HIGHLIGHTED PRESENTERS WHO WILL BE AT THE CONFERENCE
Presenter Bios (as of Oct 5, 2009)
Areef Abraham (Vancouver, BC): Areef is a managing partner in Quality Program Delivery Services, a company delivering energy retrofits to low income customers of BC Hydro. Over the last twenty-five years he has developed and managed several large networks of energy retrofit contractors in both England and British Columbia.
Jeff Blake (Toronto): Jeff is a senior project manager at Natural Resources Canada with more than twenty-five years of experience with building energy analysis, building performance simulation, and developing software tools for the building energy simulation community. As the HOT3000 project manager he is responsible for delivering the next generation of housing energy performance simulation software.
Michael Blasnik (Boston): Michael is a very independent consultant specializing in energy efficiency program design and evaluation. He has performed many program impact evaluations and knows what works and what doesn't. Michael is highly sceptical of performance claims based on projections.
Joseph Bonello (Toronto): Joseph is senior manager of programs for GreenSaver. He is responsible for LDC Low Income programs and outreach for the Multifamily Energy Efficiency Rebate Program for assisted social housing. Joe has twenty years of experience in the energy field and utility industry where he was involved in the design and delivery of the Summer Challenge and Business Incentive programs.
Dara Bowser (Brantford, ON): Dara has been involved in residential HVAC systems energy use in buildings as a consultant, manufacturer, researcher, and trainer for thirty years. He is the president of Bowser Technical Inc, a nationally recognized consultancy specializing in HVAC System Performance. Dara's projects include design, research, quality assurance, technical writing, fault investigation, and dispute resolution.
Jill Breysse, CIH, (Columbia, MD): Jill has been a program manager at the National Center for Healthy Housing for eleven years. She manages Healthy Homes research studies, including two projects exploring the impact of housing renovations on resident health and a lead-safe weatherization study evaluating the effect of weatherization on dust lead levels. Jill developed a radon education module for EPA that is taught nationally.
Robert Calla (Ottawa): Rob is leader of the Simulation Team at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and an accredited Project Management Professional (PMP) with a building engineering background. With over fifteen years of experience in the development of building energy simulation software, he plays a key role in establishing future directions of both housing and building-related simulation software on behalf of NRCan.
Steve Connelly (Burnaby, BC): Steve brings twenty-five years of experience is a senior program manager for the BC Hydro Power Smart program. He has developed successful electric and gas utility energy efficiency programs for both residential and commercial markets. Steve manages the Power Smart New Home program and the LiveSmart BC: Efficiency Incentive Program partnership at BC Hydro.
Gord Cooke (Cambridge): From his company Air Solutions Inc., Gord wears many hats such as HVAC analysis, magazine columnist, trainer for various organizations, etc. He conducts IAQ courses for CMHC and ÏBetter Built HomeÓ sessions for EEBA. Gord's experience ensures that energy efficiency measures are balanced with good indoor environments.
Anthony Cox (Christiansburg, VA): Anthony is the building science manager for Community Housing Partners and the New River Center for Energy Research and Training in Christiansburg, VA. He has been involved with weatherization for over nineteen years. Anthony provides nationwide training in residential energy conservation and diagnostics. He developed his "House of Pressure" as a training tool to visually demonstrate home performance testing.
Laverne Dalgleish (Winnipeg): Laverne is a principal in the BPC (Building Professionals Consortium) which designs, develops, and delivers site quality assurance programs for the construction industry. He has specialized in building envelopes, energy efficiency, and building performance for over twenty years. Laverne is a frequent presenter across North America addressing topics related to building enclosures, energy efficiency, green building practices, standards, and quality of construction.
Suzanne Deschênes (Ottawa): Suzanne is the acting deputy director of operations for the Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency. She has directed the development of the ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes program and the former EnerGuide for Houses program.
