Track record
Fifteen years of energy engineering: utility program assessments, implementation projects, a national lab research team and the design of Denver's building electrification program.
- 689electrification feasibility reports tracked in Denver's building electrification program, which Miles designed and launched
- 211Ask E research answers for 48 utilities and efficiency organizations across North America (E Source)
- 16.8 millionkWh of annual electric savings identified in the reports reviewed
- 1,072,000therms of annual gas and steam savings identified
- 17,803metric tons of CO2 avoided per year if implemented (EPA factors)
- 158buildings assessed or improved in five states, across higher education, K-12, recreation, municipal, public safety, healthcare, industrial, hospitality and multifamily
Savings are annual figures identified for recommended measures in utility program assessments, ASHRAE audits, retro-commissioning studies and investment grade audit work, including desktop and AI-assisted retro-commissioning studies prepared at a national ESCO. They are estimates from reports, not verified results. Carbon uses EPA factors of 0.703 t CO2 per MWh, 0.0053 t per therm of natural gas and 0.00664 t per therm of district steam.
Projects by state
Field work in five states, plus research for utilities across the U.S. and Canada through E Source and the national lab.
| State | Buildings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 68 | Public university campuses, a technical college and municipal buildings: investment grade audits, retro-commissioning, demand response and Level 1 audits (national ESCO) |
| Iowa | 45 | University of Iowa (11 buildings), Cedar Rapids schools (11), Iowa City, Davenport, Waterloo, Coralville, Clarion: utility program assessments and implementation projects |
| Colorado | 42 | Recreation, parks, golf and public safety buildings scoped for a city energy savings performance contract; a county detention facility investment grade audit; a city hall boiler and heat pump loop evaluation; a municipal campus; Denver multifamily; Fort Collins Old Town Library; plus Denver's electrification program and Golden's net zero buildings roadmap |
| California | 2 | Pharmaceutical manufacturing plant: retro-commissioning and controls upgrade, implemented (over $1M, 7-year payback); medical office building, San Diego (ASHRAE Level 2) |
| Washington | 1 | Medical clinic, Edmonds (ASHRAE Level 1) |
| Total | 158 |
Buildings by type
The same 158 buildings as the state table and map. Counts include utility program assessments, ASHRAE audits, retro-commissioning studies, investment grade audits, implementation projects and 35 buildings scoped for a city energy savings performance contract.
| Building type | Buildings |
|---|---|
| Higher education | 74 |
| Recreation centers | 23 |
| K-12 schools | 15 |
| Parks, golf and maintenance facilities | 12 |
| Government and municipal | 6 |
| Event venue and theater | 5 |
| Detention facilities | 3 |
| Parking garages | 2 |
| Vehicle maintenance facility | 2 |
| Medical office buildings | 2 |
| Libraries | 2 |
| Assisted living | 1 |
| Hotels | 1 |
| Other commercial | 1 |
| Hospital | 1 |
| Office and media | 1 |
| Multifamily | 1 |
| Conservatory and visitor buildings | 1 |
| Federal facility | 1 |
| Office and flex space | 1 |
| Healthcare (non-hospital) | 1 |
| Houses of worship | 1 |
| Industrial and manufacturing | 1 |
| Total | 158 |
Measures recommended
| Energy conservation measure | Count |
|---|---|
| LED lighting retrofit | 108 |
| BAS and DDC controls upgrades | 70 |
| Retro-commissioning | 42 |
| Scheduling and setbacks | 33 |
| Envelope and weatherization | 29 |
| Demand-controlled ventilation | 26 |
| Lighting controls and occupancy sensors | 25 |
| Variable frequency drives (fans and pumps) | 21 |
| Pipe insulation | 14 |
| Economizer repair | 10 |
| Boiler replacement or upgrade | 9 |
| RTU and packaged unit replacement | 8 |
| Chiller replacement or upgrade | 6 |
| Domestic hot water | 5 |
| Plug load and IT controls | 4 |
| Solar PV | 4 |
| Heat pumps and electrification | 4 |
| Water conservation | 3 |
| Compressed air | 3 |
| Refrigeration | 3 |
| Kitchen equipment | 2 |
| Premium efficiency motors | 2 |
| VAV controls | 1 |
| Condenser and AC upgrade | 1 |
| Demand response | 1 |
Annual savings identified by building type
| Building type | Buildings with savings data | kWh/yr | Peak kW | Therms/yr | t CO2/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher education | 74 | 9,786,367 | 2,638 | 771,852 | 11,242 |
| Detention facilities | 1 | 2,036,000 | 0 | 30,000 | 1,590 |
