Introducing one of the many faces in the Energy and Engineering department that keep our campus running sustainably - Andre Nelson! Andre is an energy project engineer and started working for Facilities Management (FM) about 6 months ago. Andre has been in Davis for about 10 years and received his undergraduate degree here! 

In his role, Andre focuses on finding opportunities for energy savings within our campus! Reducing energy consumption is both cost-effective and an important step in creating a more sustainable campus environment. Andre specifically focuses on Student Housing and Dining Services and Student Affairs Divisional Resources facilities. He looks at the energy usage of campus buildings managed by these departments such as the dorms, Dining Commons, Memorial Union, and Activities and Recreation Center, and identifies ways they can save energy! Many of these energy savings are achieved through HVAC scheduling, a process by which heating and cooling are scheduled for when they are needed, rather than staying on all the time. Andre says the most challenging part of his job is coming up with solutions for some of the more complex energy system issues, but admits that his job wouldn’t be as satisfying without those challenges! 

Andre’s favorite part about his role here at FM is that he gets to be proud of the work he does! Managing energy usage is an incredibly important aspect of creating a more sustainable global environment, which Andre is passionate about. He recently spoke about the realities of electrification of our campus at the Global Energy Managers Workshop, an international conference hosted by UC Davis with over 200 attendees from 13 different countries! 

Andre also says he loves working at FM because there is so much community here! He loves being able to chat with people walking through his building, he says, and especially enjoys employee events such as our Halloween open house! In his free time, one of Andre’s favorite things to do is sky dive, which he got into after moving across the street from a skydiving center! 

We are so grateful to Andre for all of the important work he is doing to further our campus’ sustainability goals!