2026 Energy Summit Schedule
Agenda sponsored by 
Monday, November 9, 2026
12-5pm / Weatherization Training (Invitation Only)
Building Tours – sponsored by CLEAResult 
All are welcome, attendance is limited – sign up in registration, transportation is included with registration
1pm – Tour bus pick-up – meet in Hyatt lobby – bus leaves by 1:15pm
1:30pm-2:30pm University of Iowa School of Music, Voxman Music Building Tour
2:45pm – bus returns to Hyatt for drop off/pick up – leaves by 3pm
3:15pm-4:30pm Prairies Hill Cohousing Tour
5-5:30pm / IAEE Annual Meeting All are welcome.
5:30-7pm / Kick-Off Reception sponsored by Resource Innovation
Meet exhibitors and network with colleagues.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
7:30am - 8am / Check in & Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by DNV 
8:00am - 9:15am / Welcome and Keynote
Sponsored by Willdan
DETAILS COMING SOON
9:15 - 9:45am / Morning Break
Sponsored by MidAmerican Energy Company 
PDH certificates will be available for all sessions.
9:45 – 10:45am / Breakout Session 1
Efficiency at Home: A Community Resource: Residential Energy Assessments and Upgrades
Presenter: Abby Steffens, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa
Location: Coral Salon D/E
Explaining the process and impact of a home energy assessment. For homeowners, this assessment provides a clear understanding of their home’s energy performance. Benefits include lower utility bills, increased comfort, improved indoor air quality, and a clear path to incentives or upgrades.
The Iowa Passive House Case Study: Lessons from Designing and Building a PHIUS-Certified Home
Presenter: Laura Kinnard, Silent Rivers Design+Build
Location: Oakdale Salon I/II
As Iowa homeowners face rising utility costs and increasing interest in energy resilience, high-performance building strategies are becoming more relevant than ever. This session explores the design, construction, and certification journey of 'CyBear Lair,' one of Iowa's PHIUS-certified homes, and the lessons learned along the way.
Affordable Resilience: Evaluating Distributed Energy Resources as a Cost-Effective Path to Grid Reliability in Iowa
Presenter: Dr. Alipour
Location: Oakdale Salon III
This session highlights how distributed energy resources (DERs), particularly solar photovoltaic systems paired with battery storage, can support a more affordable and resilient electric grid by serving as a practical backup solution and alternative to conventional infrastructure hardening.
Agriculture Irrigation Demand Response
Presenter: Frank Molander, ICF
Location: Oakdale Salon IV/V
Agricultural irrigation demand response (AIDR) programs allow farmers to temporarily reduce or shift irrigation pump usage during peak electricity demand periods in exchange for financial incentives. ADIR programs combine energy efficiency, grid support, and potential revenue generation. With the right technology and planning, farmers can maintain productivity while contributing to a more reliable and sustainable energy system.
10:50am - 11:50pm / Breakout Session 2
Affordability in Action: Harnessing Energy Efficiency and Demand-Side Solutions for Iowa
Presenter: Christian Deuel, ICF
Location: Coal Salon D/E
Affordability is often discussed as a rate, a rebate, or a household condition. This workshop reframes it as an operational outcome that Iowa energy stakeholders can design, deliver, measure, and improve. This workshop will make affordability manageable by showing how program teams can break a broad affordability challenge into design controls that can be acted upon.
Closing the Loop: Bridging Design Intent and Real-World Building Performance
Presenter: Tarunkumar Vinod Jotwani, Willdan
Location: Oakdale Salon I/II
Energy models, high‑performance design strategies, and innovative systems often define project goals, but how do they perform once buildings are occupied and operated?
This session explores the gap between modeled performance and real‑world outcomes through insights gathered from recently completed projects.
Driving Iowa Forward: Building an Affordable and Accessible EV Charging Network
Presenter: Abbie Christophersen, Mid-Iowa Planning Alliance for Community Development
Location: Oakdale Salon III
This interactive session will explore Iowa's evolving EV charging landscape and demonstrate how data-driven planning can help communities identify high-impact charging locations, leverage funding opportunities, and support local transportation needs. Drawing from real-world corridor analyses and infrastructure planning efforts across Iowa, participants will examine how charging investments can reduce transportation costs, improve energy efficiency, support tourism and commerce, and increase access to clean transportation options.
Design That Pays Off: Supporting Green Building Strategies for Schools & Local Governments
Presenter: Abby Steffens, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa
Location: Oakdale Salon IV/V
This workshop explores how sustainable retrofit strategies can help schools and local governments create higher-performing public facilities while reducing energy use and operating costs. Through real-world case studies, participants will learn how energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy projects, and practical green building improvements are being successfully implemented in community facilities within school districts, city buildings and county operated sites.
11:50 – 12:30pm / Lunch
Sponsored by Alliant Energy
Location: Coral A/B/C
12:30 – 2:00pm / Plenary Session
Sponsored by Iowa Economic Development Authority
Location: Coral A/B/C
DETAILS COMING SOON
2pm - 2:30pm / Afternoon Break
Sponsored by Franklin Energy
Location: Coral A/B/C
2:30 - 3:30pm / Breakout Session 3
What's Next for Energy Affordability in Iowa? Lessons from Home Energy Rebates, Utility Programs, and Emerging Funding Strategies
Presenter: Seth Little, CLEAResult
Location: Coral D/E
With updated federal Home Energy Rebates guidance now in effect, Iowa has a timely opportunity to consider how rebate funding can be deployed in ways that are efficient, equitable, and connected to broader affordability, resilience, and market sustainability goals.
This session will examine what comes next for energy affordability in Iowa beyond initial rebate program deployment. Speakers will explore how Home Energy Rebates, utility-led offerings, other rebate and incentive programs, braided funding, incentive stacking, and proactive project development can be coordinated to reduce household energy burden, improve participation in efficiency and electrification programs, strengthen household and community resilience, and avoid fragmented or short-lived program impacts
Energy Efficiency with Controls: Unlocking Savings in Industrial and Commercial Facilities
Presenter: Kait Kelsey, Siemens
Location: Oakdale Salon I/II
This session will demystify how advanced building controls and automation systems are not just about comfort, but are powerful tools for significant energy savings and operational excellence. Aimed at building operators, facility managers, and key stakeholders, this session will explore practical strategies to leverage modern control technologies. Attendees will learn how intelligent systems can precisely manage HVAC, lighting, and other critical building functions, leading to reduced energy consumption, lower operating costs, and enhanced sustainability. Discover how good controls translate directly into a more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible facility.
Demystifying Iowa's Technical Reference Manual
Presenter: Keith Cronin, VEIC
Location: Oakdale Salon III
Technical reference manuals (TRMs) are documents used by energy efficiency program administrators (PAs) to consistently and transparently calculate savings generated by programs. Iowa has a statewide TRM that is used by the utility and is maintained by VEIC. Though vital to the functioning of utility programs, not all involved in delivering those programs understand the role of the TRM. This presentation will provide an overview of the purpose and value of TRMs, some history and context about the Iowa TRM, the process used to maintain the TRM, and how the TRM is used in the administration of programs.
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