CalBEM 2026 Agenda & Details
CalBEM is an in-person event. Only the Working Group breakout sessions may be attended remotely.
Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided throughout the event.
Day 1: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
All times are Pacific.
| 7:30am | Registration and Breakfast |
| 8:15am | Introductions and Opening Remarks |
| 8:30am | Keynote: Brittany Moffett, Arup The Most Important Day in a Building’s Life: Most buildings are designed around average conditions, average days, and average operations. Yet the true value of a building is often revealed during its most challenging moments: a wildfire smoke event, an extreme heat wave, a power outage, or another community emergency. Drawing from work on resilience design standards, community resilience hubs, and wildfire preparedness, this keynote explores what it means to design buildings that are not only efficient during everyday operations, but capable of supporting people, maintaining essential functions, and strengthening community resilience during times of disruption. |
| 9:15am | Co-Chair Presentation & CalBEM Project Updates Working Group Co-Chairs will share 2026 accomplishments and highlight topics in each breakout session. Updates from the following three CalBEM projects: Open Source Data Visualizations for BEM Quality Assurance Greg Collins, Zero Envy Complex HVAC System Guidance Neil Bulger, A2 Efficiency BEM Connect: Building Energy Modeling Awareness Initiative Neil Bulger, A2 Efficiency |
| 9:45am | Break & Networking |
| 10:15am | Conversation Catalysts Four 15 minute presentations with Q&A to seed conversations and Breakout Session discussion. From EnergyPlus to CBECC: The IDF-to-CIBD Translator, and What CBECC Taught us Along the Way Nasim Mirian and Rob Guglielmetti, NORESCO IBPSA-USA Education Initiatives Dimitri Contoyannis, Model Efficiency The Real Life of a CASE Measure: Follow the Journey of Master Mixing Valves from Conception to Software Release Amin Delagah, TRC, with Haile Bucaneg, CEC, Neal Kruis, Big Ladder Software From Compliance Models to Compliance Checks: Identifying High-Value Residential Energy Code Measures Using Compliance Data Ria Majumder, CEC |
| 11:15am | Break |
| 11:30am | Power Talks 5 minute “lightning” presentations EnergyPlus, Plugged In: EnergyPlus-MCP and Agentic BEM Han Li, LBNL Visualization of Non-energy impacts of Energy Efficiency Chitra Nambiar, UC Berkeley Agentic AI Foundations and Applications for Building Energy Modeling Weili Xu, PNNL When Buildings Meet Mobility: Planning for Building and Transportation Electric Loads Together Ranjitha Shivaram, EPRI Calculating the Avoided Cost of Load Shifting Using DEER Energy Models Tom Bougher, West Monroe CalBEM Prototypes: Ready for Lift Off Rahul Athalye, NORESCO |
| 12:15pm | Lunch |
| 1:30pm | Working Group Breakout Session #1 Three breakout sessions are run in parallel, led by the Working Group Co-Chairs. These sessions are interactive discussions, please be ready to engage via video/audio if attending remotely. |
| 3:15pm | Break & Networking |
| 3:45pm | Reimagining Energy Code Compliance Workshop: Building the Technical Infrastructure for the Future Daniel Wong, CEC; Geffen Oren, Arup; Marina Chavez Blanco, Gabel Energy This interactive workshop invites practitioners to explore what the future of energy code compliance could look like across near-, medium-, and long-term horizons. Through facilitated discussion and audience engagement, participants will help stress-test ideas such as more modern machine-readable compliance data, automated routine checks, energy model transparency, and the role of software and AI in future compliance ecosystems. |
| 5:00pm | Award of Recognition Presentation |
| 5:15pm | Reception & Closing Remarks Grab a beverage and enjoy connecting! Please note mocktails will be provided. There will also be a cash+card bar available. |
| 6:30pm | Attendees Disperse for Organized Dinners* (optional) Sign up for a meal at a local Sacramento restaurant and continue discussing all things modeling! *Please note that dinner sign-ups are intended to encourage attendee socialization, but the meal cost is not covered by SCE hosts. |
Day 2: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
All times are Pacific.
