What we presented at 2026 ACEEE Summer Study

The 2026 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings took place earlier this month in Pacific Grove, CA. Our team presented papers and posters on everything from field demonstrations of specific technologies to theories on how to improve energy-efficiency programs across the board.

Hear more about our work and find links to all the 2026 Summer Study papers we contributed to below.

The State of ASHRAE Guideline 36: Promise, Progress, Challenges, and Ongoing Activities

Author: Joe Zhou

Joe Zhou shares market research from a Minnesota field demonstration of ASHRAE Guideline 36 and what real-world studies tell us about the Guideline's progress, barriers to implementation, and ongoing efforts to accelerate adoption.

Successful traditional Guideline 36 implementation requires mechanical engineering review, experienced controls contractors with guideline-specific training, and thorough commissioning—elements frequently absent in typical retrofit projects. When these prerequisites are met—as evidenced by California field demonstrations—Guideline 36 delivers excellent whole-building energy savings.

Read it: The State of ASHRAE Guideline 36: Promise, Progress, Challenges, and Ongoing Activities

The Control Premium: Behavioral Barriers to Electrification and Demand Response in the Midwest

Author: Phylicia Lee Brown

Using interview and survey insights from field studies and market assessments conducted in recent years, Phylicia Lee Brown introduces a conceptual framework she calls the Control Premium. This framework posits that adoption of high-efficiency electric technologies faces behavior barriers—such as a perceived psychological cost of accepting performance risk—that often override any clear financial returns.

Critically, the Control Premium is distinct from pure financial barriers and their effects: it is present even when financial incentives are sufficient and available, and it is this defining characteristic—behavioral resistance that persists in the face of favorable economics—that makes it both analytically important and practically challenging for program designers.

Read it: The Control Premium: Behavioral Barriers to Electrification and Demand Response in the Midwest

Please pick one: A) Develop affordable housing; B) Achieve climate goals; C) Create a Roadmap to meet both goals

Authors: Dan Streit with Alison Lindburg of the City of Aurora, IL

This research explores strategies that municipalities are pursuing to achieve both sustainability and affordability goals, particularly the use of prefabricated homes as an affordable housing strategy. Dan Streit worked with Alison Lindburg of the City of Aurora, IL, where local officials are engaging with manufactured home producers and community stakeholders to align their climate goals with housing needs.

The case studies for Milwaukee and Aurora reveal strategies that municipalities are using to attract producers of prefabricated homes to establish production facilities in their communities and to commit that the facilities will provide high-quality stable jobs to residents. These strategies can both reduce transportation costs, thereby promoting affordability, and foster broader economic development by securing high-quality jobs for community members.

Read it: A) Develop affordable housing; B) Achieve climate goals; C) Create a Roadmap to meet both goals

My Buddy the Backup Boiler: Dual-Fuel and All-Electric Air-to-Water Heat Pump Installations in Wisconsin

Authors: Dani Ball and Cynthia Segura on behalf of Focus on Energy, with partners Jon Koliner of Town Good and Jacqueline Friedel of Focus on Energy

Air-to-water heat pumps (AWHPs) are a flexible and efficient pathway to install or retrofit radiant heating systems with an all-electric alternative to gas boilers. On behalf of Focus on Energy, the research team shares findings from a recent field study that evaluated the performance of five AWHP systems across four residential buildings in Wisconsin.

System performance was impacted by installer design support and previous experience, hydronic system setup and controls, and the backup heat source. Conclusions fall into four major themes: installation best practices, system controls, system economics, and future work.

Read it: My Buddy the Backup Boiler: Dual-Fuel and All-Electric Air-to-Water Heat Pump Installations in Wisconsin

Healthier Cooking, No Veggies Required: Gas-to-Induction Stove Retrofits and Indoor Air Quality

Authors: Dani Ball, Cynthia Segura, Jeannette LeZaks

With data conducted over a two-year field study in 11 Michigan homes, Dani Ball, Cynthia Segura, and Jeannette LeZaks illustrate the real, quantifiable impact of induction cooking on indoor air quality. Their paper adds to the body of evidence with insights of how real families’ cooking behaviors influence IAQ, both before and after switching to an induction cooktop.

With a gas range, indoor NO2 pollutant levels surpass the WHO’s recommended daily level after about 50 minutes of cooking per day. This threshold is lower than the average of 60 minutes that gas range households cooked in the pre-period, meaning households exceeded this level on the majority of cooking days

Read it: Healthier Cooking, No Veggies Required: Gas-to-Induction Stove Retrofits and Indoor Air Quality

Even more from Slipstreamers at Summer Study