On Friday, October 31, Tony Barnes ’98, JJ Augenbraun ’11, and Liz Visconti ’13 came to speak at Log Lunch about their company EnergySavvy and how its IT solutions are saving energy nationwide. This group of Williams alumni has diverse backgrounds and roles in the company. After graduating as a computer science major, Barnes worked in information technology across industries for the last 15 years. At EnergySavvy, he leads the Boston office and works to improve client solutions on the East Coast. Augenbraun came to EnergySavvy after graduating as a psychology major and environmental studies concentrator. He is a project manager at the organization and helps to initiate the energy efficiency software for new clients. Finally, Visconti, an economics and psychology major, was drawn to EnergySavvy though the interest of her thesis on environmental information avoidance. In her customer support role, she helps to test software and aid customers nationwide.
In their talk, the group explained the work of EnergySavvy to help utility companies increase energy efficiency. Barnes described how many people do not realize the exact origins of their energy; the typical American only spends four to six minutes per year considering their energy and that time might only be plausibly spent reviewing a bill. Even Barnes did not realize the complexity of the grid, as when he first entered the energy efficiency field, he believed that there was some sort of battery storage mechanism for excess energy. Given the size of energy generation and distribution in America and the need for utilities to increase their energy efficiency, based on regulations and savings targets, EnergySavvy attempts to simplify the data portion of the experience. The group works in demand-side management performance with their Optix software, interacting with utility companies, increasing communication among stakeholders, and improving tracking and customer satisfaction. While their work is a more technical and industrial facet of energy efficiency reduction, the software is a useful tool to increase the ease of utility and consumer interaction to achieve a more sustainable energy sector.
By Sara Clark ‘15
