Team Spotlight: Energy Engineering
Behind the scenes of campus comfort and sustainability is the Energy Engineering team, a group blending engineering expertise, data science, and hands-on problem-solving to ensure buildings operate efficiently and reliably. With nearly 100 years of combined experience, the team balances long-term strategy with daily operational excellence.
The team includes five engineers: Sam Cole, Hiroko Masuda, Andre Nelson, Nico Fauchier-Magnan, and Amogh Katti, who identify and implement energy-saving projects in campus buildings. They are supported by three data scientists and engineers: Dan Colvin, Daniel Imperiale, and Liz Shigetoshi, who design systems to collect and analyze building data while developing tools and automations that streamline workflows. Two to three undergraduate interns also serve on the team at any time, taking on meaningful, real-world responsibilities that directly support ongoing projects. The team also works very closely with the Controls Engineering team, which maintains and improves the HVAC control system, and the HVAC Controls team, which responds to customer comfort calls and other issues related to HVAC controls.
At the center of the Energy Engineering team’s work is HVAC scheduling and system optimization. They continuously identify and implement new energy-saving strategies while maintaining savings from past projects. The team also provides engineering support across Facilities Management, helping technicians resolve complex system issues, refine control sequences, review design drawings, advise on project scopes, and develop tools to improve technician workflows. Innovation remains a constant focus, especially when addressing long-standing operational challenges.
During its first decade, the team prioritized large-scale optimization projects in modern lab buildings, generating 15–25% energy savings per building, accounting for roughly half of their total savings to date. The remaining savings came mainly from addressing smaller, often unnoticed HVAC inefficiencies and improving system schedules campus-wide.
Today, the focus is on sustaining those gains while uncovering new opportunities through targeted mechanical upgrades and control sequence improvements.
During the wildfire events of Fall 2021, the team managed outside air intake across more than 100 campus buildings. When the Air Quality Index exceeded 150, they used the control system to reduce outside air intake to limit smoke infiltration; when conditions improved, they reversed those changes. Coordinating hundreds of systems requires strong collaboration and the creation of an online tracking database to ensure accuracy and accountability. Thanks to a new HVAC control system installed by the Controls Engineering team, this process has now been mostly automated, demonstrating the team’s spirit of collaboration and commitment to continuous improvement.
One major innovation transformed how HVAC schedules are adjusted for campus events. What once required four to eight hours of manual work each week is now streamlined by a custom script that compares event reservations with HVAC schedules, using a “dictionary” that links spaces to equipment. The process now takes about two hours and can be managed by undergraduate interns, freeing technician time for higher-value tasks.
The team also implemented the SkySpark analytics platform in 2018 to detect hidden energy waste. Many mechanical inefficiencies go unnoticed because occupant comfort is maintained. By integrating major buildings into SkySpark, the team can proactively identify systems running outside schedules or components working against each other, improving both efficiency and comfort.
All solutions are designed in compliance with industry standards, including the California Mechanical Code. Team members stay current by reading industry publications, collaborating with peer institutions, and attending conferences.
Through collaboration, innovation, and data-driven decision making, the Energy Engineering team continues to reduce energy waste, improve building performance, and strengthen campus sustainability, one system at a time. Energy Engineering team supervisor Nico Fauchier-Magnan notes, “The team couldn't have done all this without the close collaboration and support from many other teams and shops within Facilities.”