February 28, 2023 – [See the recorded presentation!] 11th Annual Energy Briefing – 8:15-10:30 a.m.

The SEI Energy Briefing took place 2/28/2023. View the presentations on SEI You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDY_1uqrAKE

Learn more and register

Stay on top of the ever-changing energy market with SEI! Join us to explore the impacts of the IRA funding on various energy projects.

Hear from leaders in the energy field on such topics as:

  • Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
    • EV vehicle deployment
    • distributed generation
    • impact onsite energy efficiency projects
    • investments into energy and climate change
  • Combined Heat & Power, Solar and Geothermal systems

Who should attend:

Those interested in the state of the national, regional, and local energy economy, facilities managers, energy professionals, project & property developers, municipal developers and job seekers.

Event Agenda: 

8:15 to 8:30 a.m. – Check-in, networking and light breakfast.

8:30 to 10:00 a.m. – Program followed by Q & A

Continue the discussion until 10:30 a.m. and be present for a chance to win a Google Nest, compliments of Emergent Energy Solutions!

Presenters:

Tom Bonner (Sr. Manager, State Government Affairs; PECO)Tom will speak broadly about EV Vehicles and the impact of the IRA on this market.

Steven Mathews (Sales Engineer; Kinsley Energy Systems) Steven will provide a summary of CHP and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Mark Connolly (Energy Engineer; RER Energy) Mark’s presentation will explain what some of the IRA impacts are on the solar industry.

Learn more and register

April 2023 – Industry Partnership grant effective April 2023 – June 2024

The Smart Energy Initiative of SE Pa is happy to share that it has been awarded an Industry Partnership grant effective April 1, 2023 and will be in effect until June of 2024. This grant includes $ 60,000 to award to energy firms to train their existing employees. Call Jim Lauckner at 610-321-8231 for more information or an application.

See the list of approved training courses PA Smart IP Grant 22-24 SEI – Training Plan as of 04-01-2023  If you do not see the course you are intested in, we will still try to help! Contact Jim jlauckner@ccedcpa.com to see if we can add your desired course to the PLAN.

For a Training Grant Application and a list of training vendors you may be interested in, visit our Training Page 

Jim Lauckner, Project Consultant – 610-321-8231

Sherry Cockerham, Project Coordinator – 610-321-8213

11th Annual Energy Briefing – Presenter Bios

Tom Bonner, Sr. Manager, State Government Affairs – PECO

Tom Bonner serves as Manager, State Government Affairs for PECO, with primary responsibility for analyzing the impact of federal, state and local policy challenges on the company and leading internal teams to develop climate & clean energy policy and business solutions.  During his time with PECO, Mr. Bonner has focused on both policies and programs advancing new technologies, including serving as the lead author of PECO’s successful $200 million Smart Grid Investment Grant application with the U.S. Department of Energy.  In addition to representing PECO in numerous state and local stakeholder forums, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Eastern PA Alliance for Clean Transportation and the Transportation Management Agency of Chester County.

Prior to coming to PECO in 2007, he served as Manager, Congressional Relations for MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company for more than a decade, and as Associate Director of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Washington, DC office.  From 1991-1995, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a senior legislative staffer.  Tom holds a Master of Planning Degree from the University of Virginia and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Steven Mathews, Sales Engineer – Kinsley Energy Systems

Steven Mathews is a sales engineer at Kinsley Energy Systems, a turnkey supplier of packaged CHP systems and maintenance services. He is responsible for integrating CHP systems into the onsite energy infrastructure of new and existing facilities. With the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, he focuses on new microgrid projects at hospitals, WWTPs, military bases, manufacturing facilities, and other C&I campuses. Steven is based in Philadelphia and is an active member of several of the city’s energy-focused networking organizations.

Mark Connolly, Energy Engineer – RER Energy

Mark Connolly is also the President of The Phoenixville Green Team

January 24, 2023 – 2018 Building Codes Training for Commercial and Residential Users – 8:00 a.m.

This workshop is designed for home builders, contractors, manufacturers, HVAC mechanical engineers, distributors, architects, code officers and municipalities.

Program modules include

  • PA Building Energy Code Highlights – History, Current, and Future
  • IECC for PA – Commercial Codes
  • IECC For PA – Residential Codes

Learn more and register

Who should attend:

The comprehensive installation workshop is designed for GSHP installers, contractors, dealers, home builders, manufacturers, distributors, architects, heating cooling mechanical engineers, trenching/water well drilling contractors, and anyone who desires a working knowledge of this innovative technology.

