Alan Meier

Alan Meier

Energy/Environmental Policy Senior Scientist/Engineer
510-486-4740

Bio

I am a senior scientist in the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

My other titles include:

I study how people and equipment use energy and opportunities to reduce energy consumption. I especially enjoy exploring aspects that are not measured or were overlooked (that's how I discovered standby power). I focus on buildings, equipment and, more recently, transportation. I approach these topics from many directions, including:

  • Energy test procedures for appliances (including thermostats, cars and trucks)
  • Field measurements of energy use
  • Technical potentials for energy savings
  • Economics and behavior related to energy consumption

Many people know me for my work on standby power use but my interests are actually much broader, including:

  • Technologies to reduce miscellaneous uses of energy in building (including the "Standzero" approach)
  • Market failures in the end use of energy – both quantifying and overcoming them
  • Designing more effective residential thermostats (which today control ~10% of U.S. energy use)
  • Off-test fuel consumption in vehicles
  • Saving electricity in a hurry (and gradually)
  • Comparisons of laboratory and field measurements of electronics and appliances
  • Supply curves of conserved energy
  • Real-time display of regional electricity demand and supply
  • Teaching concepts of energy use and efficiency
  • Passionately avoiding administrative responsibilities

Download PDFS: Most recent CV | Full list of my publications | My most frequently visited paper, "How to Review a Technical Paper"

 

Education

Energy & Resources, Ph.D. Univ. of California, Berkeley 1982; B.A. Chemistry & Economics, UC Berkeley, 1974

Awards

ECEEE Summer Study Poster Award -  June 1st 2015

Alan Meier received first prize for his poster, titled "Japan’s 6 GW Lunch Break", from the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

"Unsung Hero" of Energy Efficiency Award -  February 22nd 2007

From the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) for his "unerring ability to identify important energy-saving opportunities that are so far ahead of their time...."

Energy Globe Award -  February 11th 2002

For An International Energy Agency project to reduce the waste of standby electrical power by common household appliances.

Journal and Editorial Board Memberships

Home Energy, Senior Executive Editor

Publications

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