Paul Duffy, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., (Mississauga): Paul is vice president of engineering for Icynene Inc., an international manufacturer of spray foam insulation and air barrier products. Paul is involved with the Ontario Building Envelope Council (OBEC) and the Canadian Residential Energy Services Network (CRESNET). He is a sitting member on several Canadian Standards Association and Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance committees and task groups.
Peter Edwards (Mississauga): Peter is an experienced researcher and consultant. He is active in development and implementation of improved energy efficient residential space conditioning technologies. He participates in a number of technical committees responsible for testing and rating HVAC equipment including air handlers, furnaces, heat pumps, heat recovery ventilators, and integrated mechanical systems.
Ross Elliott (Almonte): Ross is a reformed homebuilder / renovator with thirty years of energy evaluation experience. His company Homesol Building Solutions is an ecoENERGY Service Organization and a LEED Canada for Homes Provider, and Ross consults with dozens of ENERGY STAR and R-2000 builders to advance green building performance towards "net positive energy."
Ken Farrish (Delta, BC): Ken has been a member of the energy-efficiency lunatic fringe for over thirty years. He consults to utilities on energy retrofit programs, and publishes the BC Building Info newsletter and Web site for the BC building industry. Ken's vision is a stronger Canadian energy retrofit industry that works together to assist building owners in moving from audit to action.
Don Figley, P.Eng (Saskatoon): Don has thirty years of experience as a building science researcher with the National Research Council and consulting engineer. Figley Consulting Associates Ltd. deals with building science and indoor air quality. He has published research papers addressing crawl space engineering and has recently completed a CMHC research study on the long-term performance of crawl space remediation strategies.
Jim Fitzgerald (Minneapolis): Jim works with Conservation Services Group. He brings experience with thousands of houses and multifamily buildings. Jim was one of the first practitioners and trainers of dense-packing cellulose insulation, and is on the leading edge of pressure boundary diagnostics, combustion spillage resolution, and weatherization for acoustic purposes (e.g., airports). He is equally good with an IR camera or a Sawzall.
Lou Frustaglio (Toronto): Lou has been a renovator/builder for thirty-five years. Dreambuilders Ltd. is an award-winning firm in the Toronto area. He is active in the Renovators Council at BILD and OHBA and is past Chair of the Canadian Home Builders Association Renovator's Council. Lau believes that consumers (as well as the trades) should be educated on energy efficient materials and methods.
Don Fugler (Ottawa): Don works in Policy and Research at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the federal agency responsible for housing. He was trained as a mechanical engineer. Don manages projects for CMHC in areas such as indoor air quality, ventilation, combustion spillage, moisture, attics, and contaminated soils. Don is committed to finding practical solutions for building science problems.
Bill Gauley, P.Eng (Mississauga): Bill is a principal of Veritec Consulting, a consulting engineering firm specializing in water efficiency. In 2003 he developed the internationally recognized Maximum Performance program to rate the flushing performance of water efficient toilets. Bill has completed research on water efficient products including showerheads, sensor-operated faucets, humidifiers, irrigation systems, and more.
Lorraine Gauthier (Toronto): Lorraine is a founding partner in Work Worth Doing, a forward thinking design studio creating social and environmental change. In 2008, Lorraine led the implementation team and launched the first Now House, a near zero energy retrofit of a sixty-year-old wartime house and one of twelve winning projects in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's EQuilibrium sustainable housing competition.
Jamie Glouchkow (Ottawa): Jamie leads a team of five researchers at CanmetENERGY where his focus is on technology R&D to market initiatives, trying to bridge the 'valley of death' through the development of testing protocols, standards, field trials, early market education, and support to early market adopters. Jamie was the project manager for the Integrated Mechanical Systems (eKOCOMFORT®) initiative.
Steve Goldberg P.Eng., C.E.M, (Ottawa): Steve joined the C3 Group of companies in 2007 bringing eighteen years of experience in management, environmental engineering, building science, building condition evaluation, and residential / commercial / energy efficiency assessment. Steve has worked on residential housing / building / evaluation and energy efficiency and is a trainer and quality assurance auditor for many of Natural Resources Canada's residential energy efficiency programs.
