State and Territory Energy Offices conduct important actions that advance the operational affordability, performance, and resilience of their states’ building stock, as well as the ability of buildings to support electric grid reliability and flexibility. The NASEO Buildings Committee convenes the State Energy Offices and NASEO Affiliate members for discussions and best practice exchange on energy use in commercial, residential, and public buildings. Key committee priorities include energy efficiency and affordability, grid-edge solutions, resilience, public-private financing for building energy upgrades, and building science and technology innovations.

Staff Contacts

Sandy Fazeli Sandy Fazeli Senior Managing Director

Sandy Fazeli

Senior Managing Director

Sandy Fazeli leads NASEO’s Energy Economy and Buildings programs and helps lead content development for NASEO's major conferences and events. She serves as an Adjunct Fellow for the Center for Strategic and International Studies Chair in U.S. India Policy Studies and on the Advisory Board of the Energy Policy Institute at Boise State University. Previously, she served as the Vice-Chair of the City of Minneapolis's Community Environmental Advisory Commission and on the National Academies' Committee on Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States. Prior to NASEO, Ms. Fazeli worked on energy efficiency and state policy issues at the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Colorado Energy Office, and the Alliance to Save Energy. She received a Bachelor of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University and a Master of Development Practice from the University of Denver.

Rodney Sobin Rodney Sobin Senior Fellow

Rodney Sobin

Senior Fellow

Rodney Sobin leads NASEO's work on demand flexibility and building-grid integration as well as industrial energy; supports a range of building energy management and energy-environmental integration activities; has led reports on critical minerals, hydrogen, and carbon management; and works on such issues as technological innovation and distributed energy resources. Prior to NASEO, he was Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at the Alliance to Save Energy; worked at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; and did environmental technology work at Concurrent Technologies Corporation, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and the World Resources Institute. He has a Bachelor of Science in biology and society from Cornell University and two master’s degrees, a Master of Arts in technology and human affairs and Master of Science in biological sciences from Washington University in St. Louis.

Liepa Braciulyte Liepa Braciulyte Senior Program Manager

Liepa Braciulyte

Senior Program Manager

Liepa Braciulyte supports NASEO's work in building energy codes, building performance standards, workforce development, and related building energy efficiency and resilience topics. Liepa coordinates with state and federal representatives to support the priorities of State and Territory Energy Offices via research and policy analysis. Prior to NASEO, Liepa worked on the Codes & Policy team at New Buildings Institute, where she developed building and energy model code language on extreme heat mitigation and created resources on energy efficiency, embodied carbon, and decarbonization for code officials, building designers, and consumers. Liepa has a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Environmental Policy and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.

Jasmine Xie Jasmine Xie Senior Program Manager

Jasmine Xie

Senior Program Manager

Jasmine Xie supports NASEO’s buildings program, where she works on policy and program development for states on topics including public school facilities, residential energy labeling, grid-interactive efficient buildings, advanced building construction, and resilience. Prior to NASEO, she worked at ICF, where she supported EPA’s ENERGY STAR Program for Commercial Buildings, and the City of Cambridge on administering their annual Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance. She has a Bachelor of Arts in economics and environmental studies from Swarthmore College.

Maddie Koewler Maddie Koewler Program Director

Maddie Koewler

Program Director

Maddie Koewler supports NASEO's buildings program work by collaborating with State and Territory Energy Offices on residential energy issues, such as home energy labeling, energy efficient manufactured housing, and energy efficiency program design. Prior to NASEO, Ms. Koewler worked at the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy implementing residential energy efficiency programs. Ms. Koewler has a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from Kent State University.

