Our technology-driven world comes with great advancements and achievements, but also many challenges. Autonomous vehicles are a good example. The success and progression of this technology will require federal, state and local government input, as well as material manufacturers and automakers - all working together to help create and improve future infrastructure.

And how about solar? While California, Florida, and Arizona understand the benefits of utilizing solar panels, utilities are still figuring out some of the details. This is resulting in rate changes, or laws being put in place, to prohibit or reduce the amount of solar that can be installed. And that’s not progress.

So how do we adopt technologies in a way in which they actually benefit our infrastructure? This was just one of the questions Dan Wildenhaus and Shaun Hassel posed to attendees at the 2017 EEBA Summit in their lively, 90-minute session, "What the Duck".

"We're always looking early in the year to get the pulse for current hot topics, or what we feel is about to become important in the industry," says Dan Wildenhaus. "We're caught in a world where technology and what people want to put in their homes is heading in one direction, but at the same time there's a whole lot of issues happening to our utility grid structure. We think demand response of distributed energy resources is something a lot of the energy efficiency crowd talks about between themselves at the water cooler, or with a few clients."

Emphasizing storytelling as a key to their successful presentation style, Wildenhaus and Hassel took 60-minutes to pose multiple questions, and provide attendees with facts, ideas, and ample humor. Armed with a conviction that presentations should be a "conversation," they utilized the last 30-minutes to allow for Q&A and audience input. And because of the intimate setting EEBA offers as an industry conference, as well as a great blend of attendees, participants were able to share issues or solutions happening at a micro-level in their local areas, as well as their knowledge of technology that was beginning to address a particular issue.

"If we're proactive and put the right combination of technology together and work towards the idea of benefiting the infrastructure," says Wildenhaus, "It will benefit everyone."

The 2018 EEBA High Performance Home Summit will be held in San Diego from October 16-18. If you have an engaging presentation that will help move the industry forward, please submit it by April 27th.