In 2006, CEE Principal Investigator, Ben Weil, his wife Lisa, and their 1-year-old daughter moved into the oldest, coldest, and least energy efficient house in Leeds, MA. By 2018 it is probably the most energy efficient and comfortable house in the village. The deep energy retrofit was done in phases over a decade, with the help of carpenters and other creative and dedicated craftsmen and tradespeople who are leaders in the green building movement in the western Massachusetts. Join Western Mass Green Consortium for a presentation sharing this journey, mistakes, successes, and lessons learned.
Ben Weil is the Extension Assistant Professor of Building Energy in the Building and Construction Technology program at the Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst. He teaches and conducts research in building science, energy efficient building technology, policy and management. He is a primary investigator with the UMass Clean Energy Extension that offers engineering and technical expertise to municipalities and identifies and overcomes barriers to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage technologies and practices. He has worked as a building analyst and retrofit installer in the energy efficiency industry and a consultant in renewable energy and efficiency policy and engineering.
