Sam Mueller

Executive Vice President

As Executive Vice President, Sam Mueller oversees program operations in Nexant’s East region. He has more than 17 years of experience providing energy efficiency solutions to municipalities, investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities, and energy end users that cost-effectively deliver energy and demand reductions and increased customer satisfaction. He is an expert in all aspects of planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating demand side management (DSM) programs and projects. Sam also serves as a Board Member on Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s (MEEA) Board of Directors.

Areas of Expertise

Program Design and Development: Assessing market and saving potential for various energy efficiency measures and utilizing these findings to design successful energy efficiency programs that target resource acquisition, market transformation, customer satisfaction, or all three, depending on the client’s needs.

Program Management: Overall management responsibility for project scope, timeline, and budgetary goals; ensuring project quality; overseeing staff; and working directly with service providers, vendors, and clients on projects.

Energy Engineering Analysis: Analyzing and estimating energy consumption and savings using statistical and computer simulation techniques; developing deemed energy savings values; performing technical potential assessments; conducting utility billing analysis; and verifying and performing energy calculations for a variety of conservation measures and technologies.

Strategic Planning: Providing support in the short-, mid-, and long-term planning for the role of energy efficiency and demand response with respect to both local and national economic and regulatory factors.

Business Operations and Management: Conducting financial planning and analysis; managing, tracking, and reporting profit and loss. Coordinating, planning, and directing Nexant resources to deliver timely, cost-effective client energy efficiency solutions.

Representative Project Experience

DTE – Retrocommissioning (RCx) Pilot Program (2014–Present)
In collaboration with DTE, the Nexant team designed and launched the DTE Energy RCx Pilot program. Services provided include program design and implementation, market analysis, outreach, internal and external training, and service provider network management, and technical oversight. Sam currently provides client management and oversight for the Nexant team. Since launching in 2014, the program enrolled 32 facilities that will reach over 5.7 GWh and 68,000 CCF of annual energy savings when implemented.

Vectren – Customized Audit and Efficiency (CAE), Commercial New Construction (CNC), and Small Business Energy Solutions (SBES) Programs (2010–Present)
Sam directs a team that provides implementation services for the Vectren Energy Delivery commercial and industrial (C&I) Customized Audit and Efficiency, C&I New Construction, and Small Business Energy Solutions programs. He provides oversight and strategic direction to the Nexant team providing day-to-day program management and delivery tasks. Over the past five years, the Nexant team has helped Vectren exceed program energy savings goals each and every year. Together with Vectren, we achieved results cost-effectively while also providing high customer satisfaction.

Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) – Smart Ideas for Your Business Programs (2008–Present)
Since 2008, Sam has provided client management, strategic direction, and oversight responsibility for the following ComEd programs:

• ComEd/Nicor Gas/Peoples Gas/North Shore Gas – Retrocommissioning (2008–Present)
• ComEd – Prescriptive and Custom programs (2009–2010)
• ComEd/Nicor Gas – Monitoring-Based Commissioning (2012–Present)
• ComEd – Small Business Energy Savings (2011–Present)
• ComEd – Industrial Systems (2012–2014)
• ComEd – Industrial Standard and Custom (2012–2013)

Over the past ten years, the Nexant team has helped ComEd reach over 21,000 customers to improve their energy efficiency, provide incentives totaling more than $70M, and achieve 800 GWh of annual energy savings.

MidAmerican Energy Company – Nonresidential Energy Analysis (NEA) Program (2004–Present)
Sam has directed and overseen Nexant’s team working with MidAmerican Energy Company to design and administer commercial (through 2014) and industrial gas and electric NEA energy efficiency program within their IA and IL (as of 2008) service territories. The program offers participants a comprehensive facility walkthrough energy audit, performed by Nexant’s team of engineers, which focuses on the facility’s equipment and operations. Nexant also provides energy manager services and assists in the development of an organization specific multi-year action plan. This plan details the improvements to be completed and provides additional technical resources (e.g., obtaining and evaluating vendor bids, providing independent third-party owner’s representation, verifying energy impacts, etc.) necessary to move a project from identified to installed. To date, Nexant has performed more than 800 detailed energy audits. Recommendations have included more than 6,000 energy conservation measures and 200 in-depth study recommendations.

In total, Nexant has assisted MidAmerican Energy Company’s largest commercial and industrial customers save more than 276 GWh in annual energy savings and helped MidAmerican Energy reduce peak demand by over 31,000 kW.

