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AIA|DC’s Building Enclosure Council (BEC-DC) is pleased to host a panel discussion on DC’s Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS), which require minimum thresholds for energy performance for existing buildings throughout the District. With the DC BEPS now into its first Cycle, this panel will aim to educate local design professionals, property managers, and building owners on lessons learned to date from Cycle 1. The panel will discuss both detailed elements specific of DC’s BEPS program, as well as the growth of Building Performance Standards happening in jurisdictions across the country. Throughout the discussion, the panel will focus on successes and challenges related to building enclosure performance as a means to support compliance with BEPS requirements. The panel consists of perspectives from the policy side, DC’s Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) side, and design professionals, all instrumental in the implementation and delivery of these Standards. Thank you to Buro Happold for graciously providing food and drinks for this event.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an in-depth understanding of the requirements of DC’s Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS).
• Now into the first cycle, learn some of the successes and challenges that DC buildings have faced relating to DC’s BEPS requirements.
• Hear how Building Performance Standards (BPS) are being adopted across the country, including the various compliance metrics being utilized, the types and size of buildings required to comply, and the jurisdictions adopting them.
• Understand how the building enclosure fits into the BEPS requirements and how building professionals can improve building enclosure performance to support BEPS compliance.

Presented by:

Theresa Backhus

Theresa (she/her) brings her experience improving the performance of buildings and landscapes to her role as Director of the Building Innovation Hub, ensuring its mission and strategic vision are executed. Prior to joining IMT, she was a green building consultant, supporting the DMV building industry in navigating policy, code, and certifications. At the U.S. Green Building Council, she was integral to the development of the LEED v4 rating system program. Her past work also includes planning, design, and construction observation in both the public and private sectors. Theresa holds a BLA from Virginia Tech, and an MEM from the Duke Environmental Leadership Program. She is a Registered Landscape Architect, LEED AP, and SITES AP.

Cristine Gibney

Cristine Gibney is a Building Energy Analyst in the Building Performance & Enforcement Branch at the Energy Administration, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment. She is responsible for compliance and enforcement of the District’s new Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS). Previously, she was the Net Zero Building Operations Specialist at American Geophysical Union, striving to be the first net zero energy building in DC. Cristine is a US Army strategist turned building scientist, holding MS Sustainable Design and Master of City & Regional Planning degrees from the Catholic University America’s School of Architecture and Planning.

Roger Chang

Roger Chang, PE, has over two decades of building engineering experience and currently leads Buro Happold’s Washington DC office. He has significant experience with complex cultural, education, civic, and government projects, including two AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top 10 winners. He has a special interest in the intersection of façade engineering and building systems and has previously presented at Greenbuild, APT, ASHRAE and AIA conferences. Roger previously served on the District of Columbia’s Energy and Green Technical Advisory Group and helped guide the development of the DC Department of General Services’ Energy Management Plan, a roadmap for decarbonization and compliance with the DC Building Energy Performance Standard. He was recognized in 2020 as an ASHRAE Fellow and was recently appointed a member of the General Services Administration’s Green Building Advisory Committee.

Moderated by:

Patrick Keeney, AIA, CPHC, LEED AP O+M

Patrick Keeney is a Senior Associate and Project Manager in Walter P Moore’s Washington DC Enclosure Diagnostics group. With more than a decade of experience in high-performance buildings, sustainability, and architectural design, Patrick specializes in building enclosures. Having extensive experience with building simulations, environmental analyses, and building science, he brings a performance-based decision-making process to each project.  Patrick is a licensed Architect in Washington DC, Texas, & Louisiana, and a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC). He is a leader and active participant in numerous professional organizations, currently serving on AIA National's Codes & Standards committee and serves on the board of Washington DC's Building Enclosure Council (BEC-DC).