  • Co-Chair, Michigan
    Julie Staveland, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
  • Co-Chair, New York
    Susanne DesRoches, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
  • Georgia
    Kristofor Anderson, Georgia Environmental Finance Authority
  • District of Columbia
    Katie Bergfield, District Department of Energy & Environment
  • Colorado
    Adam Berry, Colorado Energy Office
  • Oregon
    Blake Shelide, Oregon Department of Energy
NASEO Webinar: State Policy Framework for Extreme Heat Resilience
October 10, 2025 
  • This NASEO webinar features the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) to discuss their Resilient Cooling Strategy and Policy Toolkit published in August 2025, “Too Hot not to Handle”. This presentation will examine the state and local policy levers to expand building, community, and grid-level resilient cooling solutions. FAS and NASEO discuss ongoing initiatives to support State Energy Offices and peer agencies with heat action planning, and next steps.
  • Click here to view the recording. 
NASEO 2025 National Buildings Summit: State Innovations Advancing Energy Efficiency, Affordability, and Resilience
September 8-9, 2025 - Arlington, VA
  • Please contact Sandy Fazeli (sfazeli@naseo.org) with any questions.
NASEO Buildings Committee Meeting: State Actions to Enhance Building Energy Performance and Affiliate Roundtable 
August 21, 2025, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
  • State-driven programs and policies continue to enable behind-the-meter energy improvements and encourage the adoption of emerging building energy technologies. Tune into this quarter's NASEO Buildings Committee to hear updates from State and Territory Energy Offices on legislative, program, and research developments across all building sectors. NASEO Affiliate Partners will also have an opportunity to share relevant resources and announcements. 
  • Click here to view the recording. 
NASEO Buildings Committee Meeting: Local Government Facility Upgrades: Success Stories and Leading by Example  
June 6, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
  • This quarterly NASEO Buildings Committee meeting highlighted success stories in local government energy management, enabled by state level Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) programs. Presenters from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the Alaska Energy Authority, and Schneider Electric discussed project outcomes, as well as the opportunity for publicly owned facilities to lead-by-example and scale energy projects through public-private partnerships.
  • Click here to view the Youtube recording.
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
NASEO Buildings Committee Webinar: Achieving Energy Savings Through Smart Surfaces
March 11, 2025, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
  • This NASEO Buildings Committee webinar featured the Smart Surfaces Coalition, which educates the public about the benefits of reflective (cool) roofs and pavements, porous and permeable pavements, green roofs, solar PV, trees, and combinations of these strategies. The session, moderated by the Oregon Department of Energy, highlighted resources for and opportunities for coordination between localities and State Energy Offices to advance passive cooling strategies to reduce energy bills and create safer building environments during extreme heat events.
  • Click here to view the Youtube recording.
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
NASEO Buildings Committee Meeting: Emerging Technologies and State Leadership in Commercial Building Electrification
November 8, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
  • State-level programs and policies can advance the adoption of innovative heating and cooling technologies for commercial buildings. During this Buildings Committee meeting, attendees heard from the New York State Energy Research Authority, the Washington Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Rheem on programs and projects to accelerate the transition to an electrified, energy-efficient building sector through the commercial building stock.
  • Click here to view the YouTube recording. 
  • Click here for the presentation slides. 
NASEO Webinar: Empowering Local Education Agencies – The Role of State and Territory Energy Offices in School Energy Upgrades
November 4, 2024
  • This webinar provides an overview of a NASEO report for State and Territory Energy Offices on collaborating with State Education Agencies to support local K-12 school districts on improving facility energy efficiency and indoor air quality. This call also highlighted additional resources on best practices for State Energy Offices on administering existing school energy programs and strengthening cross-agency partnerships to advance energy-efficient and healthy school buildings.
  • Click here to view the YouTube recording.
  • Click here to view the webinar slides.
NASEO Buildings Committee Meeting: Re-Launch and Buildings Program Updates
August 22, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
  • This NASEO Buildings Committee meeting introduced new State Committee Leadership Team regional representatives from the Colorado Energy Office, Oregon Department of Energy, and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The meeting also featured updates across the NASEO Buildings program staff on ongoing and emerging projects and focus areas, and an opportunity for NASEO State and Affiliate members to provide input on future Committee meeting formats and topics of interest.
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
NASEO Buildings Committee Webinar: A Discussion of DOE’s National Building Decarbonization Blueprint, State Decarbonization Plans, and Opportunities for Collaboration
June 10, 2024, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
