GREENFIELD, Mass. - March 4, 2009 - Ian Bowles, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, is scheduled to announce the results of the Zero Net Energy Building Task Force at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's (NESEA) Building Energy Conference and Trade Show on Wednesday morning, March 11. The recommendations will include aggressive steps to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the Commonwealth.

NESEA's BuildingEnergy09 Conference and Trade Show will be held March 10-12 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Workshops and sessions during the three-day conference will provide in-depth knowledge from highly experienced and seasoned professionals from the northeast region and across the country. Green building and renewable energy professionals, architects, builders, contractors, investors, building owners, facility managers and others involved in the sustainable building industry, and those who are looking to get a foothold in the industry, are encouraged to attend the Conference.

The establishment of the Zero Net Energy Buildings Task Force was announced by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick at NESEA's 2008 Building Energy Conference and Trade Show. The Task Force is comprised of representatives from a broad range of industries such as architecture, building, real estate, engineering, renewable energy and utilities.
Secretary Bowles will outline the results of the Task Force during the Plenary Session on Wednesday, March 11 which will begin at 8:30 am. The keynote speaker of the Plenary Session, Marc Rosenbaum, PE, LEED(R) AP, founder of Energysmiths, will present "Deep Energy Retrofits: Less (Energy) if More (Better)."

The Task Force includes more than 60 members, nearly 20 percent of whom are NESEA members including David Barclay, NESEA's Executive Director. The Task Force's work focused on three areas: residential buildings, commercial buildings, and public buildings and developed recommendations for each. Secretary Bowles will be presenting these recommendations which are expected to include bold requirements for newly constructed and renovated buildings. The overriding goal is for buildings in the Commonwealth to achieve zero net energy or near zero net energy status in the coming decades. A zero net energy building produces as much energy as it uses.

"We are very pleased to have Secretary Bowles present the results of the Zero Net Energy Building Task Force at our Conference," stated Barclay.
"It is an exciting time to be a part of such a cutting-edge team and to move the Commonwealth toward zero net energy status."

Other features of BulidingEnergy09 include a free public forum on March 10 from 6-8 pm entitled "What's Right and What’s Wrong with LEED;' invaluable networking opportunities at the longest running Trade Show in the Northeast, highlighting sustainable and energy efficient products and services on March 11 and 12; and showing of "The Greening of Southie," on March 12, a documentary set on the rugged streets of South Boston that tells the story of Boston's first residential LEED gold building.

The Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust returns as the Title Sponsor of this year’s BuildingEnergy09 while New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) steps up as a Platinum level sponsor and TRC Solutions debuts as the Trade Show Reception Sponsor. Additional sponsors include: American Solar Energy Society, BuildingGreen, Cape Light Compact, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, Efficiency Maine, Integrity Windows and Doors, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, National Grid, NSTAR Electric and Gas.

Media Partners include: Alternative Energy Retailer, ASHRAE Journal, Banker & Tradesman, CSRwire, E-The Environmental Magazine, eco-structure, enerG Magazine, Environmental Design + Construction, Green Builder, Green Living Journal, High Performing Buildings, High-Profile Monthly, Home Energy, Indoor Environment Connections, metrogreenbusiness.com, New England Home, New England Real Estate Journal, New Jersey & Co., New York House, RenewableEnergyWorld.com, Smart HomeOwner, Solar Industry, and Sustainable Facility.

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) advances the practical application and adoption of sustainable and low-carbon energy practices in the Northeast United States. NESEA accomplishes this through a number of ongoing programs and annual events including: the Building Energy Conference and Trade Show, professional education workshops, K-12 Education programs, the Green Buildings Open House Tour, and the Sustainable Green Pages, a Directory of energy professional in the Northeast.

For more information and to pre-register for BuildingEnergy09 -- "Real Solutions, Real Experts" please visit www.buildingenergy.nesea.org or call 413-774-6051.

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA)

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA)

About NESEA

NESEA is the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (www.NESEA.org), Founded in 1974, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is today the region’s leading membership organization promoting sustainable energy practices in the built environment. We as professionals in the fields of renewable energy and building embrace whole systems thinking as the path to sustainability, and we accomplish this by focusing on three core elements:

• Creating and supporting a diverse, multidisciplinary network
• Promoting sustainable energy solutions for the built environment
• Rigorously vetting solutions through our network of professionals - no greenwashing here.

Headquartered in Greenfield, MA, NESEA operates primarily in the six New England states plus New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, but we increasingly reach out to share ideas nationally and internationally.

About BuildingEnergy

BuildingEnergy is NESEA's annual building science and renewable energy conference and trade show. Held in Boston annually in March, BuildingEnergy is the is the most established, most cross-disciplinary renewable energy and high-performance building conference and trade show in the northeast. It attracts professionals from every part of the building and energy industry.

Learn more about this year's exciting BuildingEnergy line-up at www.nesea.org/buildingenergy

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