Climate Week Kickoff Summit: Decarbonizing Real Estate & Energy Efficiency

Summit Agenda
Summit Agenda — Decarbonizing NYC Buildings: Compliance, Capital & Technology

8:50 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks: Setting the Stage for Deep Decarbonization
Speakers:
Scott Donachie — Chief Executive Officer, Decarb Summits
Perkins Eastman — Principal / Senior Leadership (TBD)

9:00 AM – 9:40 AM
Local Law 97 Compliance Beyond Electrification: Finance, Grid & Efficiency Strategies
Moderator:
Ryan Baxter — Carbon Strategist, Climate & Built Environment Advisor, 5
Panel Discussion:
Financing efficiency and electrification through incentives and innovative lendingSadie McKeown, President, Community Preservation Corporation — Senior Vice President, Affordable Housing Finance
Incentives, technical assistance, and scaling emerging technologiesNYSERDA — Program Leadership, Clean Energy & Building Decarbonization (TBD)
Grid readiness, infrastructure planning, and demand management for electrificationLaziza Rakhimova, Energy Systems & Grid Planning Lead, ConEdison

9:40 AM – 10:00 AM
The Road to 2030: Lessons from Year One of Local Law 97 Implementation
Fireside Chat
Featured Speaker:
Emily Hoffman — Director, Office of Building Energy & Emissions Performance
New York City Department of Buildings — City Agency Leadership, Energy & Emissions Compliance Division
Topics:
Early compliance trends
Key challenges for building owners
2030 emissions limit expectations
Policy direction and enforcement outlook

10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Hydronic Heating & Cooling Systems: Unlocking High-Performance Building Efficiency
Speaker:
Viega LLC — Technical Expert, Hydronic Systems & Building Efficiency

10:20 AM – 10:50 AM
Coffee & Networking Break

10:50 AM – 11:10 AM
The Business Case for Solar Investment in NYC Real Estate
Speaker:
Yaniv Kalish — Chief Executive Officer, SolarKal
Topics:
Scaling solar financing models
Tax credits and incentive structures
Integrating solar, storage, and electrification
Supporting Local Law 97 compliance through renewables

11:10 AM – 11:40 AM
From Compliance to Value Creation: Why Carbon Strategy Drives Asset Performance
Speaker:
Perkins Eastman — Principal, Architecture & Sustainability Strategy TBD

11:40 AM – 12:00 PM
The Missing Piece of Building Electrification: Reinventing the Window Heat Pump
Tim Wu, CEO, Sensible

12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Networking Lunch

12:30 PM – 12:50 PM
Optimizing Heat Pump Performance: Design, Commissioning & Real-World Results
Speaker:
Rich Gerbe — Chief Executive Officer, Highmark Building Efficiency
Topics:
Common design and sizing pitfalls
Operational performance vs specifications
Commissioning best practices
Long-term optimization strategies

12:50 PM – 1:10 PM
Preparing for 2030: REIT Strategies for Portfolio-Wide Compliance
Panel Focus:
Capital planning for emissions reduction
Portfolio-level decarbonization strategies
Continuous commissioning and analytics
Preserving asset value under carbon constraints
Panelists:
Institutional REIT executives (TBD) — Chief Sustainability Officers / Heads of Asset Management

1:10 PM – 1:30 PM
Digital Twins in Action: Transforming NYC Building Operations
Speakers:
PropTech / Digital Twin Technology Leaders (TBD) — Product & Innovation Executives

1:30 PM – 1:50 PM
Can AI Solve Local Law 97? Automation, Analytics & Compliance at Scale
Speakers:
(TBD)

1:50 PM – 2:10 PM
Financing Decarbonization in Multifamily Housing: Capital, Incentives & Execution
Speakers:
Multifamily finance, development, and policy experts (TBD) — Housing Finance Directors / Asset Managers

2:10 PM – 2:30 PM
Decarbonization Playbook: Controls, Envelope & Operational Excellence
Speaker:
Kelly Westby — Managing Director, Building Science & Sustainability Consulting, Steven Winter Associates
Topics:
Practical decarbonization roadmaps
Capital planning alignment with compliance
Operational excellence strategies
Long-term asset value protection

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Closing Remarks & Networking: Pathways to Scalable Decarbonization
Speaker:
Scott Donachie — Chief Executive Officer, Decarb Summits