Ram Narayanamurthy is the deputy director of the Building Technologies Office. He joins DOE with more than two decades of experience in development and deployment of building technologies. Prior to DOE, he led the Buildings Program at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), where his team focused on strategies for decarbonization of the building stock in both existing and new construction, based on large-scale deployments.  

The team's notable accomplishments included development of the first production built zero energy community, decarbonized solutions for retrofits in affordable housing communities, and smart energy communities. It is key to identify technologies that overcome infrastructure and cost barriers to decarbonization retrofits, such as low power heat pumps and heat pump water heaters that can help scale deployments. 

Ram has also worked extensively with state organizations such as the California Energy Commission, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and cities to advance building decarbonization. He will bring experience in working with many large homebuilders, affordable housing developers, HVAC manufacturers, and utilities to assist in scaling emerging technologies.  

Prior to EPRI, Ram led teams focused on innovation and product development. As the director of product development for Ice Energy, his work led to the development of the Ice Bear, one of the first packaged thermal energy storage systems for light commercial buildings. The product was awarded ASHRAE product of the year in 2005 and 2010. 

As chief science officer for EchoFirst, he worked on integrated home energy management systems, solar PV, and solar thermal technologies. His team developed and deployed some of the first smart thermostats and implemented integrated ventilation and HVAC strategies to reduce building energy use. He holds 27 patents across a breadth of building technologies, including HVAC, water heating, solar, and controls technologies.  

Ram holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.