Meet Montgomery County’s New Building Data Analytics Manager

Hello Montgomery County! I am happy to be a new addition to the Energy, Climate and Compliance Division in the Department of Environmental Protection. As the Building Data Analytics Manager, I am excited to be working with building owners and operators to comply with the County’s building energy benchmarking requirement and supporting them as DEP rolls out Building Energy Performance Standards. I look forward to supporting Montgomery County to reach the Climate Action Plan goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 100 percent by 2035.

I first dabbled with the field of energy while pursuing my master’s degree in Environmental Science and Technology at University of Maryland, College Park. My thesis was an in-depth research analysis using survey methodology to examine the market potential of firewood and wood pellets as a home heating source in Maryland. The aesthetic value of wood heating is the major motivation for Maryland homeowners to use it as a home heating source.

Cuiyin Wu, DEP’s new Building Data Analytics Manager showing off a package of renewable wood pellets

After graduate school, I went to the Chesapeake Bay Program to support the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Partnership. As an Environmental Management Staffer at Chesapeake Research Consortium, I staffed the Climate Resiliency Workgroup and Modeling Workgroup. By working with working members, I helped facilitate the assessment of the Chesapeake Bay Program Model to help the Partnership to understand the climate change impact on the Chesapeake Bay water quality.

Cuiyin with other CRC staffers at a workshop

My last stop before DEP was with ERT, Inc to work as a contractor at NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation. I managed the Restoration Center Database that stores over 3600 projects since 1991. These groundbreaking projects led by NOAA Restoration Center staff restored habitats for fish, oysters and coral. Additionally, I led the development of the application and roll-out of the new database features.

I’m excited to apply my experience in data management, analytics, and stakeholder engagement to my new role with DEP. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions about the Building Energy Benchmarking Law, requirements to benchmark, and Building Energy Performance Standards! I look forward to working with you!