James E. McMahon
Head, Energy Analysis Department
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
One Cyclotron Road, M/S 90-4000
Berkeley, CA 94720
Tel. (510) 486‑6049
Employment History
1978‑present: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
Head, Energy Analysis Department
Leader, Energy Efficiency Standards Group
Staff Scientist, Energy Analysis Program, Environmental Energy Technologies
Division
1975-1978: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of
California, Berkeley
Selected Consulting Experience
ADEME, Paris (France)
Australia Greenhouse Office (Australia)
Centre universitaire d'etude des problemes de l'energie, Geneve, (Switzerland)
Danish Energy Agency, Copenhagen (Denmark)
ENEA, Rome (Italy)
IEA, Paris (France)
Barakat & Chamberlin, Inc, Oakland, California
Morse, Richard, & Weisenmiller & Associates, Oakland, California,
Regional Economic Research, Inc., San Diego, California
United Nations, New York
Xenergy, Oakland, California
Professional Societies
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Relevant Research Experience
Manage Energy Analysis Department. Provide scientific and strategic leadership for the world’s largest and most experienced group of energy analysts, whose mission is to compile and analyze energy information for the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors. Represent LBNL in eleven-laboratory Energy Water Nexus, exploring interactions between energy and water systems.
Manage technical and economic analysis of US efficiency standards for appliances, lighting and equipment. Modify, debug, and maintain detailed databases and computer models of U.S. energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings for U.S. Department of Energy studies related to appliance, lighting and equipment standards. Provide technical support documents containing full documentation of analyses.
Consult for energy companies and non‑US governments regarding energy efficiency policies. Advise government agencies (including Australia, China, European Union, Ghana, India). Transfer databases and energy demand forecasting models to researchers within and outside US. Review load forecasts and demand reduction program plans for utilities and their consultants. Include impacts of US appliance energy efficiency standards and utility incentive programs.
Review energy surveys and forecasting models. Review Buildings Module for US Department of Energy National Energy Modeling System. Review Energy Information Administration RECS and CBECS surveys. Provide design suggestions, reviews and default data inputs for energy demand forecasting models, such as REEPS (residential) and COMMEND (service/commercial).
Analyzed U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Efficiency Standards for Appliances, Lighting and Equipment. Managed economic and technical analysis of proposed and adopted national standards, including engineering analysis and impacts on consumers, manufacturers, utilities, and environment (analyst since 1979, manager since 1986). Designed, maintained, and executed residential and commercial sector energy demand forecasting models. Performed studies of technological feasibility and economic justification for DOE efficiency standards for 12 residential appliance types (including furnaces, boilers, water heaters, air conditioners, and all major appliances); lighting equipment (including fluorescent lamp ballasts and high intensity discharge lamps); commercial heating, cooling and water heating equipment; distribution transformers and small electric motors. Provided estimates of energy savings, changes in purchase and usage patterns, and net economic benefit to residential and commercial consumers due to proposed policy. Invited participant to DOE conference “Estimating the Benefits of Government-Sponsored Energy R&D,” March, 2002. Co-authored with S. Wiel, “Energy-Efficiency Labels and Standards: A guidebook for appliances, equipment and lighting,” 2005.
Analyzed Other National Energy Policies. Managed analyses of policy options (including labels, information and rating programs, and/or performance) regarding office equipment, lamps, luminaires, small electric motors, and plumbing products. Coauthor of major studies, including Evaluation of Advanced Technologies, Early Replacement of Appliances, Potential for Electricity Efficiency Improvements in the US Residential Sector, Federal Policy Options for Lighting Efficiency. Contributor to National Commission on Energy Policy report, “Ending the Energy Stalemate,” 2004.
Behavior of the Market for Efficient Appliances. Analyzed the effects of federal, state and utility programs on efficiency of new appliances sold nationally and regionally. Contributed to analyses of market behavior regarding appliance efficiency choice, for all major residential appliances.
Analysis of Commercial Building Energy Consumption. Analyzed full set of policy options for improving indoor lighting energy consumption, including education/information programs (for consumers and designers, and component labeling), national incentive programs (rebates and tax credits), voluntary component standards, mandatory system performance standards (i.e., building codes), and mandatory component performance standards. Reviewed published works on energy consumption in commercial buildings; analyzed energy consumption methodologies; coauthored report with national energy policy implications.
Energy Demand Models. Reviewer for USDOE/EIA National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). Collaborated closely with EPRI on design of, and data required for, residential and commercial end-use energy forecasting models, REEPS and COMMEND. Improved LBNL’s national residential model, including: applied vintage structure and historical shipments data to turnover of appliances; incorporated recent improvements in appliance efficiencies and housing construction techniques; expanded coverage of end uses; replaced decision algorithm for appliance efficiency choice; improved representation of equipment cost/price data; converted from average value to distribution of appliance efficiencies in policy cases; and updated national data base.
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