Dave Bohac works at CEE as a senior research engineer. He has directed a variety of applied research and program development projects. He has more than 30 years’ experience in energy efficiency and indoor air quality with an emphasis on advanced diagnostics and monitoring methods. He is the principal investigator for Minnesota Department of Commerce-funded projects to evaluate the energy savings of reducing duct leakage in commercial buildings and multifamily building ventilation improvements. He conducts whole building air leakage tests on large commercial, large residential, and recreation buildings. He uses air leakage tests, pressure diagnostics, and IR scans to help identify and correct building pressure and air leakage issues in CEE’s commercial building recommissioning projects. He was the CEE project lead for an ASHRAE field research project to measure air leakage in mid- and high-rise non-residential buildings. He is also the principal investigator for a Minnesota Department of Commerce-funded project to develop diagnostic procedures, cost estimate guidelines, and energy savings calculation methods for air leakage reductions in commercial and institutional buildings.

Dave is assisting with DOE NorthernSTAR Building America funded laboratory and field tests to determine energy savings and identify opportunities to enhance DHW/space heating combination system performance. He serves as technical advisor for CEE’s residential energy efficiency programs and Community Energy Services Program. His previous energy-related research includes zone pressure diagnostic protocols for weatherization, energy penalty and interior moisture effects of radon mitigation systems, installed performance of gas engine driven heat pumps, ice arena energy improvements, commercial water heater integral flue damper savings, commercial boiler off-cycle loss/seasonal efficiency, and commercial building lighting code compliance.

Dave’s indoor air quality (IAQ) research has included a comprehensive assessment of the health risks associated with secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in Minnesota bars and restaurants, measured SHS exposure at outdoor patios, and methods to reduce SHS migration in multifamily buildings. He assisted with field measurements of SHS constituents in a sample of 100 apartments. He has also conducted a research project for the National Institute of Standards and Technology focused on strategies to reduce the transfer of airborne infectious diseases in hospitals. Dave was the manager of CEE’s Indoor Air Quality group for the Minneapolis–St. Paul Residential Sound Insulation Program that conducted IAQ tests and remediation on over 7,500 single-family houses and hundreds of multifamily units. Test results were analyzed to produce a report on combustion safety, house air leakage, and ventilation trends. He has also overseen the development and implementation of IAQ policies and procedures for eight other sound insulation programs located across the United States.

Dave has worked at CEE since 1988. He holds an MSE from Princeton University and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Davis. He previously worked as a research assistant at the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at Princeton University.

Dave grew up in the Chicago area and is still a huge Bears fan — providing some balance to the purple and green jerseys worn around the office in the fall. During graduate school, he and his wife Nancy rode a tandem bike 4,500 miles from Princeton, NJ, to Davis, CA. During their weeklong stay in Minneapolis, they decided it would be a great place to raise a family.