January 24, 2023
Edison Plugged In: Meet Stephen Rivera, Senior Project Engineer
In this next installment of our Edison Plugged In Series, which shines a spotlight on the people, projects, and perspectives of the Edison Energy team, we are featuring Stephen Rivera, Senior Project Engineer, Retrofit Solutions.
Stephen joined Edison’s Energy Optimization team in June of 2022, bringing over 20 years of experience in mechanical system design, commissioning, and building energy analysis. In his role, Stephen is responsible for the execution of planning and executing energy efficiency and commissioning projects. Stephen thrives on solving complex issues and pays great attention to detail. Some of his key strengths include evaluating mechanical systems; evaluating energy conservation measures; evaluating renewables; calculating energy savings; financial models; contributing to technical and cost proposal development; and developing scope documents. Learn more about Stephen below!
Tell us your background, a little bit about yourself, and how you ended up at Edison Energy.
With a mechanical engineering degree, I began my career in Mechanical and Plumbing Design for an MEP consulting firm. Several years later I ventured into a career in energy efficiency engineering and performance contracting. Recently, I became focused on building controls and recommissioning in multiple vertical markets. I was looking for a new challenge and a former coworker introduced me to Edison Energy. He told me about the large, complicated projects that impacted our environment in a positive way. I had to say yes!
What is your role at Edison Energy?
As a Senior Project Engineer, I help our customers meet their energy and carbon reduction goals by evaluating their facilities. Once our evaluation is complete, we develop these projects wholistically for our construction team to implement.
Share something unique to your role and a specific skill set that others may be surprised to know about.
The biggest and most important skill set that I believe is surprising is the capability to communicate with facilities, engineers, and C-Suite customers. It’s a different language from group to group with different values. We as engineers need to recognize our audience and speak to what impacts the group most.
Is there a project you feel most proud of in your career, and if so, what made this project successful from your perspective?
One of the projects that stands out in my career was Pueblo Housing Authority (PHA) located in Pueblo, CO. This project is funded by the HUD and intended for disadvantaged, extremely low-income, elderly or disabled residents. I was part of a team that developed an energy optimization project that minimized the impact to PHA’s budget and improved their tenants’ homes.
What advice would you give to a peer who is looking to pursue a similar career path?
Be curious, not judgmental…be open to all opportunities.
Share an interesting fact about yourself.
I’m a big soccer fan and my favorite team is Arsenal (English Premier League). On my 40th birthday I got to watch them play Liverpool on the opening day, but they lost. I hope to visit London again this year to watch them play as they are top of the league! Below is a picture of my son and I in France taking a picture with the champions league trophy the week before the final was played.
Click here to learn more about the Edison Energy team and stay tuned for the next feature in our Edison Plugged In Series!
