Asilomar Conference Grounds
Pacific Grove, CA
The 2026 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings will bring together professionals from around the globe to the Asilomar Conference Grounds to share research, spark new ideas and collaborations, and advance the technologies and practices needed to transform the building sector to improve efficiency, affordability, and resiliency.
Efficiency Innovations: Improving Affordability and Resiliency is the theme of this 24th biennial event. Together we’ll tackle today’s pressing challenges related to buildings’ energy use: increasing electricity demand due to data centers, air-conditioning, and new construction; rising costs of energy bills and property insurance; and the growing risks of power outages, health and safety concerns, and property damage from aging power grid infrastructure and extreme weather events. This is our opportunity to leverage new innovative technologies, AI, and business models for designing, constructing, operating, or retrofitting our buildings to be energy efficient, affordable to own and operate, and resilient to hazards.
Click here to see a list of the organizations that participated in the 2024 Buildings Summer Study.
Panels/ Panel Leaders
We will continue with our popular panels as well as new to address current issues in the field. The following are the panels that will be highlighted at the conference:
Panel 1: Residential Buildings: Technologies, Design, Operations, and Industry Trends
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| Carter Dedolph Centerpoint Energy | Bo Shen Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
Panel 2: Residential Buildings: Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
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| Georgia Caruthers TVA | Amit Kulkarni Eversource |
Panel 3: Commercial Buildings: Technologies, Design, Operations, and Industry Trends
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| Alexi Miller New Buildings Institute | Helia Zandi Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
Panel 4: Commercial Buildings: Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
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| Megan Campbell Opinion Dynamics | Cindy Zhu Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
Panel 5: Energy and Opportunity: Serving All
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| Will Bryan Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance | Max Wei Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
Panel 6: Utilities and the Future
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| Ben Clarin EPRI | Anne-Marie Peracchio NJNG |
Panel 7: Market Transformation
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| Ryan Brown Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance | Stacey Hobart CalMTA |
Panel 8: Human Dimensions of Energy Use
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| Chrissi Antonopoulos Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez |
Panel 9: Energy Policy: Federal, State, Local, and International
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| Maddie Koewler NASEO | Maggie Molina Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership |
Panel 10: New Construction
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| Katie Ackerly David Baker Architects | Ian Finlayson MA Department of Energy Resources |
Panel 11: Smart and Grid-Interactive Buildings
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| Therese Peffer California Institute for Energy and Environment | Marco Pritoni Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
Panel 12a: Healthy and Adaptable Communities
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| Jeannette LeZaks Slipstream | Andrea Mengual Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
Panel 12b: Data Centers: Load Growth and Solutions
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| Mitchell Rosenberg DNV | Eric Yang |
Panel 13a: Workforce
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| Madeline Salzman Earth Advantage | Kristen Parrish University of Arizona |
Panel 13b: Innovations to Scale Retrofits and New Construction
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| Chioke Harris National Renewable Energy Laboratory | Brett Webster Rocky Mountain Institute |
Panel 14: Poster Display Presentations
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| Kristen Parrish University of Arizona |
Call for Papers
ACEEE is calling for papers to be considered for publication in the conference proceedings and for presentation. We're looking forward to an exciting exchange of dialogue and ideas.
Share your knowledge, experience, or even case studies by first submitting a 250-word abstract by the October 10 deadline. A range of cutting-edge panel topics related to this year's theme: EFFICIENCY INNOVATIONS: IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY AND RESILIENCY are offered.
How to submit an abstract:
Click the "Submit Abstract" button on the right for access to the abstract submission site (Catalyst). Follow the four easy steps on the site to submit after setting up an account and logging in.
You are allowed to submit more than one abstract; however, you can only be the lead author on one paper if more than one of your abstracts is accepted. If this happens, you will be asked to designate other lead authors. Submit a 250-word abstract online for consideration in up to three of the 16 panels listed below and for three category options (oral, poster with paper, or poster only). PLEASE NOTE: All accepted presenters are required to register and pay the registration fee.
Click on the title of each panel for a full description.
Abstract Timeline:
Oct 10, 2025 — Deadline to submit abstract(s)
Nov 21, 2025— Panel leaders finish reviewing abstracts
Dec. 11, 2025 – Abstract selection finalized
Jan.14, 2026 — Notification letters re: status of abstracts sent to authors
