Who We Are
We are engineers, developers, salespeople, and innovators, all focused on a single goal: delivering more resilient, efficient, and financially advantageous energy solutions. We achieve this by taking a holistic approach to address the high costs of today’s infrastructure across the entire project lifecycle. This enables our clients in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and higher education to build for a better future without compromising their bottom line. We create solutions that empower organizations to thrive.
Optimum Energy Partners
Our Vision
When we first started our company more than twenty years ago, the dream of doing more with less to accelerate the world’s transition to resource sustainability seemed far from reality. Since that time, we’ve grown from one customer to hundreds of installations across four continents, pioneering software-based HVAC optimization in the process and now changing the industry standards of EaaS.
Today we have saved our collective customers enough energy to power more than 200,000 homes and done so in a way that is financially sustainable for our customers and our company, we are living this dream every day.
Executive Leadership
Lisa Roy has over 30 years of experience in the global energy and sustainability markets and a proven leadership track record as a global senior executive at a Fortune 100 company. She brings this extensive knowledge, a deep understanding of commercial and operational execution, and proven experience in general management and mergers and acquisitions to Optimum Energy. Throughout her career, Lisa has actively supported United Way and Compassion charities. She has also been involved in various national and local not-for-profit boards. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University.
Ben Erpelding, P.E., C.E.M, Chief Technology Officer, Ben has over 15 years of experience in energy efficiency, chiller plant optimization, and combined heat and power. Ben has worked on over 1000 chilled water plants throughout the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Ben received his Master of Science, with an emphasis in combined heat and power, a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, Magna Cum Laude, from San Diego State University. Ben is a registered professional mechanical engineer in the State of California.
Erik Norwood brings a unique blend of experience as a former solar executive and Boeing rocket scientist, with a proven track record of taking cutting-edge technologies from concept to market. At Optimum Energy, he leads the advancement of our industry-leading chiller plant platform into comprehensive, campus-wide energy solutions. His work helps hospitals, research institutions, universities, and advanced manufacturers achieve measurable sustainability and cost savings.
Eric is a proven leader and executive in the energy, sustainability, and utility management industries, with unique skills that combine executive sales leadership, technical expertise, and a comprehensive understanding of key business drivers and value creation. A registered Professional Engineer in the State of New York and LEED AP Certified, Eric utilizes a diverse background in leadership, management, sales, and engineering to increase business value both internally and externally. He is recognized by customers and colleagues for quality, integrity, and a commitment to their success. In his current role, Eric is responsible for leading sales, marketing, and customer success teams to achieve client objectives such as energy and sustainability goals, increasing asset value, improving reliability, and mitigating operating risk. His career has focused on energy-efficient design, construction, and operations of facilities in industries worldwide, including Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Education, District Energy, and Commercial and Multifamily Real Estate. Eric is an expert in designing and operating large-scale heating and cooling systems, with extensive experience in chilled water, heating, and air handling systems, energy audits, retro-commissioning best practices, and Building Automation System (BAS) Sequence of Operations. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Ken Bernhard has over 15+ years in the HVAC and energy sector and a proven track record in the energy-as-a-service (EaaS) industry, driving innovation, fostering growth, and delivering exceptional results. At OE, he plays a key role in leading successful projects and establishing strategic partnerships. His first-mover expertise in the EaaS and mechanical construction industries uniquely positions him to support OE’s clients, deliver and enhance building and operational efficiency and improve asset performance and reliability.
With over 15 years of diverse experience in the energy efficiency and HVAC engineering industry, Alex brings expertise and a passion for driving innovation and sustainability. Focusing on healthcare and higher education, Alex has led the development, design, implementation, and construction of over $100 million in projects to improve existing facilities’ operations and energy efficiency across the United States. At OE, he plays a key role in leading engineering project management teams that manage the Engineering scopes of work, all Engineering site activities, multiple projects, and any other tasks necessary to guarantee and demonstrate successful project outcomes throughout a project’s life cycle.
Jason Whittier, Vice President of Product Development, has over 20 years of experience developing platforms in the building space to make buildings integrated better, more energy efficient, and smarter. Prior to Optimum, Jason worked at Buildings IOT and Tridium, Inc to help them develop cutting edge platforms that are used worldwide. Jason has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Information Management from Arizona State University.
