TWENTIETH ENERGY CONSERVATION FORUM- (ENCON) WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025- Joint Meeting of AFE, ASHRAE, AEE, GBC and Guests
Location: Armstrong World Industries, 2500 Columbia Avenue, Lancaster, PA
Time: 4:30-8:30 PM, presentations start at 5:30 PM, vendors enter at 4:00 PM for setup.
Come early- Networking Starts at 4:30 PM
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, November 19, 2025-see below. Register early and secure your participation with the credit card portal below.
GUESTS ARE WELCOME! Please circulate this info, post, or otherwise publicize.
PROGRAM TOPICS
FIRST SPEAKER: 5:30 PM (not necessarily in order listed)
1) WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION- Amy Costello, Armstrong World Industries, and Richard Heiden, R. W. Heiden Associates LLC
2) The Right Fan for the Right Space–Greg Allen, Greenheck
3) Power and Pocketbook-PJM Explained-Laura Walter, PJM
4) RISE PA Grant Program: Supporting Economic Development and Pollution Reduction in PA-Olivia Yost, PennTap
5) AI and Data Centers:Powering the Future with Sustainable Energy – Soundar Kumara, PSU
6) A Participation Success Story in the PPL Electric Business Energy Efficiency Program – Bud Fogleman, Joe Walter, Clear Result
VENDOR AND SPONSOR VISABILITY
On-site vendor participation is encouraged. Tables for vendors are available (see below).
$50 – Vendor table
$30 – Vendor table assistant (1 table + 1 assistant=$80)
$50 – Sponsor logo, with sponsor link, on AFE EnCon registration website; logo display during EnCon presentations; logo display on email announcements.
PDH hours are available (2.5). Instructions on how to receive your credits will be given at the event.
On-site fee includes: dinner –roast turkey, potatoes, vegetable, and salad with a light beverage.
REGISTER AND PAY HERE
EnCon 2025
TWENTIETH ENERGY CONSERVATION FORUM
Please contact Jim Witman jwitman@comcast.net for additional information regarding vendor participation, and banner or logo placement.
Deadline for registration, Tuesday, November 18.
QUESTIONS: Call 717 299 6860 and leave a message.
COME JOIN US FOR A GREAT EVENING, NOVEMBER 19!
Prospective Sponsors:
Many thanks to our sponsors Last year (see below). Contact Jim Witman, jwitman@comcast.com or call Richard Heiden at 717 299 6860 to reup for this year’s event! Leave a message containing credit card info if you wish to register.
Steam | Hydronics | Metering
2025 Speakers
Soundar Kumara, Professor of Industrial Engineering, PSU
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is experiencing explosive growth, projected to expand from a $244 billion market in 2025 to $827 billion by 2030, driven by advances in generative AI, automation, and data analytics. This rapid expansion fuels an insatiable demand for computational resources, resulting in increased reliance on data centers. These facilities are the backbone of AI workloads, yet they account for a rising share of global energy consumption—posing challenges for sustainability and power infrastructure. This presentation explores the accelerating trajectory of AI growth and its implications for data center energy requirements. We will analyze emerging trends in AI applications, the consequent strain on existing energy grids, and the environmental footprint of data centers. Equally important, the talk will highlight sustainable solutions, including energy-efficient hardware innovations, renewable energy integration, and advanced cooling technologies. By balancing AI’s transformative promise with responsible energy management, the industry can support continued AI innovation while aligning with the imperative for sustainability in the coming decade. E. Allen & M. Allen, Pearce Professors of Industrial Engineering, serve as the Directors of The Center for the Applications of AI & ML to Industry (AIMI) at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. Contact email: skumara@psu.edu
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Laura Walter, Senior Lead Data Scientist , PJM Interconnection
When you flip a light switch, you probably don’t think about the invisible choreography happening behind the scenes: thousands of power plants working together to keep the grid balanced every second. That coordination is run by PJM Interconnection, the not-for-profit organization that manages electricity for 65 million people across 13 states and D.C. This talk will pull back the curtain on how PJM works: how energy gets bought and sold, how supply meets demand in real time, and what is forecasted to come. Additionally, we will touch on how AI and datacenters are changing our predictions and planning. You’ll walk away with a new appreciation for the complexity of the grid and the role of forecasting in keeping it reliable.
Laura Walter (she/her/hers)
Sr. Lead Data Scientist
Advanced Analytics
(610) 666-4625 | C: (610) 246-9617 | Laura.Walter@pjm.com
Customer Service: (866) 400-8980 | custsvc@pjm.com | Member Community
PJM Interconnection | 2750 Monroe Blvd. | Audubon, PA 19403
Bud Fogleman, Manager, PPL Business Energy Efficiency Program
Joe Walter and Bud Fogleman are the leadership team of the PPL Electric Business Energy Efficiency Program. They have assisted PPL Electric Utilities customers with obtaining energy efficiency incentives for over a decade. Through a consultative approach to outreach, they lead a team of account managers and outreach specialists working with PPL Electric Utilities customers for an understanding of the program and its benefits. Working with PPL customers and trade allies in the market, their team ensures customers take advantage of this energy efficiency incentive program.
Bud Fogleman | Outreach Manager
(p) 570.224.9211 (e) bud.fogleman@clearesult.com
PPL Electric Business Energy Efficiency Program
Business Energy Efficiency Program
1275 Glenlivet Dr., Suite 340, Allentown, PA 18106
pplbusiness@clearesult.com | 1-866-432-5501
CLEAResult is an authorized contractor of PPL Electric Utilities
Douglas Smith, Director for Location and Land Use, U.S. Green Building Council.
Douglas Smith is a professional urban planner and is passionate about the intersection of land use and sustainability. He currently serves as Director for Location & Land Use for the U. S. Green Building Council where his primary task is helping to define the future focus for the organization across rating systems on topics like urban design, land use, transportation, and sustainable landscapes.
Douglas has 10 years of work experience in municipal government. Most recently, he served as Bureau Chief for the Planning Bureau for the City of Lancaster, PA where he oversaw comprehensive planning, land development, historic preservation, zoning, floodplain review, and special projects. He also championed the City’s comprehensive plan and climate action plan.
He serves on the Water Science Institute Board and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority’s Citizen Advisory Council. In his spare time, Douglas consults on land development projects, writes music, and restores his historic home in downtown Lancaster City, PA.