Skip Hayden (Ottawa): Skip is the senior research scientist with the Integrated Energy Systems Lab. at CanmetENERGY of Natural Resources Canada. He is working to improve the efficiency and reduce emissions of combustion systems and has a reputation for describing potentially complex heating systems in an understandable way.
Shawna Henderson (Halifax): Shawna is a building scientist and home designer. Her company, Bfreehomes Design Ltd. specializes in deep energy retrofits of some of the oldest housing stock in the country as well as designing and consulting on innovative, low-energy new homes. Shawna has carried research projects for CMHC and NRCan on approaching Net Zero Energy in existing and new homes.
David Hill (Burnaby, BC): David is president of Eneready Products Ltd. With help from mentors in France, Sweden, Finland, and North America Eneready has developed effective ventilation equipment, controls, and applications for moisture and indoor air quality problems. David's focus has been the ventilation of single and multi-unit wood frame housing located in a heating climate.
John Hockman (Winnipeg): John directs much of the ecoENERGY auditing in Manitoba, and spends his time as well in research, contractor training, and the development of codes and standards, including the National Building Code. John and his Winnipeg colleagues have been successfully doing major house energy retrofits since the seventies.
John Jeza (Toronto): John's passion to design and implement effective energy conservation programs has made him a leader for twenty-five years at Ontario Hydro, Sudbury Utilities, and now at the Ontario Power Authority. He is the architect of programs addressing heat pumps, low income housing, aboriginal energy retrofits, policy development, market research, and one of the first energy audit programs in Ontario.
Steve Kemp, M.A.Sc., P.Eng (Kitchener ON): Steve is a sustainable design consultant and the division head of building research with Enermodal Engineering Ltd. – a firm providing consulting engineering services in sustainable building design. His projects have highlighted low energy consumption with exceptional indoor environmental quality. Steve has designed mechanical ventilation systems for MURBS and has monitored IAQ and ventilation system performance.
Juergen Korn (Whitehorse): Juergen is an engineer, and by necessity a building science generalist with Yukon Housing Corp. He is involved in research, design, industry training, codes, standards, and program development. Juergen has a particular interest in cold climate issues. Efforts recently have been focused on sustainable housing, costs, and industry training.
Greg Labbé (Toronto): Greg has been with the avant-garde non-profit GreenSaver for over a decade. He manages and trains a large team of specialists delivering weatherization and insulation services for private and low income clients in the GTA. He's rummaged a thousand attics to vanquish ice dams. Greg is a certified ecoEnergy Trainer with NRCan and a Certified Solar Installer with CanSIA.
Jack Laverty (Columbus, OH): Jack is the manager of Demand-side Management programs for Columbia Gas of Ohio. He has worked on designing, implementing, and evaluating lower-income customer weatherization programs in Ohio since 1979. Jack continues to work to ensure that Columbia's WarmChoice weatherization program and Ohio's Home Weatherization Assistance Program provide lower-income customers with high levels of verifiable savings.
Gail Lawlor (Pickering): Gail has been involved in the residential energy efficiency industry through her consulting firm Energy Matters for over twenty-five years in capacities that include air sealing contractor, retailer of energy products, and building science and IAQ trainer. Gail's vision is the development of a retrofit contractors' accreditation program to ensure effective deep energy reductions in our existing housing stock.
Gregory J. Leng (St. Catharines, ON): Greg, an energy engineer, is the creator and director of the RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software at NRCan's CanmetENERGY centre in Varennes, QC. He specializes in the clean energy market, technology, and finance interface. Greg has been working in the renewable energy and energy efficiency fields for the past twenty-four years.
Peter Love (Toronto): Peter recently formed Love Energy Consultants to advance sustainability. In 2005, he became Ontario's first chief energy conservation officer to provide leadership in electricity conservation and promote a culture of conservation. Earlier in his career, he worked with the Pollution Probe to develop the 3Rs motto "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and was a cofounder of the Movement Against Acid Rain.
