Meeting/Event Information

March 2022 - ASHRAE/AEE Joint Meeting

Free Zoom Meeting

Wednesday, March 2nd at 5:00PM

Click Here to Register for Free

Dear ASHRAE / AEE members and guests,

We’re delighted to present a joint meeting that will cover a quick update on BERDO 2.0, followed by two presentations on Acton-Boxborough’s Net Zero school geothermal water source heat pump + battery design, from the perspective of owner and their engineer. To finish off the evening we will learn more about VRF heat pump capabilities, applications and Mass Save incentive rebates.

This meeting will feature four speakers:

Steve Di Giacomo, PE, CEM, BCxP of EMA will briefly present Building Energy Reporting Disclosure Ordinance (BERD0) 2.0, recently signed into law. The ordinance has “shifted” BERDO’s primary focus from reducing Site/Source Energy and GHGs to exclusively reducing CO2e (GHG) emissions with a stated goal for Zero emissions by 2050. Steve will also share emissions modeling outputs and Alternative Compliance Payments (aka ‘penalties’) for offices, manufacturing & technology/science.

Kate Crosby, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District (ABRSD) Energy Manager will discuss their new Net Zero Energy all-electric geothermal solar + storage Douglas Gates school building (177,000 sf), ready for occupancy in August 2022. She will also comment on experience with battery storage, “Electrification Roadmap” planning for existing buildings, and MA policy news on annual revenue for clean heat projects via the APS (Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard).

Dom Puniello, PE, CEM, CSDP of GGD will present on the Douglas Gates school’s design / selection process using Energy Modeling & LCCA relating to Ground Source Well Fields, High Efficiency Modular Heat Recovery Heat Pump Chiller Plant, High Performance Air Handling System Distribution including (i) Displacement Ventilation (ii) Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems (DOAS) w/Energy Recovery & CO2 demand controlled ventilation (iii) Radiant Heating and Cooling Panel systems, (iv) Building energy management system and Integration of MEP Systems.

Mitsubishi’s Eric Tobiassen will provide us with updates on air and water source VRF heat pump and domestic hot water heat pump design capabilities, applications and Mass Save current/future upstream and custom incentives / rebates.

Speaker Bios

Steve Di Giacomo, PE, CEM, BCxP is principal engineer and founder of Energy Management Associates (EMA) providing energy audits, and mechanical & control systems troubleshooting for the past 25 years. Team EMA has provided LEED commissioning services on Platinum, Gold and Silver new construction projects. More recently Steve has been involved in campus-wide decarbonization and emissions modeling for a Metro Boston property managers and university campuses.

He has co-presented for AEE on various other topics including:

• Building Rating Systems, Demystified (Sep 2018)

• ENERGY AUDITS: The How & Why (Dec 2019)

• Sustainable & Healthy Buildings – can we have our cake and eat it too? (Sep 2020)

Steve is a graduate of the University of Delaware where he earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Degree, with a minor in chemistry. He has authored technical papers on CO2 based demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) in both Engineered Systems Magazine and the Journal of Energy Engineering.

Kate Crosby has served as Energy Manager at Acton-Boxborough Regional School District for a decade. She oversees aggressive energy conservation and efficiency initiatives, resulting in a 35% reduction in electricity & natural gas consumption over the FY2009 benchmark. She has been deeply engaged in energy and sustainability for the new Net Zero all-electric geothermal 177,000 s.f. Douglas-Gates School Building, opening Summer 2022. She led the installation of a 2MW/4MWH battery array on the main campus. She is leading “Electrification Roadmap” planning currently underway supported by a $70,000 state grant, identifying strategies and timeline for electrification of existing school buildings.

Kate attended Brown and Catholic University of America, and holds a Master’s of Science in Resource Management & Conservation from Antioch University of New England. She also holds a BOC in Facilities Management/Building Operations.

Dominick Puniello, PE is a Principal Engineer with over 24 years of mechanical engineering design experience. At GGD Consulting Engineers, Inc. he directs the Mechanical (HVAC) department and provides supervision and direction to his engineering team through all stages of the project, including conceptual system selection and development, lifecycle cost and energy analysis, design, construction administration, and project closeout.

He is an alum of Roger Williams University and has served as an Associate Professor at Roger Williams University School of Engineering and Construction Management, where he has taught MEP design for Construction Managers. He is also a former faculty member of the Boston Architectural Center having lectured on MEP system engineering and design.

Dominick’s work experience includes a wide variety of project types including K-12 and higher education, public safety, municipal, library, recreational, office, housing, hospital and laboratory, and residential projects. His design focus is to provide highly efficient systems with a high degree of thermal comfort and indoor air quality that meet both the project budget and client’s goals and expectations.

On current and past projects, Dominick has provided project engineering designs including the following system types: high efficiency boiler and chiller plants, fossil fuel free geothermal and air source heat pump systems, variable air volume, active and passive chilled beams, variable refrigerant flow, energy recovery, displacement ventilation, and high-performance building management systems.

Eric Tobiassen is an Area Sales Manager at Mitsubishi Electric. He graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Engineering Management. For the past eleven years, Eric has been working in the engineering sales community in the HVAC industry. Eric works closely with consulting engineering firms by offering training and assistance with designing VRF and domestic hot water heat pump systems.