Net-Zero Buildings: Cost-Effective and Sustainable for New Construction  

Otto Van Geet is a Principal Engineer at NREL. He has been involved in the design, construction, and operation of energy-efficient research facilities such as laboratories and data centers, office and general use facilities, and low-energy-use campus and communities. Van Geet was one of the founding members of the Labs21 (Smart Labs) program and his experience also includes renewables screening and assessment, PV system design for on- and off-grid applications, energy audits, and minimizing energy use. Van Geet has authored many technical reports and conference papers and been recognized with many awards from professional associations, including the 2007 Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management and the 2011 GreenGov Green Innovation Presidential Award for the NREL Research Support Facility data center.

Rick Mears, P.E., is program manager support for the Data Center program in U.S. DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). He also serves as the DOE FEMP lead for the Technology Validation and Sustainable Buildings programs. He has over 12 years of experience in the energy and sustainability fields and has provided energy resilience, energy and sustainability management, carbon accounting, and energy policy support across federal agencies. Rick is a Certified Energy Manager and has a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University and an engineering degree from Cornell University.

Sheila Hayter is the NREL laboratory program manager for the U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). In this role, she leads NREL's portfolio of activities focused on helping U.S. federal agencies identify, implement, and evaluate opportunities related to energy/water resilience and security, facility and fleet optimization, and energy and project procurement. Sheila has a M.S., Mechanical Engineering, from the University of Colorado and a B.S., Mechanical Engineering, from Kansas State University.