Efficiency Maine Announces Annual Symposium Presenter Line-up for November 6

Efficiency Maine has announced the list of presenters who will participate in its 4^th Annual Symposium and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, November 6, at Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

The event features informative panels, an exhibit hall, and an awards ceremony.

Tom Welch, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, will be the keynote speaker. Welch was appointed to the Maine Public Utilities Commission as Chair in April 2011. He had previously served as Chair of the Commission from 1993-2005. Between his Commission appointments, Commissioner Welch worked for PJM Interconnection, a Pennsylvania-based Regional Transmission Organization, and for five years was an attorney at Pierce Atwood, LLP, in Portland. Before moving to Maine in 1993, he served as Chief Deputy Attorney General for Antitrust in the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, in-house counsel for Bell Atlantic, and Assistant Professor at Villanova University School of Law.

The first panel will focus on customer perspectives, and will feature presentations by Alethea Cariddi, Sustainability Coordinator at the University of New England, whose organization underwent a large energy efficiency project; Suzanne MacDonald, Community Energy Director, Island Institute, who will speak about recent success with weatherization and air sealing campaigns for island homeowners; and Kurt Shillington, Operations Manager, Princeton Properties, a recent participant in Efficiency Maine’s Multifamily Program.

In the second panel, vendors and contractors will discuss new technologies as well as advancements in building science. Presenters are John Murphy, Business Development Manager for Sweeney Rogers Geraghty Inc. and a Fujitsu heat pump installer and trainer, who will talk about ductless heat pumps; and Vamshi Gooje, an associate for engineering firm Thornton Tomaseti who will speak about smart building design.

As Sustainability Coordinator at UNE, Alethea Cariddi is responsible for
monito ring and managing greenhouse gas emissions and the university’s Climate Action Plan, the recycling program, the move to a water bottle-less campus, and many other environmental initiatives. She works closely with the Facilities Management team to improve equipment efficiencies, and implement energy savings measures with lighting retrofits and direct digital control upgrades. She received her Building Operator Certification from Northwest Energy Efficiency Council in May 2012. She also teaches at the University of New England as an adjunct for the Department of Environmental Science.

Suzanne MacDonald is the Community Energy Director at the Rockland, Maine-based Island Institute where she has been supporting island communities in their efforts to better understand and confront their unique energy challenges since 2009. Suzanne directs programming on community-based energy efficiency, locally-owned renewable energy, offshore wind stakeholder engagement, and energy education. In 2012, she oversaw the launch of the “Weatherization Week” program that has helped nearly 200 remote island residents to access affordable air sealing and insulation services. Suzanne holds an M.A. in urban and environmental policy and planning from Tufts University and a B.A. in political science and international development studies from McGill University.

Business Development Manager for the Rinnai and Fujitsu product division, John Murphy entered the industry in 1993, initially working as a commercial HVAC plan and spec representative in Syracuse, New York. He joined Frederick Geraghty in 2000 where he honed his skills in the HVAC and water heating marketplace as an outside salesperson, trainer, and support technician for customers in the New England market. After the merger of Sweeney Rogers Corp. and Frederick-Geraghty, he has placed an increased focus on the products that were originally represented by Frederick-Geraghty, Inc. including Rinnai, Fujitsu, Tjernlund and Braeburn. For these lines, John oversees marketing efforts and maintains manufacturer relationships while performing product training and technical support throughout the organization.

Vamshi Gooje oversees and develops initiatives for building analytics for the building sustainability practice at Thornton Tomasetti, an international structural design firm. He works with firm wide practice areas to support building science related projects. His expertise includes building science, energy and daylighting simulation programs and sustainability. His work on thermal comfort and building simulation has been published. He has eleven years of experience in the field of architecture and building science. He brings unique insight to sustainability from his experience living in different regions, cultures and climates.

The symposium will be followed immediately by a networking reception and the presentation of this year’s Efficiency Maine awards for top honors among the state’s energy efficiency contractors, suppliers, and customers.

We hope you'll join us on November 6!