In this episode of The Passive House Podcast, Ilka Cassidy and Jacob Racusin are at the BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Conference (Sponsored by New Energy Works).

Ilka and Jacob speak with:

Gregory Smith, Architect at Moody Nolan
Clay Tilton, Existing Buildings Program ManagerBuilt Environment Plus (BE+)
Arlen Li, Fitwel Ambassador, Planning PrincipalHGA
Anthony Michetti, Director of Sustainability, Cell Signaling Technology
Julie Newman, PhDDirector of SustainabilityMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Steve Hessler Building Systems Specialist at New Energy Works | Certified Passive House Consultant at Holzraum System
Bryan Bleiere, Director of Offsite Construction at New Energy Works
Luke Winston-Almanzar CEO, Co-Founder Reservoir

They discuss the conference mood amid political and economic headwinds, the theme “Don’t Stop Us Now,” and a keynote on “The Cost of Pausing” featuring MIT and Cell Signaling Technology, emphasizing business cases and co-benefits for maintaining climate goals. Conference co-chairs Clay Hilton and Greg Smith highlight curation, community-building, and student participation. Trade-floor interviews feature Reservoir’s smart heat-pump water heater with predictive controls and recirculation, and New Energy Works’ timber/panelization work and foam-free assemblies.

https://nesea.org/conference/schedule/50140

https://newenergyworks.com/

https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/component-spotlight-rethinking-domestic-hot-water-intro...

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281: BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 Part 1