TEDx Talk Spotlights UMD’s Work to Improve Energy Efficiency in Buildings

During his TEDx talk, Tony Myers, energy audit program manager with the Maryland Department of General Services, discussed how his office works with UMD to improve the energy efficiency of state buildings.

The University of Maryland’s efforts to improve the energy efficiency of buildings took center stage last month at a TEDx event in Ocean City, Maryland.

Tony Myers, energy audit program manager with the Maryland Department of General Services’ Office of Energy & Sustainability (OES), spoke at TEDx Butterfish Cove on Sept. 18 at Ocean City’s convention center. OES collaborates with UMD on its sustainability initiatives.

Myers’ talk highlighted how OES partners with the UMD Center for Environmental Energy Engineering (CEEE) to conduct energy audits of approximately 2 million square feet of state-owned facilities in Maryland each year. A team led by CEEE Co-Founder Michael Ohadi and his Smart and Small Thermal Systems Laboratory (S2TS) evaluates individual buildings or clusters of buildings to identify energy-efficiency opportunities and decarbonization strategies. The team utilizes AI-driven models that require minimal input data to identify energy-saving opportunities. Recent projects include an extensive audit of state-owned buildings in Annapolis, including the Maryland State House and the governor’s mansion.

Myers focused his presentation on sustainability workforce development. “I introduced the idea by speaking about how one of the most satisfying parts of my career has been working with University of Maryland students,” he says. “They’ve helped me learn things, and I help them learn things. That should be happening on a larger scale through sustainability workforce development programs.”

He also highlighted that the UMD–State of Maryland partnership has produced a machine-learning-based virtual auditing tool. Known as the Rapid Energy Auditor, the software provides a quick but sophisticated snapshot of energy-efficiency issues, forecasts future energy consumption, and recommends ways to improve efficiency and cut carbon emissions.

“The close collaboration between the University of Maryland and the State of Maryland Department of General Services has resulted in this transformational energy audit tool that can benefit the state of Maryland and, upon commercialization, serve as a global energy audit tool,” says UMD’s Ohadi, a Minta Martin Professor of mechanical engineering. “REA also demonstrates how AI can translate sustainability from broad ambition into practical, measurable impact.”

For Myers, presenting a TEDx talk was a career highlight. “You only have 14 minutes to convey an idea to the world,” he says. “It was a surreal experience to be up on that stage with the bright lights shining on you.” More importantly, the experience gave him the opportunity to shine a light on UMD’s role in helping Maryland improve building efficiency while preparing the next generation of sustainability professionals.

Watch Myers’ TEDx talk, “People Power."