| Recreation centers | 4 | 859,407 | 108 | 91,993 | 1,092 |
| Hotels | 1 | 847,998 | 58 | 34,638 | 780 |
| Event venue and theater | 3 | 745,549 | 164 | 15,163 | 605 |
| Government and municipal | 6 | 614,178 | 62 | 17,339 | 524 |
| Parking garages | 2 | 514,781 | 62 | 0 | 362 |
| K-12 schools | 4 | 449,246 | 70 | 20,280 | 423 |
| Conservatory and visitor buildings | 1 | 344,490 | 0 | 34,593 | 472 |
| Vehicle maintenance facility | 2 | 150,066 | 32 | 33,837 | 285 |
| Medical office buildings | 2 | 141,862 | 0 | 2,570 | 113 |
| Multifamily | 1 | 132,592 | 0 | 14,778 | 172 |
| Assisted living | 1 | 122,164 | 0 | 279 | 87 |
| Libraries | 2 | 43,500 | 0 | 4,900 | 57 |
Annual savings identified by system
| System | Measures | kWh/yr | Peak kW | Therms/yr | t CO2/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controls and BAS | 117 | 5,954,128 | 1,804 | 645,663 | 7,739 |
| Lighting | 101 | 6,098,736 | 1,052 | -22,035 | 4,171 |
| HVAC air side | 74 | 1,560,910 | 278 | 211,597 | 2,328 |
| Process, plug loads and other | 29 | 451,591 | 5 | 49,535 | 580 |
| Envelope | 19 | 75,638 | 0 | 52,342 | 342 |
| Heating plant (boilers, steam) | 16 | 128,323 | 0 | 92,850 | 648 |
| Cooling plant (chillers, towers, pumps) | 11 | 297,512 | 55 | 0 | 209 |
| Domestic hot water | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4,800 | 25 |
Research for utilities
As an E Source lead analyst and contract researcher, Miles wrote 211 Ask E research answers for 48 utilities and efficiency organizations, including National Grid, Con Edison, ComEd, Xcel Energy, FortisBC, Ontario's IESO and NB Power.
| Research topic | Answers |
|---|---|
| Program design, evaluation and market research | 44 |
| Commercial HVAC equipment and controls | 39 |
| Heat pumps | 34 |
| Motors, drives, compressed air and industrial process | 27 |
| Ventilation and indoor air quality | 22 |
| Building envelope and weatherization | 18 |
| Demand response, load flexibility and grid | 11 |
| Water heating | 11 |
| Transportation electrification | 5 |
Denver's electrification program
- Engineering lead for the City of Denver's Commercial and Multi-Family Building Electrification program (Michaels Energy, 2022 to 2024)
- Designed, built, launched and managed the program, including the electrification feasibility report (EFR) and the equipment rebates
- 689 EFRs tracked across 24 equipment types; most common are heat pump RTUs (230), ducted split heat pumps (141), NEEP cold-climate heat pumps (121) and heat pump water heaters (86)
- By December 2023: 247 EFRs completed, 50 active pilot buildings, $15 million in rebates committed to owners and about 50,000 t CO2 of lifetime emissions avoided
- Rebates stacked with Xcel Energy: up to $16,000 per heat pump RTU, $11,000 per mini-split and $7,000 per heat pump water heater from Denver
- Built the electrification feasibility model the city now uses in its building energy codes and permitting
- 1255 Galapago, 175-unit multifamily: ENERGY STAR score 95 and compliance six years early (partner project)
- 1474 S Acoma assessment, in progress
Utility and public programs supported
| Program | Role |
|---|---|
| City and County of Denver Commercial and Multi-Family Building Electrification program (CASR) | Engineering lead; designed the electrification feasibility report and launched the equipment rebate program |
| MidAmerican Energy Commercial Energy Solutions | Facility energy assessments for commercial, institutional and municipal customers |
| MidAmerican Energy custom rebate program | Custom project studies and applications (boilers, chillers, BAS, VAV controls) |
| Xcel Energy Colorado rebates | Incentive stacking for a 175-unit heat pump retrofit |
| Colorado heat pump incentives and federal 179D | Incentive and tax deduction packaging |
| Energize Denver and ENERGY STAR certification | Benchmarking and certification support |
| U.S. DOE Better Buildings Alliance | NREL research team lead and webinar presenter |
| Utility programs nationwide (CLEAResult) | New program design |
| E Source Ask E service: 48 member utilities and efficiency organizations | Lead analyst, then contract researcher (211 research answers, 2020 to 2025) |
| EfficiencyWorks (Fort Collins) | Retro-commissioning study |
| City of Golden Roadmap to Net Zero Buildings | Lead project engineer and report author (Iconergy, 2022) |
| DOE Advanced RTU Campaign | NREL campaign close-out lead |
Recognition
- Above and Beyond Award, Mechdyne, for contributions to the Boeing and KAUST visualization projects
- Winning team, Iowa State University Mechanical Engineering Design Competition