Register: Strategies for Energy Reductions and Grid Reliability in Multi-Family Housing and Communities (October 31)

The residential building sector offers numerous opportunities to reduce homeowners’ utility bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions through innovative sustainability strategies and technologies.

Join EcoBlock principal investigator Dr. Therese Peffer and fellow UC Berkeley researchers on October 31 from 1:30-3:30 pm PT for a deep dive into cutting-edge solutions to advance energy efficiency and grid reliability in urban environments.

Therese will present the Oakland EcoBlock, a pilot project planning to retrofit a full urban block with resource-efficient and electrified infrastructure. This initiative is envisioned to provide a model for scalable and affordable access to solar energy, energy- and water-efficient upgrades, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving grid reliability. The project addresses numerous social, legal, financial, and technological challenges to demonstrate the feasibility of the retrofits, and will explore the possibility of including of a community microgrid.

The session will also include presentations by Chitra Nambiar on residential demand flexibility and Dr. Carlos Duarte on energy simulations for affordable mixed-use buildings.

This event is free and open to the public, and co-sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment (CBE).

Learn more and register

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Getting Off Gas, Block by Block

Despite its complexities, block-level decommissioning is likely more effective than an individual, house-by-house approach, offering untapped economies of scale that can be replicated across California. Dr. Therese Peffer provides insight into the challenges of pruning gas at the neighborhood block scale and its implications for the Oakland EcoBlock project.

Guest Talk by Benjamin Jones: How Harmful is Indoor Air? (July 31)

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