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2018 GEER Energy Efficiency Symposium

GEER Australia is pleased to announce the 2018 GEER Energy Efficiency Symposium which will take place in Melbourne on Wednesday 10th October. The symposium is a full day program featuring a mixture of keynotes, concurrent research presentations, panels and two interactive workshops.

Martin Jones

Senior Policy Officer

Energy Sector Reform Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, (VIC)

Dr Yolande Strengers

Associate Professor, Centre for Urban Research

RMIT University

Dr Yolande

Associate Professor

Urban Research, RMIT University

Dr Yolande 

Principal Research Fellow

Beyond Behaviour Change, Urban Research Centre

RMIT University

Matthew Soeberg

Manager of the Sustainable Homes team

Sustainability Victoria

Keynote speakers

We will have four keynote speakers at the event representing a variety of fields and sectors

Martin Jones

Senior Policy Officer Energy Sector Reform Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, (VIC)

Associate Professor

Geoff Walker

Leader of the power engineering group

Faculty of Science and Engineering, QUT

Who's Speaking

In addition to our four keynotes, the following are confirmed speakers:

  • Michael Ambrose, Project leader, Urban Systems, Land and Water, CSIRO

  • Dr Rowan Bedggood, Chair of GEER and Senior Researcher, Swinburne University

  • Dr Petra Buergelt, Charles Darwin University

  • Kerry Connors, Associate Director, Research, Energy Consumers Australia

  • Dr John Gardner, Team leader, Consumers and Resource Use,  CSIRO

  • Assoc. Prof. Ross Gordon, Macquarie University

  • Phil Harrington, Principle, Strategy, Policy Research

  • Neil Horrocks, CEO, Redback Technology

  • Martin Jones, Senior Policy Officer, Energy Policy and Programs  Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, (VIC)

  • Dr Ryan McAndrew,  School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations, QUT Business School

  • Grant Russell, Chief Operating Officer, Aurora Energy

  • Matthew Soeberg, Manager of the Sustainable Homes team, Sustainability Victoria

  • Dr Yolande Strengers, Associate Professor, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University

  • Sarah Stephen, Director Energy Efficiency, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (VIC)

  • Gabby Sundstrom, Senior Manager - Policy, research and stakeholder engagement, AGL

  • Associate Professor Geoff Walker, leader of the power engineering group, School of Science and Engineering, QUT

  • Dr Phillipa Watson, Research Fellow, University of Tasmania

  • Dr Nicola Willand, Lecturer School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University

Where: Hawthorn Arts Centre, Melbourne

When: 10th October

Audience:

Government and policy makers, researchers, consultants, energy retailers, energy networks, suppliers of energy goods and services.

Price: $199 (+GST)

program

The Program

8.30am

Registration and Coffee

Event information

9.00-9.30

Welcome

Alleviating energy poverty

Dr Rowan Bedggood

Chair, GEER Australia

9.30-10.00

Keynote 1

Chair:

Prof Rebekah Russell-Bennett

Cool ideas for smart homes: how can smart tech help households save energy? 

Dr Yolande Strengers

Associate Professor in Sustainability and Urban Planning and a researcher in the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University

10.00-10.30

Keynote 2

Chair:

Prof Rebekah Russell-Bennett

Victorian Healthy Homes Project: Improving Health by Improving Energy Efficiency

Matthew Soeberg

Manager of the Sustainable Homes team, Sustainability Victoria

Martin Jones

Senior Policy Officer, Energy Policy and Programs  Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, (VIC)

10.30-11.00

Morning Tea

11.00-11.30

Keynote 3

Chair:

Dr Phillipa Watson

Energy Costs, and the impact of technology, renewables, batteries, and electric vehicles

Associate Professor Geoff Walker

Leader of the power engineering group, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology

11.30 - 12.15

Panel 1 – Vulnerable consumers

Chair: Associate Professor Ross Gordon

Supporting Vulnerable Energy Consumers – Tips and Traps

Kerry Connors

Associate Director, Research

Energy Consumers Australia

Gabby Sundstrom

Senior Manager - Policy, research and stakeholder engagement

AGL

 

Grant Russell

Chief Operating Officer

Aurora Energy

12:15 - 1:00

Lunch

1.00 - 2.00

Interactive Workshop 1

Room:

The Chamber

Workshop 1  Measuring and evaluating energy efficiency programs

Led by Dr John Gardner

Team leader, Consumers and Resource Use,  CSIRO

Interactive Workshop 2

Room:

The Zelman Room

Workshop 2  Alleviating Energy Poverty Mark 2 – Making it Happen

Led by Dr Rowan Bedggood

Chair, GEER Australia

2.00 - 3.00

Hearing from GEER:

Breakout session 1

Chair:

Dr Tracey Benson

Room:

The Chamber

1. Uncovering Segments within Electricity Load Profile Data

Dr Ryan McAndrew 

School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations, QUT Business School

 

2.  Exploring the nexus of energy use, ageing, and health and wellbeing among older Australians

Assoc. Prof Ross Gordon

Macquarie University

 

3. Battery Trials: a hot topic in a cool space’

Dr Phillipa Watson

Research Fellow, University of Tasmania

Hearing from GEER:

Breakout session 2

Chair:

Dr Jeremy Trombley

Room:

The Zelman Room

1. Research with Energy Consumers: Pitfalls and Successes Experienced Across LIEEP Projects

Dr Petra Buergelt

Charles Darwin University

 

2. Australian Housing Data – Tracking our way to energy efficient homes

Michael Ambrose

Project leader Urban Systems, Land and Water, CSIRO

3. Integrating energy efficiency & hardship improvements into the Care at Home system – First insights

Dr Nicola Willand

Lecturer School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University

3.00 - 3.30

Afternoon Tea

3.30 - 4.30

Panel 2 – Research v Consultancy

Chair: Gene McGlynn

When to commission research versus consultancy? Four perspectives.

Dr Rowan Bedggood (researcher)

Swinburne University

 

Neil Horrocks (NGO client)

CEO, Redback Technology

 

Phil Harrington (consultant)

Principle, Strategy, Policy Research

Sarah Stephen (government client)

Acting Executive Director, Energy Sector Reform, Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

4.30 - 4.45

Symposium Close

Dr Rowan Bedggood

Chair, GEER Australia

Workshop Information

We have two workshops for you to choose from, the first is a session about evaluating energy efficiency programs and the second is a roundtable to stimulate ideas for alleviating energy poverty.

Workshop 1 - Measuring and evaluating energy efficiency programs

Led by Dr John Gardner

Consumers and Resource Use,  CSIRO

Plenty of work has gone into measuring the financial benefits of energy efficiency programs, often with uninspiring results. However, there are a range of non-financial benefits of such programs that are harder to measure, but which arguably are more valuable than simple reductions in energy costs. This workshop will explore the full range of benefits of energy efficiency, and discuss issues of effectively measuring and reporting on these outcomes.

Location: The Chamber

Workshop 2 - Alleviating Energy Poverty Mark 2 – Making it Happen

Led by Dr Rowan Bedggood

Chair, GEER Australia

Building on the tremendous work that went into the GEER Round Table last year, this workshop aims to take our ideas to the next level. We all want to see energy poverty as a thing of the past – this workshop will draw upon your knowledge and insights to help craft a practical plan forward which targets change on numerous fronts. This will be a hands-on workshop with a designed process to create an action plan to bring about immediate relief to households struggling to pay their utility bills.

Location: The Zelman Room

For further information about the conference contact Carolyn Coe on ccoe@swin.edu.au

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