Jay Orfield

Director, Buildings and Energy, People & Communities Program

Media Contact

Jesús Canchola Sánchez
312-847-6808
Midwest Regional Communications Manager

Jay Orfield directs strategy and policy and program development to advance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and building decarbonization across all twenty-five cities in the American Cities Climate Challenge. He is a licensed civil engineer and has experience in infrastructure and real estate development that spans planning, design, construction, and financing. He joined NRDC in 2012 as an innovation fellow, working to accelerate demand for energy-efficient buildings and developing NRDC's Solar Schools Initiative to leverage community support for local solar projects, and subsequently began focusing on renewable energy's role in decarbonizing the U.S. electric grid. Orfield holds an MBA from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. He has also completed the Energy Executive Course at the University of Idaho. Orfield is based in Asheville, North Carolina.

Areas of Work
BuildingsRenewable EnergySustainable Cities

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Policy Resources

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Energy Performance Optimization Guide

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This Energy Performance Optimization Guide is a resource describing how to develop, quantify, implement, and measure energy performance solutions in a commercial office space.