Instructor BIOS

Steve Krug, AIA

Steve Krug is Principal at Krug Architects, an acknowledged leader in developing over $500M sustainable net-zero designs and carbon-neutrality plans, including award winning projects such as the West Chester University Student Recreation Center. Mr. Krug attended Syracuse University for Bachelor of Architecture, and Penn State AE for graduate studies focused on energy conservation. Subsequently, he was an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Penn State. He has dedicated his career to energy efficiency and serves Chair of the Smart Energy Initiative of the CCEDC, a member of the Chester County Environmental and Energy Advisory Board appointed by the County Commissioners, and as Chair of the Pennsylvania Climate Change Advisory Committee, appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Steve is also Co-Founder of CHP-Funder.com., which is a web-based platform that simplifies the financing of CHP projects. The database matches CHP applicants with suitable CHP funders. https://chp-funder.com/has grown word-wide and has streamlined the deployment of energy efficient CHP and other energy efficiency improvements. Steve is also Co-Founder of www.WorldCogenerationDay.org, www.WorldGeothermalEnergyDay.org, and has strategic alliances with Krug Resources Group, a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE).

Mike Turns, Director of Energy Code Services

Mike has been with PSD for over nine years, managing several residential new construction and energy code support programs. Mike manages the implementation of energy code training and support services across four states throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. He is an expert in the International Energy Conservation Code and has developed and taught numerous training programs in several states under a variety of code versions. He has over 15 years of energy code training experience and has presented at national conferences like the RESNET, HPC, DOE National Energy Codes, and AESP conferences. Prior to joining PSD, he was the Associate Director of the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center (PHRC) at Penn State University, where he managed the largest provider of residential building code training in Pennsylvania. Mike has a master’s degree from Penn State with a thesis focused on assessing and reducing energy consumption in new homes.

Adam Smith, Energy Codes Specialist

Adam Smith is an Energy Code Specialist for PSD.  He has over two decades of experience in the facilities and project management field, including full oversight and completion of large construction capital projects.  Most recently, he worked for Camphill Ghent, a Gold LEED certified retirement community in the Hudson Valley, where he supervised all facilities and grounds projects and wastewater treatment plant, ensuring compliance with NYS Department of Health, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and local building codes.  Adam has served in the volunteer fire department for over 30 years, most recently at Ghent Fire Department, holding the office of First Lieutenant.

December 2, 2022 – Apply for the Clean Energy Workforce Development Grant through SEI

Does at least 50% of your revenue come from the energy sector?

And does your business operate in Berks, Chester, or Montgomery Counties? If so, SEI can help determine if your company is eligible for a Clean Energy Workforce Development Grant from the PA Department of Labor & Industry.

The Clean Energy Workforce Development Grant aims to ensure that businesses and job seekers remain competitive in the clean energy sector over the next decade through increased connections to local partners and training opportunities, deployment of work-based training models and upskilling methods, and expanded access to career pathway development in the industry.

To see if you qualify, fill out the application form and email it to Jim Lauckner, at jlauckner@ccedcpa.com.

Clean Energy Workforce Development Grant Application Form (PDF)

December 8, 2022 – Instructor Bios – Geothermal Service and Installation Training at CCEDC

Mike Hammond – Creative Energy

Mike Hammond started in the HVAC early in life at 16 years old. He started working for a company in their sheet metal shop and delivering materials to jobsites and slowly became more involved in installation and service.  Later, Mike went on to own his own business for years – installing equipment and started to specialize in geothermal installations and service in the early 1990’s. Then in 2009 he made a decision to join ClimateMaster to be a trainer, traveling the country to train distributors and dealers on service and installation of geothermal equipment.  In 2022 I left ClimateMaster and joined Creative Energy.

Fred Umble – Creative Energy

Fred Umble has supported the geothermal industry while working in the marketing department at PPL from 1991 until 1995, when he started Creative Energy Distributors.  Creative Energy started out as a Command-Aire distributor.  Climatemaster was added as a second line in 2002, and Hydron Module was added to their line in 2010.  Fred has supported his dealers with design, tech support and training for the past 27 years.  His system designs have ranged in size from small residential up to 170 tons.

October 17, 2022 – World Geothermal Day!

About World Geothermal Energy Day – This is the one day when people around the globe celebrate the virtues and benefits of geothermal, open their shops for tours (both virtual and physical), discuss new technologies, and work to include geothermal in legislation at the local, regional, national and international levels.

The Hashtag is #WorldGeothermalEnergyDay

Find out more about Geothermal Day and related events at https://worldgeothermalenergyday.org/2022-events

September 29, 2022 – Clean Energy Workforce Development Grant

The Smart Energy Initiative of Southeastern PA will be engaging local companies.

Read the announcement from the Pennsylvania Government website https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/Labor-and-Industry-details.aspx?newsid=680

Chester Workforce Development Board
This grant is for a program in Chester, Berks and Montgomery counties through the Chester County Economic Development Council’s (CCEDC) Smart Energy Initiative (SEI). The proposed clean energy workforce development program would build on SEI’s core mission and capacities: outreach, education, and recruitment of businesses, workforce development partners and individuals. The project’s commitment to support clean-energy businesses is equally a commitment to individuals with untapped and unidentified talent across Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

Learn more at the link below.

https://www.dli.pa.gov/Businesses/Workforce-Development/grants/Documents/Clean-Energy-NGA.pdf

For questions or additional information, email jlauckner@ccedcpa.com