“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Global CO2 Initiative (GCI). My research at GCI helped further my passion for the environment and opened my eyes to the massive opportunity for environmental work in the buildings space.”
~ Alex Rees, Residential Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Water Heating lead in the Building Technologies Office (BTO) at the U.S Department of Energy.
Alex oversees a wide range of projects spanning demonstration, field validation, and market transformation of the HVAC and water heating sector to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and save money in all homes (especially through the increased adoption of heat pumps). Previously, he was an ORISE fellow in BTO. His mechanical engineering degrees include both a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Michigan, where he did research with the GCI on carbon utilization policy, both locally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and internationally.
What is a simple explanation of your job?
I help make buildings better for the environment and better for the people in them. To do that, I work with folks across the U.S. to help address challenges related to that goal. I particularly focus on heating/cooling equipment (both for the air and water in buildings).
I also work on improving the entire embodied carbon space for buildings, which includes all of the extended emissions related to buildings, (e.g. emissions from manufacturing the bricks that are used to make them or from demolishing them at the end of their useful lifespan).
In practice, my work involves working with researchers, business owners, equipment manufacturers, utilities, state/local governments to understand their thoughts and perspectives on emission related issues and then providing funding and technical expertise to folks with great ideas to solve those issues.
For example, we may find out that in certain regions, we’re having issues getting heat pumps (a technology that can heat and cool your home extremely efficiently) installed in people’s homes. To address this, we may send out surveys to homeowners to understand why they’re not purchasing them, talk with installers and find out why they’re not recommending them, meet with utilities and understand why there aren’t discounts/rebates, etc.
Once we’ve gathered that knowledge, we transition to solving the issues we uncover. We might, for instance, create resources for homeowners so they better understand the energy savings heat pumps provide, or give guidance to installers on how to install heat pumps or how they can help their businesses. We might also work to convince utilities that the energy grid benefits of heat pumps justify them providing discounts to consumers who buy heat pumps, or even work directly with manufacturers to create better equipment to create greater energy savings, among other activities.
My role in all this is to identify the people and organizations best suited to each task and ensure that projects in the heating/cooling space are coordinated so all partners are working together collectively and strategically to further the overall goal of making buildings better for the environment and for the people in them.
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