| 7:30am | Breakfast |
| 8:15am | Welcome and Recap of Day 1 Progress and Goals for Day 2 |
| 8:30am | Plenary: Commissioner Andrew McAllister Commissioner McAllister will offer a future‑focused view of California’s clean energy trajectory, highlighting the state’s leadership in decarbonizing buildings and industry, advancing energy efficiency, expanding load flexibility, and improving access to data and analytical tools that empower innovation at the grid edge. He will also reflect on the importance of aligning energy and housing policy, strengthening cross‑sector partnerships, and leveraging tools like building energy modeling to accelerate an equitable, resilient, and innovation‑driven clean energy transition. |
| 9:15am | Foundational Step Forward Award Presentation |
| 9:30am | Break & Networking |
| 10:00am | Working Group Breakout Session #2 Three breakout sessions are run in parallel, led by the Working Group Co-Chairs. These sessions are interactive discussions, please be ready to engage via video/audio if attending remotely. |
| 11:45am | Lunch |
| 12:45pm | Power Talks 5 minute “lightning” presentations MOSTCOOL: Multi-Objective Simulation Tool for Cooling Optimization and Operational Longevity Kaiyu Sun, LBNL Parametric Sensitivity Analysis of Central HPWH Sizing for Multifamily Buildings Safia Sheerin, Solaris Technical BEM at Scale: Simple Interfaces for Powerful Simulation Engines Vince Caristo, VEIC Beyond Fixed Setpoints: Modeling Advanced DHW Controls in EnergyPlus Behzad Salimian Rizi, Solaris Technical Advancements of Data Center Modeling Liam Buckley, San Francisco State University Updating Title 24 Climatic Design Data for California Building Design, BEM, HVAC Sizing, and Compliance Sagar Rao, NeuMod Labs The CEA Advantage: How Well do you Know the Energy Code? Travis Wade, Wade Energy |
| 1:30pm | Raising the Ceiling: From Models to Measurable Value in California Homes Ryan Blowers, ReMo Homes; Bronwyn Barry, Passive House BB; Mudit Saxena, Xero Home; Moderator: Dr. Kyle Konis, Agile Environments Compliance sets the floor; this panel is about raising the ceiling. Panelists will explore how efficiency moves from modeled savings to value Californians can measure: in financing and asset value, in healthier and more resilient homes, and in performance insights that help existing homeowners plan ahead. The discussion also considers how tools built around the minimum can better recognize homes that go further. |
| 2:30pm | Updated Working Group Action Plans: Presentation and Q&A Working Group Co-Chairs will present plans for 2027 and solicit feedback |
| 3:00pm | Closing Remarks |
| 3:15pm | Networking |
| 4:00pm | Adjourn |
Key Logistics
Arrival & Departure
- CalBEM starts bright and early at 8am on Tuesday 11/17, arrive the night before to be ready to join the conversation.
- CalBEM ends at 4pm on Wednesday 11/18.
Where to Stay?
- Stay on-premises at the Kimpton Sawyer
- Our room block deadline has passed. However, if you would like a room, email info@calbem.org as there may still be a room available at a discounted rate of $309/night. Availability and rates are not guaranteed.
- There are many hotels in Downtown Sacramento within a 15 minute walk from the Kimpton Sawyer.
- Hyatt Centric (0.1 miles)
- Citizen Hotel (0.2 miles)
- The Holiday Inn (0.2 miles)
- Sheraton Grand (0.4 miles)
- Embassy Suites (0.7 miles)
How to Get to the Kimpton Sawyer
- By Train: Take Amtrak to the Sacramento Valley Station. Exit and walk ~5min to the Kimpton Hotel (walking directions linked here).
- By Plane: The Sacramento Airport (SMF) is just 11 miles from the Kimpton Sawyer (a 20 minute drive without traffic). Quickest option from the airport is a taxi or rideshare. Buses also run every 20 to 40 minutes from Terminal A. You will take the 42A, get off at the Golden 1 Center stop, and walk a block to the Kimpton Sawyer.
- By Car: From I-5, take the “J” Street Exit (Exit 519B) and the hotel is at the corner of “J” Street and 5th Street.
Parking
- Please note that parking is not covered by our hosts. Valet parking is available at the Kimpton Sawyer for $25 per day (the overnight is only available to hotel guests, and is $40 plus tax, and oversized vehicles are $45 plus tax). Other options include:
- Street parking nearby: Link to Interactive City Map.
- Parking garages nearby: Link to map
- Downtown Commons Central Parking
- Downtown Plaza – East Garage
Additional questions? Email info@calbem.org