Roland Risser
Roland Risser is the Program Manager for the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program. In partnership with the private sector, state and local governments, national laboratories, and universities, the Building Technologies Program (BTP) works to improve the efficiency of buildings and the equipment, components, and systems within them. The program supports research and development (R&D) activities and provides tools, guidelines, training, and access to technical and financial resources, covering both residential and commercial buildings. In addition, this program is responsible for building codes and appliance and equipment energy efficiency standards.
The U.S. has many opportunities for energy and cost savings in its buildings. BTP is leading the way with advanced technologies, codes and standards, and building design that maximizes cost effective energy efficiency. Before coming to U.S. Department of Energy, Roland Risser was the Director of Customer Energy Efficiency for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. In this role, he was responsible for developing the strategies to support PG&E's delivery of energy savings, and strategies to support a Zero Net Energy future. In addition, he was responsible for assessing and deploying new technologies and products into the Energy Efficiency Portfolio, managing a building and appliance codes and standards program, as well as PG&E's Pacific Energy Center, Energy Training Center, and Food Service Technology Center.
During his 31-year tenure at PG&E, Roland also held several other positions including Director of Energy Efficiency (which included Low Income and Demand Response programs); Director, Tariffs and Compliance; Manager, Business Account Services and Corporate Sales; Manager, New Energy Markets; and Manager, Customer Systems Research and Development. In addition, while on a one year executive loan from PG&E, he
served as the Executive Director of the Washington D.C. based Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas.
Prior to DOE, Roland was a member of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Leadership Group, Chairman of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, board member of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (now ex officio), an advisor to the Institute of Electric Efficiency, and is the Chair of the US Technical Advisory Committee to the ISO for a new Energy Management standard (ISO 50001).
Roland received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Science degree from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He also graduated from the Haas School of Business, Executive Program, at the University of California, Berkeley.
