Celebrate Energy Efficiency Day 2020 with Team EnergyX!
WRITTEN BY TEAM ENERGYX ∙ TORONTO, ONTARIO
The energy efficiency industry creates jobs for people from various fields, backgrounds and lived experiences! Learn a little bit about the career paths of #TeamEnergyX and the work they do in #energyefficiency. Happy #EEDay!
Nishaant Sangaavi, CEO
“Energy efficiency and conservation is essential for us to achieve our climate change goals and sustain our quality of life for all future generations. I have always believed that the cheapest, greenest and the most affordable energy is that you do not use and this has been a key driver for us to found and build EnergyX.”
Angelica Pereira, Business Development and Marketing Analyst
“I started my undergrad with the intention of specializing in Geology and eventually working in Oil and Gas exploration. I learned a lot about myself during my Bachelors course. My biggest learning was that I did not want to exploit the resources we have but actually work towards saving them. That realization led me to do my Masters in Environmental Management and thesis on Energy Efficiency technologies. Here I am today, working with EnergyX — doing our bit to help homes and businesses make impactful decisions.”
Annie Ngu, Design Lead
“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer and an environmentalist. I even enrolled in an extracurricular program at University of Toronto when I was in high school. Unfortunately, because I wasn’t particularly good at any math or science class, I got easily discouraged. It was a lofty goal having spent the majority of my years performing, painting, drawing and writing. But even as I got older, I practiced good habits that benefited the environment like turning the lights I’m not using off, not keeping my devices charging, etc. I felt like it was meant to be when EnergyX approached me with an opportunity to work in the Energy Efficiency field. Now, I get to contribute and build tools that have positive impacts for the environment as well as educate and encourage people to save money and energy through design. It’s the best of both worlds!”
Jesse Hitchcock, Client Engagement Manager
“My background is in marine biology, environmental science and climate change! After grad school I joined the energy efficiency division of the provincial government on the east coast of Canada (shout out to efficiencyPEI!). My mind was blown — I had spent so much time thinking about climate change mitigation under the water that I didn’t even see the huge opportunity that buildings were presenting right in front of me! My work has related to energy efficiency ever since, in government, our national Parliament and now with EnergyX. It’s my job to understand the goals and success metrics of our partners and government stakeholders, and help optimize the delivery of energy efficiency in their varied jurisdictions. It’s the best!”
Aaron Savatti, Sales Executive
“My background is in sustainable development and environmental management. Basically, I made my way through university hugging every tree I saw. But then, I got a job as an energy auditor with an HVAC company and fell head over heels in love with mechanical rooms. Energy efficiency to me is so important as it is not only a significant contributor to GHG reductions, but also that it is the most quantifiable measurement of positive environmental impact.”
Michael Commisso, Operations & Strategy Manager
“The dissonance in the utility industry was always interesting to me as an investor. Publicly traded utilities aimed to achieve a suitable rate of return for investors while functioning very similar to government entities, operating in a highly regulated environment. It was apparent that utilities were hyper focused on optimizing their rate base and capital structure to be able to minimize regulatory impact and maximize shareholder return. Critically, a focus on the end user and the levers to increase customer satisfaction was missing. This model works in a near monopolistic market where utilities are the only option for electricity provision. The proliferation of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and increasing deregulation of energy markets is changing the dynamic and places an increasing importance on utility customer relationships. One of the best ways to build closer customer relationships and increase customer satisfaction is to lower energy bills, achieved through energy efficiency measures. I joined EnergyX because the company’s mission statement resonated with me: To make every building in North America energy efficient, bolstering utility customer relationships while doing so.“
Maitreyi Viswanathan, Sales Executive
“As great as it is to be able to make sustainable choices in one’s personal life — recycling, buying local, using LED lights etc — the urgent, large changes needed to save the planet can only come from big solutions at the level of a utility, or state, provincial or federal agencies which can direct policy, funding and legislation. Working in the energy industry allows me to be a part of those larger conversations and feel like I’m having an impact beyond just my own life’s choices.”
Bruno Lopes, Quality Assurance Analyst
“Since I was a child I used to hear about the negative impacts of over consumption of energy, as I grew up I realized that being an energy efficient person has a positive impact on people's lives and nature. Working at EnergyX makes me feel that I am a step above my principles and it makes me feel that I can have a greater impact on the challenge of being greener.”
