Clean Energy EXPO 2026: Improving Building Resilience and Efficiency

The 29th Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum was held on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The event was hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Caucuses serving as honorary co-hosts. It featured six panels, including Improving Building Resilience and Efficiency.

Justin Koscher, President, Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA)

Timothy Unruh, Executive Director, National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO)

Highlights

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Roughly 70–80% of buildings that will exist in 2040 are already built, so energy efficiency policies must address the unique challenges of existing buildings, rather than just new construction.
Adoption of geothermal systems has been limited because of higher upfront costs and skilled labor requirements. However, once installed, geothermal is the most cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally-friendly way to heat and cool buildings.\
With Energy Savings Performance Contracts, private companies fund energy-efficiency investments in public buildings in exchange for a share of the savings. This funding structure multiplies available capital by a factor of 1.4 to 2.1, enabling comprehensive energy and building retrofit projects.

Polyisocyanurate (Polyiso) is a rigid foam board used widely in commercial roofing and across residential, school, hospital, and data center construction. PIMA members operate nearly 40 U.S. plants.
Roughly 70–80% of buildings that will exist in 2040 are already built, so energy efficiency policies must address the unique challenges of existing buildings, rather than just new construction.
Roof replacement is a key window of opportunity for insulation upgrades. Missing this window can delay improvements for 10–20 years.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool and state and local building performance standards are some of the best taxpayer investments in energy efficiency initiatives, providing commercial business owners with benchmarks to improve energy efficiency.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (L. 119-21) terminated the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA's) (P.L. 117-169) Section 179D tax credit for energy-efficient commercial buildings, hamstringing future investment into energy-efficiency retrofits.

Geothermal heat pumps use the Earth’s constant near-surface temperature for heating and cooling. About 1.4 million U.S. homes use geothermal systems, which is roughly 1% of the total building stock. There is a nearly limitless supply of free thermal energy, and the technology is available in all 50 states.
Adoption of geothermal systems has been limited because of higher upfront costs and skilled labor requirements. However, once installed, geothermal is the most cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally-friendly way to heat and cool buildings.
Geothermal energy has long-standing bipartisan support in Congress. The IRA raised the geothermal heating and cooling Investment Tax Credit under Section 48 from 10% to 30% and added elective direct pay eligibility for schools, churches, hospitals, and local governments so that they could benefit even though they are tax exempt.
Residential geothermal tax credits expired on December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (L. 119-21), but commercial credits were preserved. The Act provided the industry with new authority to lease systems to homes and businesses, which was modeled on early solar leasing.
Geothermal deployment supports a more resilient grid by reducing peak demand and improving the load factor of electrical utilities. The industry is working to quantify these benefits for state utility regulators.

Sarah Maston, President-Elect, ASHRAE

ASHRAE has over 111 standards that support the resilient design and operation of critical facilities such as hospitals, schools, commercial buildings, and data centers. Standards are developed with energy efficiency, resiliency, occupant safety, and indoor environmental quality in mind.
ASHRAE 90.1 is one of the organization’s flagship energy standards and is widely incorporated into many U.S. building codes.
To achieve net-zero emissions, existing buildings and their associated policy and permitting challenges must be considered.

NAESCO members retrofit public buildings—schools, government facilities, and similar taxpayer-owned properties—using Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) that require no new taxpayer dollars. Public buildings constitute about 25% of all U.S. buildings.
With ESPCs, private companies fund the energy-efficiency investments in exchange for a share of the savings. This funding structure multiplies available capital by a factor of 1.4 to 2.1, enabling comprehensive energy and building retrofit projects in public buildings.
The energy service company industry completes about $12 billion in ESPC work annually and has operated for roughly 50 years. ESPC work is available for all levels of government with costs and savings guaranteed. NAESCO members cover shortfalls if savings targets are not met.

Compiled by Jasmyn Mirsepahi and edited for clarity and length. This is not a transcript.