CIEE: California Institute for Energy and Environment

11/18/2025

🎉 CIEE is excited to welcome Emilio Camacho as a new Research Analyst!

Emilio supports research coordination across key projects, including the Oakland EcoBlock. He brings experience in tribal energy planning, battery supply chains, and clean-tech strategy, with a background in mathematics and economics from UC San Diego.

👉 Read more about Emilio: https://bit.ly/ciee-welcome-emilio

11/10/2025

🎉 We are pleased to welcome Dr. Isabel Méndez as a postdoctoral researcher!

At CIEE, Dr. Méndez advances her research on smart, adaptive thermostat systems that integrate fuzzy logic and large language models (LLMs). Her work explores how AI can make home energy conservation more intuitive, translating complex systems into household energy-saving habits.

Originally from Mexico City, Dr. Méndez holds a Ph.D. in Energy Sciences and Infrastructure from the Monterrey Institute of Technology, and has a background in architecture and renewable energy. With support from the Fulbright Program, she’s working closely with Dr. Therese Peffer at CIEE to develop thermostat interfaces that adapt to user behavior, emotion, and comfort, bringing equity and accessibility to the center of climate technology.

👉 Read more about Dr. Méndez's work at CIEE: https://bit.ly/ciee-welcome-isabel-mendez

09/23/2025

🎉 We are excited to introduce Lea Karian as our new Editorial and Communications Student Assistant!

Lea is an English major with a minor in Public Policy at UC Berkeley, focusing on environmental, urban, and immigration policy.

At CIEE, she helps inform the public about the Institute's research by writing original articles for the Sentinel newsletter and managing CIEE's social media platforms. She looks forward to strengthening her journalism skills while delving deeper into the team’s work on sustainable urban infrastructure and the local impact of initiatives like the Oakland EcoBlock.

💬 “I was drawn to this role because of the opportunity to use writing and effective communication to make innovations in research accessible to all audiences. It’s an honor to be a part of the team!”

👉 Stay tuned for Lea’s upcoming work on our socials and in the Sentinel!

08/20/2025

This summer, CIEE's Drs. Therese Peffer and Miriam Aczel visited Europe to present their research on responsible AI use and sustainable buildings. Their work is part of a multinational project supported by UC Berkeley's France-Berkeley Fund. ✨🏡🌍

In partnership with the Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports (LAET) and co-investigator Dr. Nathalie Ortar, the team is exploring cross-continental approaches to urban sustainability through two case studies: the CIEE-led Oakland EcoBlock in California and the Lyon Confluence in France.

Looking forward, Peffer and Aczel plan to share their research at the Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference this fall, offering a roadmap for responsible AI to build sustainable, resilient, and inclusive communities.

👉 Read more: bit.ly/ciee-france-berkeley-fund

Institute of European Studies, UC Berkeley | École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État (ENTPE) | UMR CNRS 5600 Environnement, Ville, Société - Doctorants

07/24/2025

CIEE and the BEST Center, in partnership with the Center for the Built Environment (CBE), have been awarded $2M from the California Energy Commission to scale demand response in large commercial buildings. 🏢⚡

The project, titled Super-GX, will demonstrate an advanced, grid-responsive control system that integrates distributed energy resources, allowing building managers to easily adjust energy use in response to local supply, electricity prices, and other signals. Super-GX will also support grid stability during peak demand times and aims to reduce energy consumption during the summer and winter.

Super-GX will also serve as a model for upskilling building technicians. The team will develop hands-on training resources with community colleges and industry partners, preparing today's workforce for the future of building operations.

👉 Read more: bit.ly/ciee-super-gx

CITRIS | UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design | UC Berkeley

07/18/2025

Transforming a single neighborhood block unlocks insights for global climate solutions. 🏡🌎

The Oakland EcoBlock, led by CIEE's Dr. Therese Peffer, is pioneering a model for urban decarbonization through block-scale retrofitting. As the pilot project nears completion, the team shares their top lessons learned.

Their most important takeaway? The power of community in driving change. There’s “something about tapping into a community and strengthening the real relationships […],” said Therese. “The door to door, the face to face, the people that pass you day to day on the street.”

👉 Listen to the EcoBlock segment on NPR: https://n.pr/44lpeA9
👉 Read more from KQED: https://bit.ly/ciee-kqed-ecoblock-lessons-learned

📸: Beth LaBerge/KQED

CITRIS I UC Berkeley I City of Oakland - Local Government

05/28/2025

🎉 We are thrilled to announce Aoyu Zou as the winner of the 2025 Art Rosenfeld Award for Energy Efficiency!

Aoyu is a third-year PhD student at UC Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment (CBE), where his research focuses on aligning heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems with renewable energy generation from the electric grid. His current work aims to develop a streamlined process for commissioning control system retrofits to establish a standardized framework that can be used across diverse building types.

"As I continue my work, it is important to focus on tangible outcomes that truly benefit our communities," said Aoyu. "With the support of the Art Rosenfeld Award, I will continue my research in developing practical, scalable grid-interactive solutions that enable other practitioners to improve energy efficiency in our built environment."

👉 Learn more: bit.ly/2025-ara-winner

CITRIS | UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design

05/20/2025

Are you a UC Berkeley student with a passion for sustainability and a knack for storytelling? ✍️🌱 Join our team as a communications and editorial assistant, and help bring cutting-edge energy and climate research to life!

👉 Apply on Handshake ( #9871538): career.berkeley.edu/handshake

05/14/2025

In case you missed it: KQED's Sold Out podcast revisited the Oakland EcoBlock, a pilot urban sustainability project led by Dr. Therese Peffer, the associate director of CIEE and the CITRIS Climate initiative.

Over the years, the EcoBlock team has made strides to decarbonize an East Oakland neighborhood with energy- and water-efficient technologies. “That’s kind of one of the things that’s been amazing—to see the persistence of the folks who have been working on this project and how they really want to see this completed," shared one resident.

Therese underscored the growing enthusiasm from other communities interested in implementing similar initiatives. She also emphasized the importance of building community in advancing sustainability. “It was through the neighbors, them talking to each other—those trusts and relationships—that’s what made it happen," she said.

👉 Read more: bit.ly/kqed-ecoblock-revisit

City of Oakland - Local Government |

04/23/2025

📢 Funding alert: CIEE's BEST Center, in partnership with Berkeley Lab, is offering two $20k mini-grants to support curriculum development on energy and building technologies.

Eligible programs are:
— Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR)
— Energy management
— Facility maintenance
— Related electro-mechanical programs

Open to faculty and program administrators at U.S. community and technical colleges.

👉 Apply by May 1: bit.ly/best-lbnl-minigrants

04/21/2025

Working at the intersection of , , and human ? Share your insights at the 2025 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference—the deadline to submit an abstract is this Tuesday!

🌎 The 2025 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference call for abstracts has been extended to Earth Day—April 22!

Don't miss the chance to share your expertise with leading changemakers and explore behavioral solutions for a low-carbon, climate-ready future. This year's theme is "Energizing a Future for All."

👉 Learn more: beccconference.org

CITRIS | The Energy Coalition | American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

04/21/2025

Proposals for the 2025 CITRIS Seed Awards are due tomorrow.

P*s from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Davis Health, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz are eligible for up to $60K for projects that use IT for the public good.

Submit your application by 5 p.m. on April 22: bit.ly/25citris-seed-funding