Speaker Topic: "Out-of-Control Controls"

The controls industry needs to step up the quality of software and sensors. Industry expert Peter Rumsey takes a look at the inherent problems within the building sector and the superfluous need to commission new buildings. The controls industry business model includes selling inadequate software and sensors that do not work effectively as installed. Building owners are unnecessarily asked to pay to verify that new systems actually work. Studies show that 90% of buildings with HVAC controls and systems do not work properly in the first year of occupancy. We need a better controls paradigm where a project’s success no longer hinges on who installs the system or which software is used. Controls should work properly the first time and consistently deliver comfort and energy savings.

Meeting Schedule:

·         5:30 PM: No host bar

·         6:30 PM: Dinner served - Please choose one of the four entree choices: Steak, Chicken Marsala, Baked Salmon or a Pasta Vegetarian dish. All dinners come with salad, baked potato, fresh vegetables, beverage and desert.  Red and white wines are available for purchase at $15.00 per bottle.

·         7:30 PM: Speaker Start

Speaker Bio:

Peter Rumsey, P.E., FASHRAE, Integral Group, Managing Director, West Coast

Widely recognized as global player in energy efficiency and a leader in sustainable and resource efficient building design, Peter has worked in the engineering and energy consulting industry since the mid-1980s. As Managing Director of Integral Group (formerly Rumsey Engineers), Peter has directed the design of 16 LEED Platinum Certified projects; as well as 21 Net Zero and 2 Living Building Challenge projects, which are currently in design. Peter has been responsible for many key innovations in energy efficient design and analysis, including pioneering the use of chilled beams (induction diffusers), efficient outside air systems that eliminate reheat, radiant cooling systems, low pressure drop systems in U.S.laboratories, and the use of guaranteed performance contracts for HVAC systems based solely on measured system data. In addition to design, Peter’s work focuses on making green engineering approaches affordable and financially practical in time frames that are attractive to business.

Driven to transform building practices by creating prominent examples of green buildings that are affordable and practical, Peter has paved the path for many sustainable firsts in the design of efficient HVAC systems for academic and commercial buildings, laboratories, cleanrooms, and data centers in the US and internationally. Under Peter’s direction, the Integral Group team has designed the world’s highest scoring LEED Platinum CI, Integral Group’s Deep Green Oakland office, which received 102 out of 110 points; the first certified net zero-energy project, IDeAs Z Squared(Certified by International Living Future Institute); the first LEED Platinum rating for a laboratory in a historic building, Caltech’s Linde + Robinson Lab for Global Environmental Science; the first LEED Platinum pre-certified data center in the world for Advanced Data Centers; the J. Craig Venter Institute Laboratory, the first Net Zero Lab in the country; Texas Instruments RFAB, the first LEED Gold microchip manufacturing plant; the high-profile greening of The Empire State Building; and the first radiant cooled building in India, for Infosys. Currently, the team is working on what is expected to be the largest net zero-energy public building in the Nation,, the Exploratorium Museum.

Peter’s passion for energy efficient and sustainable design issues has led him to publish widely on HVAC energy efficiency. He has contributed to Environmental Design + Construction magazine, ASHRAE Journal, Plumbing Engineer magazine, Plant Services magazine, and Cleanrooms magazine. Furthermore, Peter enjoys sharing his commitment to sustainability through speaking engagements at industry events, including USGBC’s GreenBuild, PG&E’s Pacific Energy Center, Labs21, and Cleanrooms West, as well as serving as a Lecturer at Stanford University, where he teaches a weekly course covering advanced topics in Integrated, Energy-Efficient Building Design.

Peter received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Professional Engineer, Registered in 18 States; Certified Energy Manager; Senior Fellow at the Rocky Mountain Institute; and was named an ASHRAE Fellow in 2009.