Nathaniel Smith Speaking @ American Association of Blacks in Energy Policy Summit 2020

Panel Questions

1. Do we have the workforce necessary to accelerate energy efficiency? What are the greatest skill gaps that cities, states, and educational institutions need to begin to fill?
2. Efficient design and modeling are important, but a lot of important savings also come from operations and maintenance. How can we continue to improve disclosure and benchmarking buildings after they’re built?
3. Code is supposed to be a floor, not a ceiling. But in my role working with cities, I see a huge reluctance and even fear about asking developers for anything beyond code. How can we break that, or push for improvement without pushing too far? What should be incentivized and what should be mandated?
4. What’s at the top of your wish list for federal programs in the first 100 days, or first 6 months of the administration – either from stimulus or other regulatory action?
5. The poorest among us also live and work in the lowest quality buildings, leading to higher utility costs and serious health disparities. What are some successful programs that support efficiency across all income levels so that a rising tide can actually lift all boats?