  • The NASEO Buildings Committee hosted a conversation between State Energy Office Directors of Michigan, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Carolyn Snyder, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Buildings and Industry, on the recently released DOE report, “Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector”. The Blueprint serves as a guiding framework for coordinated federal actions, including collaboration with state and local entities, to meet ambitious short- and long-term goals of decarbonizing the buildings sector while simultaneously unlocking significant energy cost savings, public health benefits, and clean energy jobs. 
  • Click here for the presentation slides. 
  • Click here for the presentation recording.
NASEO Webinar: Ensuring Access to Whole Building Energy Data for Programs, Policies, and Incentives
January 23, 2024, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
  • A growing slate of existing building programs, policies, and incentives rest on access to whole-building energy data, including those being administered by states. This webinar expanded on the issues that arise when owners of multi-family and multi-tenant commercial buildings lack access to this data; the types of programs, policies, and incentives that utilize or may utilize this data; best practices and resources to look to related to data provision; and the roles that states can play in ensuring access. The data can enable building owners to provide information required to comply with benchmarking laws, building performance standards laws, and emission disclosure laws for corporate entities; to benchmark on a voluntary basis or meet investor demands for disclosure from publicly traded companies; and to access incentives for energy efficiency projects through the expanded 179D tax deduction, HUD Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and the DOE Home Efficiency Rebates program. Additionally, access to this data may support states in designing and implementing existing building focused initiatives under the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program.
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
  • Click here for the presentation recording. 
NASEO Webinar: The FY23 Federal Emergency Management Agency's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program
January 11, 2024, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
  • The FY23 Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program includes a new Building Code Plus-Up set aside that provides additional federal funding to advance life safety and energy codes for hazard mitigation and increased building resilience. As potential partners or subapplicants for this non-competitive state funding allocation under BRIC and as entities that often oversee building code development, adoption, and implementation activities, State Energy Offices gleaned information and application best practices through presentations from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Office of Energy Programs, the FEMA BRIC Technical Team, and the International Code Council on the eligible activities supported through the competitive and non-competitive BRIC funding opportunities. States must submit their applications for state allocations and Plus-Up funds by February 29, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. ET. 
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
  • Click here for the presentation recording. 
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on Low-Embodied Carbon and Energy Efficient Residential Construction
September 19, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
  • This NASEO Buildings Committee Meeting featured presentations from the U.S. Green Building Council, the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association, and the Vinyl Siding Institute on the sustainability of commercially available insulation, cladding, and other construction materials for residential energy efficiency. These presentations provided background for discussions of environmental product declarations (EPDs), life cycle analysis (LCA) software to calculate embodied carbon, and linkages to “buy-clean” procurement policies.
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
  • Click here for the presentation recording.
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on the Pacific Northwest National Lab Building Energy Codes Technical Assistance Network
August 23, 2023, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
  • This NASEO Buildings Committee meeting provided an overview of the Building Energy Codes Technical Assistance Network, offered in coordination between the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) and the Regional Energy Efficiency Organizations (REEOs). The Technical Assistance Network, along with the National Energy Code Collaborative, proactively engages state and local jurisdictions on adopting and implementing advanced energy codes. This presentation introduced key PNNL staff and anticipated resources, soliciting attendee feedback on how these resources might support states and their building energy code goals. 
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on State-Led Building Clean Energy Target Adoption
August 3, 2023, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
  • This NASEO Buildings Committee meeting featured a discussion on the momentum propelling more state-led efforts to advance the performance of existing buildings and their varied approaches, ranging from statewide lead-by-example energy improvement programs targeting publicly owned buildings to meaningful engagement with local governments to develop climate and energy goals and implementation plans for their buildings sector. This meeting featured perspectives from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, and their respective program partners on improving the existing building stock, as well as a brief overview on federal technical assistance offerings from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
  • Click here for the presentation recording.
