Biography

Walter “Wally” Bright, PE, PEM

President of IEP

Walter “Wally” Bright is President of the Institute of Energy Professionals (IEP), where his goal is to provide practical and impactful energy management training backed by expertise in energy efficiency. Walter Bright is the lead instructor for all IEP training, instructing topics such as HVAC and Building Automation Systems (BAS), as well as other building-system and energy-related subjects. BAS training includes a variety of focus areas, including sensors, devices, valves/actuators, controller hardware/software, network architecture, sequence of operations/”how stuff works”, and design & specifications. The class also spends time focusing on seeing “the forest through the trees,” to ensure students are getting a building-level knowledge for how things interact, versus just an understanding on how each individual component works.

Prior to IEP, Wally spent five years in the building automation field as a contractor, designing open-protocol, multi-vendor, Tridium-based control systems for a variety of facilities, including schools, data centers, water treatment plants, and others. He helped produce shop drawings and created standards/best practices for the company to ensure quality installations. Wally has experience in the A&E industry as well, performing MEP design for the healthcare and research/lab sectors. In addition to traditional design work, he helped create standardized BAS specifications, sequence of operations, and provided controls-related oversight on a variety of projects. He also led equipment startups and several investigations to identify mechanical/controls-related issues with new and existing construction. Working both as a contractor and an engineer has enabled Wally to gain a unique insight into the BAS/controls marketplace.

IEP is also the holder of the Professional Energy Manager (PEM) certification, with members in over thirty states and over fifty-five countries. After graduation, Wally also spent time at NC State as an extension specialist, focused on energy assessments and student education. Walter Bright is a Professional Engineer (PE, NC) and a Professional Energy Manager (PEM).