Chris Hecimovich, Sales Executive
“I’ve been in technology for 17+ years with a university background in business and information systems. When I left my previous position, I really took a step back and looked at how I wanted to shape the rest of my career. I knew it had to be purpose driven to ignite passion in my pursuit for success. When I started discussions with EnergyX — it checked my boxes. Not only did I find an organization that allowed me to move back to Nova Scotia from Toronto, but I had found a place where innovative technology is being used to help our society conserve energy, at scale.
Nikola Kuzmic, Data Scientist
“With a background in Mechanical Engineering and Data Analytics, I couldn't have been matched with a better opportunity than working in the energy efficiency sector. I am very passionate about leveraging physics, engineering, and machine learning to empower home and business owners to save energy and do their part in cutting down emissions. With the advances in AI and digital transformation well underway in nearly all aspects of our lives, I am thrilled about the parallel progress we are making in turning our ambitious energy conservation goals into a reality.”
Meysam Sahafzadeh, Data Scientist
“My background has always been energy efficiency from the first day of my B.Sc.. At the time, my focus was taking engineering approaches to make industries, particularly oil, gas, and petrochemical complexes more energy efficient. In my graduate studies, with the rapid growth in big data technology and advancement in machine learning algorithms, I started looking at energy efficiency from the data science perspective. Ever since I’ve joined EnergyX, I had the opportunity to explore the value in the data accumulated in utilities over time, and build AI—based solutions that make energy efficiency smarter and more accessible.”
Deepesh Kumar, Product Manager
"Energy efficiency is not a luxury but a necessity. The world has seen between 2—3% annual growth in energy consumption in the last 400 years. Unlike economic growth, energy growth can’t be limitless. Capturing all the solar energy from the sun will not be enough in 300 years if we keep growing at 2.5% growth annually. I am talking of hypothetical 100% efficient solar panels covering the entire earth including the oceans. If we were to forget earth, and just surround the entire sun with solar panels, it will still fail to meet our energy needs in 1300 years at the current growth rate. There’s no panacea for rising energy consumption. Energy efficiency has to work.”
Kelvin Firmino, Software Engineer
“Energy Efficiency is something that I have always learned at home with my parents. It starts with small things, such as turning off the light when you leave the room or replacing your old furnace with a new and more efficient one. The impact that it has on the environment is enormous. So, let's make good use of energy. And remember, saving energy is saving money.”
Brian Garrison, Sales Executive
“I originally started my career in finance and engineering with over 20 years of experience in smart grid, AMI and energy efficiency. Two lessons I've learned over the years is we have one planet and we need to take care of it. The second lesson is not to wait for others to take action. Being a life—long proponent for sustainability, energy efficiency is an easy way we can all make a difference and help preserve our planet and homes. You do not need multiple degrees or decades of experience to participate in energy efficiency. Every one of us has the power to take action and make a difference — my only question is, "Why isn't everyone taking action to save our homes, our families and future.”
Bikee Maharjan, Software Engineer
“I always believed that Energy efficiency is the key to fighting climate change. Coming form a Software background, the best way for me to contribute is through building a user—friendly platform to help others. I am convinced through EnergyX, I will achieve that goal. Let’s work together and make our world better.”
Leonardo Zimmer, Data Scientist
“I’ve always been fascinated about science and how things work. This led me to pursue a mechanical engineering career, and during the path I developed a passion to solve problems in an elegant and more efficient way. And that is the core of energy efficiency programs and the whole mentality around this industry: be more skillful with the current processes, be more resourceful, optimize our time and money with the same or less energy. I love this industry!”
Jasmine Ning, Software Engineer
“Coming from an Asian household there were many things that my parents would nag me about such as turning off the lights when you leave the room, not letting the AC run all the time, hang drying the laundry, that the dishwasher should be used as a dish rack so we can’t wash dishes in it… These “house rules” probably stem from the perspective of saving money, but little did I know that our household was contributing towards energy efficiency. Now, I am older and ‘accidentally’ in the energy industry looking to do something bigger by building an app that not only helps people save money but also raises awareness of what true energy efficiency is.”
Conor Breen, Software Engineer
“My natural curiosity around technologies of the past and present have led me to EnergyX, which now has me looking toward the future. As technology advances quicker than we can keep up, it’s important to build sustainably – being a part of a team that is mindful of the intersection of tech and sustainability is incredibly fulfilling and dynamic. Managing to weave what we have at present, with what we want moving forward, whilst prioritizing our shared future is a part of software development that wasn’t on my radar until now. Here at EnergyX, I realize how much responsibility we have as creators and our duty to build for the future we want.”