Nicor Gas – Small Business Energy Savings Program (2011–2014)
Sam oversaw the Nexant team managing the administration of the joint ComEd and Nicor Gas Small Business Energy Savings program (2011–2013) and Nicor Gas Small Business Energy Efficiency Program (2013–2014). From 2011 through 2014, the Nexant team worked to increase energy savings from 100,000 therms in Program Year 1 to more than 2,000,000 therms in Program Year 2 and Year 3.

Union Gas – Independent Audit of 2007 DSM Evaluation Report (2008)
In 2008, Sam led a team completing an independent audit of Union Gas’s 2007 DSM Evaluation report. The audit was required to meet regulatory filing requirements as outlined by the Ontario Energy Board guidelines. The audit methodologies focused on a review of the 2007 DSM evaluation report, program records, databases, and studies completed in support of the evaluation report.

MN Department of Commerce – Deemed Savings Project (2007–2008)
In 2008, Sam was Nexant’s manager for a project that developed an energy efficiency screening protocol (including standardized statewide assumptions) for the natural gas and electric utilities in Minnesota’s Conservation Improvement Programs (CIP) to determine the energy and demand savings of prescriptive measures as well as their cost effectiveness. Nexant’s role included reviewing and providing measure- and program-level savings values, TRC inputs and assumptions, and finalizing recommendations based on numerous secondary data sources.

Wisconsin Focus on Energy – RCx Program Development and Training (2007–2008)
Sam led a team developing and launching the Wisconsin Focus on Energy Retrocommissioning program. The program targets existing medium to large commercial and healthcare facilities in Wisconsin. His tasks included assisting with program design, developing program documents, and preparing and delivering participant and service provider training.

Iowa Utility Association – Statewide Technical Potential Assessment (2007)
Sam served as Nexant’s project manager in completing a statewide technical potential assessment for the Iowa Utility Association. He was responsible for the data development for the commercial and industrial market segments to determine end-use customer characteristics including fuel shares and equipment saturation at various efficiency levels. His tasks included developing and conducting trade ally and end-use customer surveys, reviewing secondary data reports and assessments, and providing general and technical project oversight.

Con-Edison (NYSERDA) – System-Wide Demand Reduction Program (2007)
Sam co-managed and oversaw a team of engineers providing M&V, market assessment and causality, and cost effectiveness study services to the Con-Edison (NYSERDA) System-Wide Demand Reduction program. The team’s evaluation results were used to file lost revenue claims that were filed by Con-Edison to the New York Public Service Commission. Sam helped coordinate activities with the evaluation team members, subcontractors, and other counterparts at NYSERDA. His tasks included providing project management, technical oversight, and designing sampling strategies.

MidAmerican Energy Company – Energy Efficiency Market Penetration Study (2006–2007)
Sam served as project manager and lead investigator for an energy efficiency market penetration study that examined both penetrations of energy efficiency measures into existing customer facilities, and market shares of measures in new applications. The study methodology featured data mining activities that parse MidAmerican’s CSS and EEIS databases to leverage customer-specific and program-specific information, thus minimizing needs for primary market research activities. Study results primarily focused on estimates of market share estimates, and also included data management observations and recommendations to consider for future implementation.

Comer Home Energy – Design Assistance (2007)
Sam acted as project manager for a new construction project and provided energy design assistance and energy simulation modeling (Energy-10) for a 9,000 square foot single family home to determine energy and environmental impacts. Technologies modeled and evaluated included active (PV) and passive solar, geothermal heat pumps, day lighting, building orientation, building materials selection, and fenestration and insulation levels among others.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) – Energy $mart Evaluation (2003–2007)
Sam was a member of NYSERDA’s Energy $mart M&V evaluation team. This team was involved in a multi-year effort to assess the impact of twenty-eight (28) programs, which are funded by $932 million in public benefit charges collected from New York State energy consumers. Sam completed a wide variety of tasks in support of the evaluation. Most notably, in 2003, Sam conducted a comprehensive review of unit savings and incremental costs for over three hundred measures promoted by seven programs. The measures included some of the following technologies or equipment types: HVAC, lighting, process, dairy, motors, VSDs, transformers, and home appliances. Savings and cost values were reviewed or developed using engineering equations and principles. Through 2007, Sam continued to assist in the maintenance of the database, updating it with new measures as needed or to incorporate changes in codes or standards.

Wisconsin Focus on Energy – Program M&V (2002–2003)
Sam conducted M&V activities of over thirty (30) projects implemented through the Focus on Energy program. M&V activities included developing detailed M&V inspection procedures, completing site inspections, installing the required metering equipment, and analyzing and reporting the results of the metering and inspections. Additionally, Sam assisted in the development of 20 template calculation worksheets to assist Focus on Energy program participants in quantifying energy savings impacts for typical projects.