When you get a bunch of energy engineers in a room you’ll start hearing a lot of acronyms like Cx, RCx, and MBCx to name a few. It can be overwhelming to anyone not living and breathing building energy efficiency. So, let’s break down what...
There’s hardly any excuse anymore not to have an EV (electric vehicle), as a second or third car at least. If you are concerned about climate change, like a good deal, and live in a house in California, you should get an electric car, now. But...
Commercial building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems commonly use variable air volume (VAV) systems for their heating and cooling needs. VAV systems can be more energy efficient when properly controlled and operated. We frequently find these systems performing less than optimally and recommend...
This week we celebrated an exciting day in our industry, National Energy Efficiency Day, also known as EE Day, with this year's hashtag being #EEDay2019. EE Day is the first Wednesday of October. Energy efficiency might not be on the tip of your tongue. But...
Did you know your business could receive incentives or no-cost technical support to investigate and implement energy-saving projects in your building? Utilities offer and procure energy efficiency programs to increase building energy efficiency. The goal of these program is to save energy by resolving inefficient...
We’ve seen an increased interest in Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) (aka Variable Refrigerant Volume or VRV) systems. Many view them as a panacea for a building’s HVAC needs. For building owners or managers with no prior experience with VRF/VRV units, we recommend considering the following...
I love my new Sense home energy monitor and I’ve only just begun using it. If you’re an energy geek too, I imagine you’ll enjoy monitoring your whole-house energy consumption as much as I do. Why do I like my new Sense Home Energy Monitor? It’s much...
There are many tools of the trade in the world of building energy efficiency. Knowing the difference between approaches, like the difference between a commercial building energy audit and retro-commissioning, can help you take the next best step to lower your energy bills, while meeting...
Time-of-use (TOU) rates are available to all large California utility residential customers. Knowing how these rates work and how to maximize their Super Off-Peak usage rates is key to minimizing electricity bills. Here are some tips to navigate a TOU schedule. What is the difference in...
Improvements to cooling systems are one of the most effective ways to increase your bottom line and meet sustainability goals, especially if your building requires a lot of cooling. Schools, data centers, offices, clinics, warehouse/distribution centers and others can make great candidates for capturing the...