Clifford Maynes (Peterborough): Clifford is founding executive director of Green Communities Canada, a national association of non-profit community organizations that deliver environmental programs and services. He has been closely involved in his organization's efforts over the past decade to design and deliver low-income retrofit programs, and to promote energy efficiency as a response to energy poverty through research, publications, conferences, and networking.
Greg McIntosh (Richmond Hill, ON): Greg, managing director of Snell Infrared Canada, is a Professional Engineer who has utilized thermography since 1976 while working for a wide variety of public and private companies. He has published thermography guides and papers including a chapter in "The Theory and Practice of Radiation Thermometry". Greg sat on numerous technical committees and was SPIE Thermosense Chairman in 1989.
W. M. Tex McLeod (Toronto): With over twenty-five years in housing and energy conservation Tex delivers training across Canada and the US. In addition, he also develops training materials. Tex was part of the team that put together the IAQ training materials for CMHC including the IAQ Investigators Course. He worked with Gord Cooke to develop an IAQ workshop for the US EPA as well as a ventilation course for HVI.
Anil Parekh P.Eng., (Ottawa): Anil is a senior research manager at CanmetENERGY with over twenty years of research and field experience in the building energy efficiency technologies, integration of mechanical systems, energy analysis, building performance studies, program design, and impact assessments.
Bert Phillips (Winnipeg): Bert is an engineer with UNIES, a Manitoba company that has been in the forefront of building and HVAC design. When he is not travelling across the continent on his motorcycle to ASHRAE meetings, Bert has undertaken research projects such as furnace fan power usage, ventilation system design, and ground source heat pump performance.
Gary Proskiw (Winnipeg): Gary of Proskiw Engineering Ltd. is a mechanical engineer with thirty years of experience in building science, energy management, research, and training. His work includes forensic investigations of building envelope problems in residential, industrial, and commercial structures. Gary has served on the Part 9 Committees of the National and Manitoba Building Codes as well as CSA and CGSB committees.
Steve Reesor (Ontario): Steve brings thirty year of experience to his position as the president and head technical advisor for Great Northern Insulation. GNIs services include the installation of thermal and acoustical insulation, fireproofing, air sealing, damp proofing and audits to the residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors. In addition Barrier Sciences Group distributes foam products for insulation and air sealing.
Louise Roux (Ottawa): Louise is the technical coordinator for the housing programs at Natural Resources Canada. She has worked for the Housing Programs for ten years and has been involved in the development of ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes program and the former EnerGuide for Houses program. During that time, she has worked with energy efficiency related issues in support of new and existing residential programs.
Ken Ruest (Ottawa): Ken is a senior researcher with CMHC. He is a building science generalist with experience in air sealing, moisture investigations, energy retrofit auditing and training. His background in practical field research includes indoor air quality, building performance issues leading to moisture problems and deterioration. Ken has worked on several energy retrofit programs, trained auditors, and performed quality assurance inspections.
Jeremy Sager (Ottawa): Jeremy is an HVAC project officer with Natural Resources Canada's Sustainable Buildings and Communities group. He's working to improve HVAC system efficiency and component integration and incorporate renewable sources of energy. Jeremy manages a number of projects with manufacturers and university researchers in Canada to prove system performance and improve on the status quo.
Bill Semple (Ottawa): Bill is a senior researcher (Northern Housing) at CMHC, working with northern housing corporations, and Inuit and First Nations communities to improve the energy efficiency and cultural appropriateness of northern housing. With a background in architecture and construction, his presentations draw upon his extensive experience, both in Canada and internationally, with carrying out projects in challenging environments.
Cate Soroczan (Ottawa): Cate is a senior researcher at CMHC for thirteen years and has recently completed her M.Eng. in greywater reuse at Dalhousie University. Her other water related interests include: water efficiency; alternative stormwater management; and the water energy nexus.
