HPAC Engineering's fifth annual Engineering Green Buildings (EGB) Conference and Expo, co-located with the magazine's inaugural Commissioning Green Buildings (CxGB) Conference and Expo and the NV Energy Sure Bet Program conference and regional-partner exposition, brought approximately 300 building professionals to Las Vegas.
Held Oct. 21 and 22 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the EGB and CxGB conferences consisted of 31 one- and two-hour technical sessions that provided information on a variety of green and commissioning topics, such as energy efficiency, sustainability, and Continuous Commissioning.
"Despite a very difficult economic climate right now, I am gratified that EGB had solid attendance and the event was a great success," Jeff Ferenc, HPAC Engineering's editor in chief and EGB/CxGB conference manager, said. "Based on comments and evaluations from conference attendees, I'm pleased that our educational-program speakers did an excellent job of delivering information that was useful and enlightening. The need exists for authoritative information on how energy-efficient mechanical systems and technology contribute to green buildings."
EGB and CxGB conference sessions included:
• "Performance-Based Building Design and Operations," presented by HPAC Engineering Editorial Advisory Board member Thomas Hartman, PE, principal of The Hartman Co. in Georgetown, Texas.
• "How to Avoid Unintended Consequences of Green Buildings," presented by George DuBose, vice president of building consulting services for Liberty Building Forensics Group in Orlando, Fla.
• "ASHRAE Commissioning for LEED New and Existing Buildings," presented by HPAC Engineering Editorial Advisory Board member Ronald J. Wilkinson, PE, LEED AP, a senior commissioning project manager for AKF Engineers LLC in New York.
Principal of Yudelson Associates, author, and green-buildings expert Jerry Yudelson, PE, MS, LEED AP, spoke about how some of Europe's leading engineers approach design and how they respond to the growing demand for net-zero-energy buildings during his keynote address, "What We Can Learn from European Green Building Design."
"What if you started with the idea that in 10 years, energy is going to cost three times as much as it does today?" Yudelson asked. "Would you still begin with the same design?"
Yudelson's address was based on interviews with European engineers and research performed by Yudelson Associates.
"The things that happen in the (European Union) are going to happen here rather quickly," he said. "People who sign the front of the check ... are already going green in a big way."
A number of leading-edge companies featured their green products in the exhibition hall. (See pages 12 and 14 for a sampling.)
"I'd like to express my deepest appreciation to all of our conference sponsors and exhibitors, especially our Elite Host sponsor, the NV Energy Sure Bet Program, which co-located its event at this year's EGB Conference," Ferenc said. "Arranging for Michael Yackira, chief executive officer of NV Energy, to speak at the event further demonstrated the high level of importance NV Energy has placed on helping customers achieve significantly higher levels of energy efficiency for commercial and institutional facilities."
For continuing updates on the 2009 EGB Conference and Expo, go to www.egbconference.com.
Special Thanks
The staff of HPAC Engineering would like to thank the following sponsors and exhibitors for their support of the fifth annual Engineering Green Buildings Conference and Expo and the inaugural Commissioning Green Buildings Conference and Expo: ABB Inc., Acuity Brands Inc., Aggreko, the American Boiler Manufacturers Association, Air Movement & Control Association Inc., Bentley Systems Inc., Bradford White, Carel, Chemtrol, Coolerado Corp., Danfoss Inc., DM Technology, ebm papst Inc., Kidde-Fenwal, Liquid Stucco, Long Building Technologies Inc., Measurement Computing Corp., Mee Industries Inc., Multistack LLC, NV Energy, Niagara Blower Co., Onicon Inc., Power Efficiency, Price, Semco Inc., TAC, Taco Inc., Tate Access Floors Inc., Trane, and Wessco.