Arthur H. Rosenfeld

Who is Arthur H. Rosenfeld?

Arthur H Rosenfeld is a former Commissioner of the California Energy Commission, serving from 2000 until his retirement in 2010.

Rosenfeld earned a PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago where he was the last graduate student of Enrico Fermi.

From 1955 to 1973, he worked in the physics group at University of California, Berkeley, where he did some of the key development of bubble chamber physics, particularly the hardware and software for photographing, measuring and analyzing data.

In 1975, he founded the group that became the Center for Building Science at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. At the center he researched the miniaturisation of electronic ballasts in fluorescent lamps leading to the development of compact fluorescent lamps.

The Center developed a broad range of energy efficiency technologies, including electronic ballasts for fluorescent lighting, a key component of compact fluorescent lamps; and low-emissivity windows, a coating for glass that allows light in but blocks heat from either entering or escaping. Dr. Rosenfeld was personally responsible for developing DOE-2, a computer program for building energy analysis and design that was incorporated in California’s Building Code in 1978. These codes have served as models for the nation, copied by Florida and Massachusetts, and other states are beginning to adopt them as well. DOE-2 is used to calculate codes and guidelines for energy efficient new buildings in China and many other countries.