Terry Strack (Mississauga): Terry has extensive skills and experience in energy management, emerging technologies, advanced technology applications, and sustainable development practices. In 2003, Terry established Strack & Associates. He is a Professional Engineer with thirty years of experience in the energy management field, providing consulting, equipment testing, and development services.Terry is the holder of two US Patents for advanced heating technology.
Ken Tiedemann (Burnaby): Ken is the manager, research and evaluation at BC Hydro. He previously worked for the Government of Canada, and he has taught economics at the University of Alberta, the University of Ottawa and York University. He has conducted consulting assignments in about a dozen countries including China, Thailand, South Africa, and Egypt.
Martin Thomas (Ottawa): Martin is a research engineer with the Integrated Energy Systems Lab at CanmetENERGY of Natural Resources Canada. He has been in the energy research, development, and demonstration field for twenty-five years. Martin is working to improve the efficiency of appliances for space and water heating through laboratory developments, field testing, and the consensus development of performance test standards.
Stephen Thwaites (Ottawa): Stephen is technical director for Thermotech Fibreglass, manufacturer of high performance windows. He has a good understanding of what makes a durable window. Stephen also has a good understanding of the energy flows through and around windows - and how they can interact with those of the rest of the house.
George Torok, B.Tech. (Arch.Sci.), A.Sc.T., BSSO (Ottawa): George is national capital region manager and technical specialist for building envelope rehabilitation at GRG Building Consultants Inc. He helped revise CSA-A440.4-07 Installation of Windows, Doors and Skylights. George is technical advisor to the Siding and Window Dealers Association of Canada (SAWDAC) and trains window installers for its Window Wise quality assurance program.
Steven Tratt (Mississauga): Steve is in charge of material sales and services for the Zerodraft division of Canam Building Envelope Specialists, Inc. He has presented to many groups, including Construction Specifications Canada and the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario. In the U.S., he has conducted sessions at ACI and Certified Contractors Network (CCN) conferences.
Terry Watters (Wolfville, NS): Terry is the president of Sustainable Housing which was founded in 1991. He has been involved with R-2000 program as an inspector, trainer, and technical coordinator. Terry also holds a number of certificates with HRAI. Since 1999 his company has provided the energy assessment service for EnerGuide for Houses and ecoENERGY. He provides this service in the four Atlantic Provinces.
Joe Waugh (Saint John, NB): Joe is a life-long builder / renovator with a passion for energy and technical issues. A past chair of the Canadian Homebuilders Association's Technical Research Committee, Joe has worked with the R2000 program and energy efficient retrofit projects since the 1980's, first as a builder and then a trainer and evaluator. He brings a craftsman's approach to problem solving.
Jim White (Ottawa): Jim is a scientist trained in an engineering faculty to move new science into new practice. He invented the term "The House As A System" back in the early 80's and sees many opportunities for system thinking in retrofit; when we do not see the interactions between components and sub-systems, the housing still does. He notes that people are an integral part of the house as a system.
Linda Wigington (Waynesburg, PA): Linda is the founder of and has been associated with the ACI (Affordable Comfort) Conference since its inception in 1986 and serves as special projects director. Her current interest is demonstrating the feasibility of achieving deep energy reductions in existing dwellings through the North American Thousand Home Challenge.
Keith Williams (West Allis, WI): Keith is the owner of Building Services & Consultant LLC, providing residential energy related home performance consulting and training services. With twenty two years as an insulation contractor, and eight years as a home performance consultant, Keith is a nationally recognized trainer focusing on existing residential building diagnostics and improvement installations.
Phil Winters (Toronto): Phil is president of NorthGrid Solar which focuses on commercial scale rooftop solar PV. Previously he co-founded EnWise Power Solutions, Ontario's first turnkey residential energy efficiency company. Early in his career, Phil directed dozens of successful U.S and Canadian political campaigns. He sits on the Advisory Board of EarthRoots and is an Ambassador for the David Suzuki at Work Program.