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Alex graduated from RPI with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship. One of the many things she picked up from her schooling was a way of thinking about things.

“Engineering is more about problem solving than anything else,” says Alex. “That way of thinking about a problem is something I use every single day.”

As a Senior Technical Associate, Alex supports energy projects at Loureiro. She delivers analysis and management services related to energy efficiency for manufacturing and commercial clients. Alex is primarily concerned with Energy Utilization Assessments (EUA’s). She conducts field assessments and energy audits to understand how a customer uses energy while identifying ways to optimize operation and reduce energy waste.

“A lot of the work I do is a result of Connecticut utilities having efficient incentive programs that share in the cost of either researching or investing in energy efficiency improvements for in-State businesses.”

In order to complete EUA’s, Alex puts data loggers in place, including current, temperature and light level sensors within the space and on equipment - like air compressors or dust collectors. A couple of weeks later, Alex returns to the site, removes the logging equipment, and downloads the readings.

“We’ll look at things like the trends in the current draw of piece of equipment against the shift operation schedule,” says Alex. “We do that in combination with onsite observations. We’ll talk to the customer and break things down so that we’re looking at the energy usage and associated costs and then find ways of reducing that bill.”

She cites lighting as an easy example – the installation of LEDs translate to direct energy savings.

“We’re the next step,” Alex says. “We come in after a client has installed LEDs and has a good understanding of how that change is expected to affect their energy output. We’re coming in when you understand there’s more that you can do, but you can’t do the math anymore. We help customers understand what measures we can put in place to reduce their energy usage, how much it would cost them, and what the return-on-investment would be.”

Air compressors at manufacturing facilities are frequently set at a certain PSI and left there. Alex helps clients look at ways to potentially lower a compressor’s set point. She also looks at the energy usage of HVAC systems, and where there are opportunities to pull back on energy usage.

“I think of it like a motor that can ramp up and down – accelerate, decelerate – but without a good feedback loop to gauge when things should be slowing down you could be wasting energy,” Alex says. “Say you’re driving down the road, and instead of slowing down when you approach a stop sign, you start to accelerate before slamming on the brake at the stop sign. In the context of a manufacturing facility, that could mean that certain aspects of the facility are ramping up and utilizing more energy at the end of the day when production is winding down.”

Alex then works with the client to identify opportunities for incorporating automated control strategies that could include modified operating parameters, or replacing equipment by analyzing trends in data between different systems on site or external conditions.

“Ultimately, I’m helping people reduce their negative impact on the environment,” says Alex. “The most rewarding projects for me are the ones where the client just needs to do something differently, change a behavior, rather than having to buy something. Helping them see that and helping them through that is a part of this job that I really enjoy.”

Outside of work, you can find Alex traveling. She and her husband often head to Vermont and Maine to snowboard, and soon she’ll be heading to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Alex also plays field hockey, and last summer was a part of the gold medal winning team at the Nutmeg State Games.