NASEO Briefing on Inflation Reduction Act Tax Incentives
July 31, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
  • NASEO hosted a briefing on the implications of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax incentives for commercial real estate, featuring a presentation from Duane Desiderio of the Real Estate Roundtable, followed by a question and answer session for participating State, Territory, and Affiliate members. The Real Estate Round table has created fact sheets on the IRA tax incentives which are updated as the Internal Revenue Service releases additional information. The fact sheets can be found on the Real Estate Roundtable website. 
  • Click here for the presentation recording.
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on Low-GWP Refrigerants
June 29, 2023, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
  • The June NASEO Buildings Committee call featured presentations from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); Carrier; and Johnson Controls Inc. that shared perspectives on managing fugitive emissions and meeting state/local climate goals by using low-GWP refrigerants in heat pumps and other cooling technologies. The presentations also delved into the state policy interventions necessary to safely enforce low-GWP refrigerant through building codes. 
  • Click here for the presentation slides.
  • Click here for the presentation recording.
NASEO Buildings Committee Call - U.S. DOE Building Energy Code Notice of Intent (States Only)
April 12, 2023, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
  • This states-only meeting of the NASEO Buildings Committee provided an overview of the recently published U.S. Department of Energy Notice of Intent to release $950 million of funding on a competitive basis for building energy codes over multiple years. The Technical Assistance for the Adoption of the Latest and Zero Building Energy Codes or Standards Request for Information (RFI) was published on Friday March 31, 2023. The meeting gathered state input to inform NASEO’s response to the RFI associated with this funding. Responses to the RFI are due to DOE on April 26, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. ET. 
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on Member Priorities and Updates
March 22, 2023, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
  • The March NASEO Buildings Committee call provided forum for State and Affiliate members to share recent buildings-related priorities and updates, which included brief updates on new resources and interest areas from the NASEO Buildings Program and polling to discuss topics of interest for upcoming NASEO Buildings Committee Calls.
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on Energy Efficiency Improvements for Commercial Buildings
February 21, 2023, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
  • The February NASEO Buildings Committee kicked off a series of quarterly presentations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on program design considerations, tools, and available resources for states seeking to increase the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. The meeting featured presentations from Katy Hatcher and Brendan Hall from the Public Sector Program at EPA and Billierae Engelman, Operations Specialist at DOE; in addition to a presentation from Emily Salzberg and Liz Reichart from Washington State on their experience implementing a statewide building performance standard. 
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on 2024 Energy Code
December 1, 2022, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
  • The NASEO Buildings Committee held a meeting focused on the development of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code. The meeting addressed the development process, explained how states could participate in the public comment period (comments due December 16, 2022), and addressed how the changes proposed to the code so far may impact the efficiency of the final 2024 energy code. This meeting was moderated by Robin Yochum, NASEO Buildings Committee Co-Chair and Energy Program Manager of the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, and featured presentations from Ian Finlayson, Deputy Manager of Energy Efficiency at Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources; Kim Cheslak, Director of Codes at New Buildings Institute; and Kristopher Stenger, Director of Energy Programs at International Code Council.
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on Understanding the Pending Hope for Homes and Zero Emissions Homes Programs – $12.5 Billion for State Implementation Residential Efficiency
November 10, 2021
  • NASEO’s Buildings Committee held a members-only meeting to provide planning details on two residential energy efficiency and beneficial electrification training and rebate programs – Hope for Homes (H4H) and Zero Emissions Homes (ZEEH). These $12.5 billion programs were part of a U.S. House reconciliation bill. State Energy Offices would be directly responsible for about half of this amount which would be provided through an SEP formula mechanism. NASEO staff and residential efficiency expert Kara Saul Rinaldi, President, AnnDyl Policy Group, provided details on the statutory language guiding H4H and ZEEH and considerations for both the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the State Energy Offices in planning for their implementations. If you are interested in reviewing the November 3, 2021, version of the legislation, the H4H begins on page 379, Subtitle D—Energy, Part 1—Residential Energy Efficiency and Electrification Rebates, Sec. 30411 Home Energy Performance-Based, Whole-House rebates and Training Grants and is paired with Sec. 30412 the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program. 
  • Click here to view the recording. 
NASEO Buildings Committee Call on Allowable Uses of American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) Funding for K-12 Schools Retrofits
August 17, 2021