As the engineering manager, Russ oversees the engineering team’s work on energy efficiency and decarbonization of commercial buildings and industrial facilities. The team’s work includes reviews of new construction projects against commercial energy code and above code program requirements, as well as energy assessments and implementation assistance for existing buildings. The engineering team also provides technical support for other CEE departments’ efforts including field research, commercial energy code education, technology evaluations, and program development. 

Prior to leading the engineering team, Russ played various roles in projects that contribute to cost-effective energy savings in buildings. These roles have included recommissioning existing buildings, providing support for utility efficiency programs, conducting building energy simulations, leading reviews of building plans and simulation submittals for compliance with energy code and above code program, energy code and above-code program development, and serving as principal investigator for field research, technology, and market studies. 

Russ began working as an engineering intern at CEE before he received his BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1990. Since that time, his work in optimizing the energy use of existing buildings has included specialty focus areas of multifamily buildings, ice arenas, grocery refrigeration, and space-heating boiler control optimization. Since 2005, Russ has been increasingly involved in new construction to provide plan review, whole-building energy simulation, and other technical support to design teams and to organizations charged with project oversight and verification. 

Russ’s expertise has been recognized through his previous service as president of the Minnesota Chapter of ASHRAE and his appointment to the State of Minnesota’s Construction Codes Advisory Council since 2023.