides: Andrea Durbin, executive director, Oregon Environmental Council
  • Slides: Patricia Gomez, resilience/energy program manager, Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience
  • (No slides): Johanna Partin, director, Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance
  • (No slides): Erick Shambarger, director of environmental sustainability, City of Milwaukee
  • Slides: Edward Yim, energy policy advisor, District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment

From Intention to Action: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Building Efficiency: Concrete examples of actions the clean energy field is taking to increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Panelists describe the outcomes of their organizations' actions and then share perspectives in facilitated breakout sessions.

  • Slides: Holly Carr, Solar Decathlon director, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Slides: Roderick Jackson, Ph.D., laboratory program manager, Building Technologies Research and Development, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  • Slides: Mandy Mahoney, president, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance
  • Slides: Terrence Mosley, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science and Technology Policy Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Slides: Chun Yee Yip, director of external partnerships, Lendlease