Fraunhofer CSE Hosts Expert Discussion on Residential Energy Scorecards
U.S. and German energy authorities discuss implementing residential scorecards
BOSTON, June 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems CSE (Fraunhofer CSE), part of Fraunhofer USA Inc., yesterday hosted a public discussion on "Driving Energy Efficiency through Residential Scorecards" addressing recently filed legislation requiring house sellers in Massachusetts to provide home energy scorecards to prospective buyers. The event featured a keynote by Hans Erhorn of the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics in Stuttgart, Germany, who is an acting consultant to the German government and supported the introduction of German 'energy performance certificates' in 2007. Following Mr. Erhorn's remarks a panel discussion took place moderated by Bruce Mohl, editor of CommonWealth Magazine. In addition to Mr. Erhorn, panelists included Alison Brizius, Director of Climate and Environmental Planning at the City of Boston; Ian Finlayson, Deputy Director, Energy Efficiency Division of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources; and Samantha Caputo, Policy and Research Associate, Public Policy Outreach and HELIX project at Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP).
The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced their intention that Massachusetts become the first state in the nation to require residential energy scores. The "scorecards" would be made available to potential homebuyers for any 1 to 4-unit homes publicly listed for sale. Talking points of the event hosted at Fraunhofer CSE included major lessons from German energy scorecards that may be applied to Massachusetts and challenges and concerns of implementing residential energy scorecards.
"With significant potential changes coming to Massachusetts due to the proposed residential energy scorecard requirement, the opportunity to hear about Mr. Erhorn's unique experience implementing a similar initiative in Germany couldn't have come at a better time," said Fraunhofer CSE Executive Director Christian Hoepfner. "Our speaker and panelists brought a wide range of perspectives and ideas that we look forward to following as this initiative gets implemented. Fraunhofer CSE is pleased that our grid modernization series continues to be a place for thought leaders and industry experts to learn about and discuss issues that will be affecting renewable energy for years to come."
Fraunhofer CSE will host the next Grid Modernization in Massachusetts Roundtable in August.
About Fraunhofer CSE
The Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems CSE is an applied research and development laboratory dedicated to building tomorrow's energy future today. Our staff's expertise in solar photovoltaics, smart energy-efficient buildings, and grid technologies provides a platform for deeply integrating distributed energy resources through collaborative R&D with private companies, government entities, and academic institutions. Fraunhofer CSE is one of seven centers of Fraunhofer USA Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit contract R&D organization. Fraunhofer USA Inc. works closely with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe's largest contract R&D organization. For more information, please visit: cse.fraunhofer.org
Contact:
Lindsey Dillon
617-714-6512
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SOURCE Fraunhofer USA, Inc.
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