About
Independent energy engineering led by RT Williams.
I built Pathline because I wanted to be the engineer who stays.
Pathline was created to close the gap between identifying an energy opportunity and achieving measurable business performance. I stay directly involved from the first question through analysis, prioritization, implementation support, and ongoing visibility, as the engagement requires.
I'm RT Williams, PhD, CEM, founder and energy engineer at Pathline Foundry, based in Meridian, Idaho. I kept seeing the same pattern in facility after facility: a building gets an audit report, it goes on a shelf, and nothing changes. Pathline is built so the engineer who does the analysis is the one who stays through implementation.
- Qualified Person, WA & ORBuilding performance standards
- Certified Energy ManagerAssociation of Energy Engineers
- PhD, Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Utah
- ORISE iBUILD Research Fellow, Oak RidgeU.S. Department of Energy
What direct principal involvement means for you
One engineer, from the first call to the final number.
You talk to the engineer
The person on the first call is the person doing the analysis, writing the report, and answering your contractor's questions later. There's no sales team and no handoff to a junior analyst.
Independent of what you buy
Pathline doesn't sell equipment, install anything, or take a commission on what you purchase. That's what lets a recommendation say not to spend.
Right-sized
The engagement is scoped to the decision in front of you, from one building to a portfolio, rather than to what a larger organization needs to keep busy.
Stays through the gap
The same engineer stays connected from the first bill review through implementation and the monitoring that keeps results visible, as the engagement requires.
Credentials and qualifications
Qualified for building performance standards, and the engineering behind them.
I've also led federally funded energy assessments, and done building performance research with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Credentials & Education
- Qualified Person, Washington building performance standard
- Qualified Person, Qualified Energy Auditor, and Qualified Energy Manager, Oregon building performance standard
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Association of Energy Engineers
- PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of Utah
Community & Affiliations
- ASHRAE member, local chapter
- Boise Metro Chamber and Idaho Technology Council, member
- Boise State University Venture College, ongoing advisor and mentor
- Trailhead Boise, mentor
Recognition
- Utah's Fresh Face of the Year in Engineering (2024), a statewide award from the Utah Engineering Council
- 1st place, ASHRAE Building EQ Competition (2023), for an energy audit of a large commercial facility that took its Building EQ score from 114 to 84
- People's Choice, Intermountain Sustainability Summit (2024), for research on electrified multifamily buildings
Experience
Boiler rooms, plant floors, research labs, and software, since 2017.
2017
Field engineering
On-site boiler testing, and tracing a catastrophic failure back to its cause.
2019
DOE Industrial Assessment Center
Plant energy assessments for regional manufacturers, later as a lead consultant.
2021
PhD and Oak Ridge
ORISE iBUILD fellow with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, building digital twins of real multifamily buildings.
2023
smartMFG Solutions
Co-founded it and built FLOCK, which cut a gas marketer's penalty costs 33% per customer.
Read the case2025
Pathline Foundry
Founded to be the engineer who stays, from the first question to the measured result.
IBUILD Research Fellows, Oak Ridge (2024) · Presenting at a DOE peer review (2025) · Utah's Fresh Face of the Year in Engineering (2024)
Published work
Three peer-reviewed papers, and three more in the trade press.
Across energy systems, building decarbonization, and chemical engineering.
All 6 journal publications
“Optimizing grid coordination and affordability in electrified multifamily buildings via real-time pricing”
Williams, Matthew RT, Ethan Gallup, and Kody Powell (2026). Energy Reports 15, p. 109173.
“Intermountain Auditors Unveil Energy Efficiency Solutions”
Williams, Matthew, John Constantinide, and Eleazar Rivera Mata (2025). ASHRAE Journal 67(11).
“Sustainability and affordability of building electrification: A state-by-state holistic approach for multifamily buildings”
Williams, Matthew RT, Chris Parker, Amanda Dillon, Blake Billings, and Kody Powell (2024). Sustainable Cities and Society 109, p. 105515.
“The impact of the electrification of buildings on the environment, economics, and housing affordability: A grid-response and life cycle assessment approach”
Williams, Matthew RT, Michael Reynolds, Chris Parker, Jianli Chen, and Kody Powell (2023). Digital Chemical Engineering 7, p. 100086.
“Detailed Capital Cost Estimation”
Williams, Matthew RT, Ted J Williams, and John A Williams (2021). Chemical Engineering Progress 117(8), pp. 52 to 55.
“Early-Stage Capital Cost Estimation”
Williams, Ted J, Matthew (RT) Williams, and John A Williams (2021). Chemical Engineering Progress 117(4), pp. 42 to 47.
I've also presented research at conferences including the DOE BTO Peer Review, the AIChE Annual Meeting, the ASHRAE Winter Conference, and the IBUILD Symposium at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Partners
Two firms I work alongside.
On larger projects I work as one team with these firms. You get the capacity the job needs, and the same engineer from the first walkthrough to the final report.
West Ridge Energy
Energy engineering and audits
I work with West Ridge on commercial, industrial, and public-sector energy work: ASHRAE Level 1 and Level 2 audits, building performance compliance, lighting, and industrial energy projects.
Straven Strategy Group
Building performance strategy
I work with Straven on building performance and energy strategy, bringing Qualified Person, Qualified Energy Auditor, and Qualified Energy Manager credentials to compliance and planning.
How the work runs
- Where
- Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, from Meridian in the Treasure Valley. Elsewhere when the project fits.
- Remote or on site
- Utility analysis, benchmarking, compliance, and forecasting run remotely. Audits, equipment verification, and implementation visits happen in the building.
- Capacity and continuity
- I take on the work I can deliver well. Findings, assumptions, and calculations are documented in reports you keep and, where it fits, a client portal your team can open.
Speaking
Talks for facility, finance, and operations audiences.
Educational first and promotional second. These are the talks I give most; each can be shaped to your audience.
Where Is Your Facility Losing Money?
For: Facility managers, CFOs, owners, and operations leaders
How facility and financial leaders can find the energy opportunities worth pursuing, without an engineering degree and before spending a dollar on equipment.
The Energy Audit Isn't the Finish Line
For: Teams that have commissioned an audit, and the organizations that fund them
Why projected savings so often fail to become realized savings, and what closes the gap.
Compliance, Capital & Common Sense
For: Owners and managers of buildings in Washington and Oregon
How to make sound building performance decisions without spending money the law doesn't require.
From Reactive to Proactive Energy Management
For: Operations leaders, plant managers, and multi-building owners
What changes when a facility can see its energy use as it happens instead of in next month's bill.
The personal
Outside the boiler room.
I moved to the Treasure Valley to be closer to family, and I live in Meridian with my wife and son. When I'm not in a boiler room or writing code, I'm usually with family, traveling, or watching movies: 1,750+ logged on Letterboxd and counting.
If you're working at the intersection of energy, software, and the built environment, find me on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab).
Not sure where to start? That's normal.
Tell me about the facility, requirement, or decision in front of you, and I'll tell you what I'd look at first.