Join us at Decarbonizing Communities 2025, where we’ll spend the day workshopping strategies to advance community-level energy efficiency and electrification programs that deliver meaningful and measurable benefits to low- and moderate-income communities. Connecting concepts to real-life solutions in a collaborative, interactive format, the workshop will feature a variety of topics including centering community voices in stakeholder engagement, workforce development programs to create local jobs, innovative finance mechanisms, and advanced technologies.
Bringing together energy efficiency professionals, program funding experts, utility representatives, municipal program administrators, housing authority agents, facility managers, asset managers, and other key stakeholders, Decarbonizing Communities 2025 will provide case studies, pathways, and tangible solutions in a collaborative, interactive format. Network with colleagues, learn what has worked, and identify the challenges, all while collectively problem solving with industry experts and peers.
These sessions will focus on centering community voices to provide tangible benefits to residents during the implementation of energy efficiency, electrification, and community energy programs at residential properties and community-serving institutions. The track is designed to provide community-level stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted approach required for programs to reduce energy use while preserving affordability. This track will emphasize the crucial role of community involvement and the importance of accountability to community members in program design and implementation. Participants will explore strategies for providing meaningful and lasting benefits to communities through accessible program design, fair compensation, workforce development programs, and innovative approaches to stakeholder engagement.
The content in this track explores community-level approaches to energy efficiency and electrification deployment with a particular focus on multifamily housing, municipal and community-serving institutions, and community energy solutions. Participants will discuss various strategies for implementing whole-building retrofits, community solar programs, and networked geothermal systems while addressing the unique needs of low-income communities. Participants will also learn how to leverage various financial strategies, including public-private partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, and federal and state grants. This track emphasizes workforce development initiatives to create local job opportunities and examines inclusive financing mechanisms to ensure these programs benefit all community members, regardless of income or property ownership status.
Informal opportunity to connect with colleagues, speakers, plus NEEP & PowerOptions staff.
Now more than ever, state leadership is crucial for a just transition to a clean energy future. And with rising concerns, including funding uncertainty at the federal level, states in the region are implementing innovative policies and programs to reach their goals. In this plenary, state leaders will share decarbonization strategies and partnerships they leverage to plan and reach their own goals while also supporting communities to meet theirs.
Maggie Molina, Executive Director, NEEP
Heather Takle, President & CEO, PowerOptions
Chris Kearns, Acting Energy Commissioner, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources
Sue AnderBois, City of Providence City Council
Powering Up Participation: Advancing Energy Efficiency, Electrification, and Community Energy Programs with Effective Community Engagement
Effective community engagement strategies are a key component of successful decarbonization programs. In this session, panelists will showcase proven approaches to connecting with stakeholders such as forming lasting partnerships with community-based organizations, providing tangible benefits for community expertise, and crafting effective online education and outreach campaigns. Panelists will discuss the importance of authentic, two-way processes in fostering community buy-in, how engagement can advance program efficiency and effectiveness, and strategies for using digital media to expand program uptake.
Kate Felder, Energy Efficiency Consumer Advocate, Rhode Island Energy
April Brown, Director, Providence Racial & Environmental Justice Committee
Sarah Huang, Director of Equity and Environmental Justice, CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Sonal Jessel, Program Director, Building Power Resource Center
Overcoming Bottlenecks: How Regional Collaboration Can Advance Geothermal Heating & Cooling at the Local Level
Geothermal heating and cooling offers a forward-thinking solution for a range of environmental and economic challenges at the community level. Widespread adoption of the technology, however, is hindered by a variety of bottlenecks, including long waits for technicians and equipment. In this session, panelists will explore strategies for overcoming these bottlenecks.
Mike Roles, Executive Director, Rhode Island Institute for Labor Studies and Research
Angie Alberto Escobar, Director of Gas to Geo Transition, HEET
Stacy Kinnaly, Executive Director, Geothermal Drillers Association
Beyond the Incentives: How Innovative Financing Models Can Advance Inclusive Energy Efficiency and Electrification
It is more important than ever to develop strategies that make financing for energy efficiency and electrification projects accessible to hard-to-target populations like renters, multifamily landlords, commercial property owners, and homeowners in low- and moderate- income communities. In this session, panelists will delve into financing mechanisms that can advance community-level decarbonization, including Inclusive Utility Investments, ESPCs, green leases, PACE programs, and more.
Ashley Muspratt, President & CEO, Center for EcoTechnology
Mackey Dykes, Vice President of Financing Programs, CT Green Bank
Andy Posner, Founder & CEO, Capital Good Fund
Synergizing Success: Utility-Municipality Collaborations for Impactful Energy Efficiency and Electrification Programs
Effective partnerships between utilities and municipalities are critically important for developing and implementing successful energy efficiency, electrification, and community energy programs. In this session, panelists will discuss strategies for fostering these types of partnerships, including best practices for drafting formal agreements, data sharing, and joint outreach efforts. Panelists will also share best practices for overcoming common challenges in aligning goals and resources between utilities and local governments.
Amanda Formica, Lead Customer Account Manager for Community Solutions, National Grid
Katherine Peters, Director of Residential Energy Efficiency, Eversource
Michael Cunningham, Key Account Manager, Rhode Island Energy
No Community Left Behind: Crafting Inclusive Engagement for Energy Programs in Multifamily Affordable Housing
Multifamily housing plays a vital role in meeting an essential community need for safe and affordable housing. This diverse sector encompasses public housing - subsidized and unsubsidized affordable units, and mixed-income properties - that comprise a crucial component of community infrastructure. However, the path to decarbonizing multifamily housing presents the distinct challenge of retrofitting occupied buildings. This session will explore the nuanced approaches required to retrofit various multifamily housing types with emphasis on the importance of community-centered program design and implementation.
Michael Anderson, Senior Manager for Community Solutions, NEEP
Joshua Smith, Associate Program Manager, CMC Energy Services
Greg Abbe, Sustainability Program Developer, MA Office of Housing and Livable Communities
Scaling Community Energy Solutions
Community-driven solutions can be transformative for communities seeking to expand clean energy access through community solar, resilience hubs, and Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs. In this session, panelists will share their experience with implementing these initiatives and discuss how they can provide significant health, economic, and environmental benefits to residents. Speakers will discuss the complexities and costs of these projects and highlight recent experience with CCAs and their results on lowering energy prices, increasing purchasing power, and supporting local economic development. Speakers will delve into implementation challenges and successes, scaling up these solutions to maximize combined impact, envisioning the future of community-centered energy strategies, and exploring how these interconnected programs can work together to create more resilient, sustainable, and economically vibrant communities.
Moneer Azzam, Principal, Beacon Climate Innovations
Talia Fox, Sustainability Manager, Town of Arlington (MA)
Alex Keally, Project Developer, Solect Energy
PowerOptions and NEEP are committed to creating events and programming that are accessible to all. To uphold our intention to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in all we do, we’ve set up a pay what you can (PWYC) option. For more information, please contact Jessica Augat.
This workshop is being held in Providence, Rhode Island at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). An urban campus, RISD is conveniently located for travel by train. Both Amtrak and the Metro Boston Transit Authority provide train transportation via Providence Station in downtown Providence, just a short walk from the heart of campus. We have also arranged for parking for attendees and will send directions to registered attendees before the event. Don't forget to book a stay if your travel includes spending the night.
We have sponsorship packages available. For more details about partnering with PowerOptions & NEEP, please visit our sponsorship sheet. For additional information, please contact us.
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