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About a one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions in the US and Europe stem from buildings. Reducing the environmental footprint of the building stock is thus a huge endeavour and is reflected in the EU Renovation Wave Strategy that aims to at least double renovation rates in the next ten years and make sure renovations lead to higher energy and resource efficiency. The US Department of Energy also announced sweeping actions to power more American homes and buildings with cleaner, smarter, and more affordable energy services that sharply reduce the buildings sector contributions to the climate crisis.

Our first US-EU webinar will provide an overview of the EU and US overarching plans and investment strategies to boost energy efficient renovations in buildings, in particular:

• What are the main objectives of the EU Renovation Wave and how can the Next Generation EU and the economic recovery plan trigger investments for the transformation of the building stock?

• How will the American Jobs Plan make the needed investments in US core energy infrastructure to combat climate change and advance environmental justice?

• What federal programmes support state and local action to advance energy efficiency in homes and buildings across the US?

Agenda:

Welcome remarks – Michael Curtis, Deputy EU Ambassador to the US, Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Keynote Speeches:

• Joshua Volz, Director of the Office of European and Eurasian Affairs, Office of International Affairs, US Department of Energy
• Paula Pinho, Director “Just Transition, Consumers, Energy Efficiency and Innovation” Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission
• Q&A session

Panel discussion: The role of buildings in the recovery

• Dr. Regina Gray, Director, Affordable Housing Research & Technology, Policy Development & Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development: “Energy Efficiency in the Housing Sector”
• Stefan Moser, Head of Unit “Buildings and Products” & Gaspard Demur, Team Leader for National Renovation Strategies and Recovery, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission : “The EU Renovation Wave and Next Generation EU: financing mechanisms to drive building renovation in the EU”
• Amy Royden-Bloom, Acting Director, DOE Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office: “Supporting a Just Transition to a Clean Energy Economy for Subnational Entities through Federal Programs”
• Discussion

Closing remarks

• Cynthia Campbell, Director for International and Philanthropic Innovation, Department of Housing and Urban Development.
• Conclusion and next steps- Oliver Rapf, Executive Director, BPIE

Speakers:

Dr. Regina Gray, Director, Affordable Housing Research & Technology, Policy Development & Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development

Regina C. Gray is a Social Science Analyst for the Division of Affordable Housing Research and Technology Division (AHRT) in the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) at the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Since joining HUD in 2000, Regina’s research activities have focused on sustainable development, urban design and land use planning, transit-oriented development, energy and green building practices, and affordable housing preservation.  She was the project manager for several projects related to affordable housing and transportation coordinated planning; the market diffusion of energy efficient technologies; establishing benchmarks for reducing energy usage in public housing developments; and methodologies for siting affordable housing developments in high-opportunity communities.  She has written articles on regulatory barriers to affordable housing and co-authored articles with AAPR and the U.S. EPA on aging in place strategies.  Regina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; a Master of Arts from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in Political Science and Public Policy; and a doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park in Political Science and Policy Studies.

Cindy Campbell, Director for International and Philanthropic Affairs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Paula Pinho, Director “Just Transition, Consumers, Energy Efficiency and Innovation” Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission

Paula is Director at the Directorate-General Energy in the European Commission. She is responsible for Just Transition, Consumers, Energy Efficiency, Innovation and Energy security.

She has been previously Head of Unit at the Directorate-General Energy in the European Commission. She was responsible for Energy Strategy and Policy coordination and then for Renewables and Energy System Integration Policy and Decarbonisation and Sustainability of Energy Sources.  

She was Acting Director for Energy Policy where she has overseen notably the work of international energy relations, financial instruments and inter-institutional relations.

Paula has also been Member of Cabinet of EU Commissioners, including Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger both in his quality of Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society and during his mandate as EU Commissioner for Energy. She was then responsible for energy security and infrastructure and the overall coordination of the international dimension of energy policy.  

As a member of the Cabinet, she has been involved in the trilateral gas talks between the EU, Russia and Ukraine. While Head of Unit responsible for Energy Strategy and Policy Coordination, Paula has coordinated the preparation and adoption of the “Clean Energy for all Europeans” package. Paula represented the Commission in the negotiations of the Commission Proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and was responsible notably for the overall coordination of the assessment of the national Energy and Climate Plans.

Amy Royden-Bloom, Acting Director, DOE Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office

Stefan Moser, Head of Unit “Buildings and Products”, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission

Michael Curtis, Deputy EU Ambassador to the US, Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Mr Curtis joins the Delegation having served in the team of the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, advising her on a number of important foreign policy issues for the past 5 years including on Transatlantic relations.
He has had a long career in the European Union institutions working mainly on foreign policy and external relations, trade, development and humanitarian issues. From 2004 to 2008, he worked as the EU Humanitarian Affairs Counsellor to the United Nations in New York. From 2000 to 2004, he worked on the team of the EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, first as Press Spokesperson then as a member of his Staff.
Mr Curtis has also had two stints working for the European Commission’s Secretariat General focusing on relations with the EU Member States in the area of foreign policy and trade, then relations with the European External Action Service where he was closely involved with its setting up in 2010.
Mr Curtis has a Bachelor’s degree in French and Politics from Leicester University in the U.K and a post-graduate Master’s degree in European Politics from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

Gaspard Demur – Team Leader for National Renovation Strategies and Recovery, DG Energy, European Commission

M. Demur is Team Leader for National Renovation Strategies and Recovery at the European Commission, Directorate for Energy (DG ENER). He is ensuring the mainstreaming of energy efficient renovation of buildings into the post-Covid recovery plans that EU Member States are currently developing in cooperation with the European Commission. He is also coordinating the analysis of the National Long Term Renovation Strategies. He previously worked as an Assistant to the Director General of DG ENER, following closely the Governance of the Energy Union as well as nuclear and international files.