MAE Seminar: The Building Energy Revolution - Past, Present and Future

Abstract: A revolution is happening in the way the built environment is connected, controlled and powered. Driven by a confluence of technological breakthroughs, incremental advancements and the convergence of big data and the Internet of Things, the building energy landscape is poised for more radical change in the next two decades than has been experienced since the advent of mechanical cooling. This seminar will provide an overview of some of the multidisciplinary problems the industry faces, exposing new opportunities that leading institutions such as UC Irvine are embracing.   

Bio: A UCI alumnus, Jim Meacham is a founding principal of Altura Associates, where he is responsible for managing a team that provides services for some of the world’s most energy-efficient and iconic real estate projects. As a California registered mechanical engineer, Meacham has directly managed scores of commissioning, retro-commissioning, energy auditing, on-site energy generation, renewable energy, energy management training, deep controls retrofit and data analytics assignments. Leveraging an extensive background in controls systems, on-site energy production, field project implementation and experience as an educator, he is highly skilled at working with project teams to implement leading-edge, data-driven solutions that deliver meaningful and lasting results.