Steve Schmidt, Founder & COO

Steve has managed numerous software projects, large and small, and is very happy to be able to apply that experience to help solve a problem he feels is so important: high energy consumption and GHG emissions. Reducing carbon emissions is now his passion: he bikes to meetings, refuses to fly if it can be avoided, and vigilantly looks for energy leaks in his own home. He has mechanical engineering and business degrees from Stanford, and spent many years building & marketing software for IC design. In his spare time he builds interesting things like windmills, mobiles and electric vehicles.

Lisa Schmidt, President and CEO

Lisa has worked at 9 startups over her career, most of which — but not all — successfully delivered valuable products to customers. HEA is the most important startup because it is addressing the most crucial problem of our time: climate change. She received a BSEE from the University Texas and an MLA from Stanford. She spent most of her career in the Electronic Design Automation industry when Silicon Valley generated lost of silicon. She enjoys trail running with her buddies and dogs, working in her native garden, cooking and lopping cedar at Big Dog Ranch.

Travis, Project Architect

Travis is the rare technologist who is also a gifted artist. He understands how to make complex data & concepts both elegant & understandable. He has worked at Microsoft, at several innovative silicon valley startups, including several he founded, and has also pursued interests in photography, travel and theater. He started life in Texas but has also lived in Seattle, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chicago and San Francisco. We rely on Travis for his brilliant observations, deep technical experience, artistic eye and knowledge in managing complex software projects.

Jan

Jan is a programming prodigy. He and Steve started working together when Jan was a mere teenager. His knowledge is deep and wide-ranging. He is making sure HEA can handle millions of users quickly, accurately and securely as we grow.

Ildar

Ildar is our enterprise software expert and single-handedly implemented the first version of the HEA software. His broad experience with security, software architecture and robust object oriented design allowed him to add core features that we didn't know we'd need till much later.

James Tuleya, Community Programs Director & Energy Coach

James Tuleya worked for eight years on energy efficiency programs and regulatory affairs at PG&E. He has lived in Sunnyvale since 1999 when he became a marketing and alliances manager at Silicon Graphics after his early career spanned roles including Navy officer, operations consultant, investment researcher, and international market development consultant.

Over 10 years ago, James began active climate advocacy and switched his career focus from high-tech to clean-tech/energy efficiency after Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth documentary helped him realize the urgent need to address our Climate Crisis. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Leader of clean energy community initiatives, avid organic gardener and cook, Stanford sports enthusiast and electric vehicle owner. James can be seen all over Silicon Valley happily driving and talking about his new Bolt EV.

Kimble Smith, Energy Coach

I studied electrical engineering at Stanford University and worked for several semiconductor companies during my career. As an electrical engineer I was always working on ways to reduce energy use and create higher efficiency in our products. In 2016 I completed a commercial building commissioning course at the Pacific Energy Center. I also completed several courses on home energy analysis and improvement. I have evaluated many homes and businesses for energy efficiency over the past several years. I use these same skills in helping the HomeIntel client base.

Greg Pfotenhauer, Energy Coach

Greg received his education from Humboldt State Engineering and has a degree in Environmental Resources Engineering. His career began at Redwood Energy in 2013, studying real-world performance in state-of-the-art all-electric multifamily buildings in California. Since then he has filled various roles studying, modeling, and decarbonizing buildings with a particular emphasis on heat pump water heater optimization and thermal load shifting. In 2022, Greg founded the consulting firm Artemisia Energy, which provides research services, data analysis, modeling, and energy audits with a focus on decarbonization & electrification. Greg lives in Reno, NV with his partner and two dogs.

Joseph Chen, Energy Efficiency Enthusiast/Coach

In 2022, Joseph landed a fixer-upper home with a nonfunctional furnace, zero insulation, and ancient appliances. It scored a 1 out of 10 on the Home Energy Score scale, indicating it was an extremely energy inefficient building. Never one to shy away from improving a bad test result, he spent the next six months digesting building science manuals, electrification guides, and couponed his way through rebates/incentives to get that score up to a solid 10. It was such an enjoyable process that he repeated the process on his parents' home, followed quickly by any of his friends who would listen. Today, this regular joe joined HEA as an energy coach to help YOU, the one reading this bio, to guide you towards increasing your home's efficiency and improving your overall comfort.

Elena Olmedo, Energy Coach

Elena Olmedo is a Latina American who grew up in San Francisco, CA. She became an environmentalist at the age of 7 when she visited her parent's homeland of El Salvador for the first time and heard stories from her elders about the rivers being too polluted to swim in because a manufacturing facility had dumped harmful chemicals into the local rivers where people would fish and swim. Following her childhood dreams, she went on to receive a BA in Legal Studies from UC Santa Cruz, and an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School. 

Elena has worked on energy efficiency programs for over a decade, and more recently on building electrification policy and programs. She started off quantifying greenhouse gas emissions for Bay Area cities. She went on to develop and implement Climate Action Plans and manage ratepayer funded energy efficiency programs. While working at NRDC, Elena advised cities on their buildings and transportation policies, and helped pass some of the most ambitious climate policies in the country. She also consulted with cities on how to consider equity as part of their climate action planning work and community engagement practices. Elena's life long goals are to do as much as she can to fight climate change and ensure that the needs of disadvantaged communities and communities of color are also being included in climate action work. 

When Elena is not researching new ways to save more energy, she spends her time gardening, studying herbal medicine, homesteading and building a future farm for her family. Elena speaks Spanish and Portuguese. 

Sandeep Patidar, Software Engineer

My name is Sandeep Patidar, and I am a Full Stack Developer specializing in Java and Angular, with a background in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. I am passionate about developing efficient and scalable solutions and constantly strive to stay updated with the latest industry trends. In my free time, I love to sing songs, listen to music, and practice yoga and meditation.

Patti - Energy Coach

Patti advocates being kind to the environment by understanding and cooperating with the forces of nature and physics, rather than fighting against them.  She reduced her home's energy waste - cutting her bills in half, and now enjoys being an Energy Coach helping others do the same. Patti has worked on residential energy efficiency projects at environmental non-profits such as Acterra, NRDC, and Ecology Action. She is a BPI-trained Building Analyst (U.S. Building Performance Institute) and earned her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Florida. 

Previous experience includes 15 years in computer and tablet technology product development with stints in systems engineering, product marketing, product management and program management. Cool community activity: Teaching backyard composting and vermicomposting at schools and community centers - an amazing form of recycling and waste management. Patti continues to make progress towards a zero waste and ZNE (zero net energy) home.

Chris Hunt, Energy Coach Emeritus

One of our first coaches, now retired. He was a relentless searcher for energy savings!

Gil

Gil Masters works on energy efficiency and renewable energy systems as keys to slowing global warming, enhancing energy security, and improving conditions in underserved, rural communities. Although officially retired since 2002, he continues to teach at Stanford University. He is the author or co-author of nine books, including Energy for Sustainability: Technology, Policy and Planning (2008). Professor Masters has received a number of teaching awards at Stanford. Over the years, more than 12,000 students have enrolled in his courses, including Steve.

Sealy - Mascot

She is always striving to reduce her carbon footprint!