Jeffrey Cepler brings over 30 years of healthcare finance experience, specializing in investment-grade health systems. He delivers strategic, financially sound solutions that align capital, infrastructure, and energy initiatives—helping hospitals enhance performance, resilience, and long-term value through expert transaction management and multidisciplinary partnership.
Senior Management
Jesse Ohm, PE, CEM, LEED AP, Principal Engineer, comes to Optimum Energy with 12+ years of experience in the HVAC industry, with the last 5 years focusing on central plant optimization design and execution. His expertise include analyzing & re-designing industrial chiller plants, optimizing plant operations, maximizing system efficiency, and data analysis verifying energy savings. His skill set highlights include; Industrial system design, leading projects through execution, commissioning, measurement & verification, and utility incentives. Jesse has performed 70+ detailed site surveys with detailed analysis on chiller plants ranging from 500-ton chiller plants to 56,000-ton multi plant district cooling systems throughout the country. Within the 5 years experience at Optimum, he has performed 200 optimization retrofit studies and executed 25 large scale central plant projects from initial findings through verified savings. Jesse is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania, with passionate in-depth experience in industrial central plants and energy savings.
Ian Dempster, Sr. Director of Product Innovation, Ian manages product development at Optimum Energy from ideation and development to distribution and support. In 2005, Ian became one of the first members of Optimum; now he directs multiple simultaneous R&D projects, drawing on a 16-year engineering career that spans three continents. After graduating from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, he spent the next eight years applying his interest in controls to increasingly large and complex industrial plants and building systems across Johannesburg and London. Ian, a certified energy manager (CEM), maintains Optimum’s industry-leading standards and collaborates with all stakeholders in the product development process. His projects realize 30% to 60% reductions in HVAC energy consumption.
We're a passionate team working toward a better future for the planet
We show up every day on a serious mission, but we can’t reach our goals without teamwork, friendly competition, and just plain fun.
Awards & Certifications
We’re proud to share that Optimum Energy has been awarded the Committed badge by EcoVadis — a powerful recognition of our commitment to sustainability.
The Committed badge is granted to companies that achieve a minimum score of 45, reflecting “good performance” under the EcoVadis methodology. It underscores our ongoing efforts to embed strong environmental, social, and governance practices into everything we do.
This badge is not a certification or guarantee of perfection, but rather a signal of positive momentum and accountability. It encourages us to continually improve, and we hope it also inspires confidence among our stakeholders — from employees and partners to clients and the broader community.
We view this as a meaningful milestone, but not the finish line. We remain committed to raising the bar and integrating sustainability ever more deeply across our operations.
Optimum Energy is honored to be selected as a 2025 TVA EnergyRight Preferred Partners Network Award recipient, recognition granted to standout performers across Tennessee Valley Authority’s extensive regional network.
This award highlights the quality, reliability, and measurable impact of the work we deliver in partnership with TVA’s energy efficiency programs. It reflects the strength of our technical expertise, our commitment to driving meaningful efficiency gains, and the trusted relationships we build with the organizations we serve.
The PPN Award is not a promise of perfection but a meaningful signal of progress. It reinforces the value of our contributions to TVA’s mission and strengthens the confidence our clients, partners, and communities place in us.
We view this recognition as an important milestone that encourages us to continue advancing solutions that promote efficiency, stewardship, and long‑term performance across the region.
Optimum Energy is honored to be recognized by Avetta as a 2025 Safety Star, a meaningful acknowledgment of our perfect year over year safety performance and the strength of our safety culture.
This recognition highlights the rigorous standards and daily practices that protect our team on every job. It reflects the care, discipline, and shared responsibility that guide how we work, and the systems we have built to ensure safety is embedded into every process.
The Safety Star distinction is not a guarantee of perfection but a powerful signal of progress. It reinforces our commitment to continuous improvement and strengthens the trust our employees, partners, and clients place in us.
We view this award as an important milestone, not the end of the journey. We remain dedicated to fostering a workplace where safety is prioritized at every level and where every employee returns home safely each day.
Optimum Resources
