Services

We primarily serve clients in the Southern California and greater Los Angeles area.

Our Clients

Our team of senior energy engineers and project managers has extensive experience working with SCE, SoCal Gas, LADWP, SDG&E, and other Californian utilities. We have worked on energy projects of nearly every kind, for both public and private clients, from small business to international conglomerates.

Our
Services

We currently focus on the following core services:

Energy Modeling & ANalysis

Whether it’s energy benchmarking, demand response, or improving your site’s energy efficiency, you’ll need energy analysis. We help clients…

  • Meet decarbonization goals.

  • Identify energy efficiency projects with estimated cost, savings, and lifecycle cost analysis.

  • Report benchmarking energy data to the California Energy Commission (CEC).

  • Engineer their automated demand response.

  • Apply for utility rebates, incentives, and programs.

  • Enter into electrical interconnection agreements (ICA).

Benchmarking

Benchmarking compares a building’s annual energy use to comparable buildings, and ranks its performance. This is done with a metric called “energy use intensity” (EUI), and is defined as a building’s total energy use in kBtus per square foot per year.

Energy AssessmentS

Energy assessments (also known as energy audits) are used to find ways to increase a building’s energy efficiency, and to determine current and future energy needs when planning for on-site energy generation. An audit is nearly always a necessary step in reaching net-zero and decarbonization goals.

There are three levels of ASHRAE compliant energy audits, depending on the depth needed. All audits summarize findings and proposed measures in a written report.

  • Is a very simple audit or screening that identifies the general potential for energy savings, and includes benchmarking. The audit includes a basic walk-through, review of utility bills, and interviews with operations staff. Analysis is high-level and identifies simple and low-cost ways to increase energy efficiency. Other projects can also be identified for future consideration. A Level 1 audit is a good way for organization to demonstrate the general need for energy improvement to management.

    • Benchmark

    • Identify low and no-cost measures

    • Identify potential measures for further consideration

    • A brief report summarizing the findings

  • A Level 2 audit is what most people think of as an “energy audit.” Unlike a Level 1 audit, it involves a detailed site-inspection. Time is spent on-site documenting and inspecting equipment and operation. All potential energy efficient measures are identified. Each measure is analyzed to estimate detailed savings, costs and economics. Analysis includes energy modeling the building using compliant software.

    • Benchmark

    • Identify all measures, including low and no-cost measures

    • Documentation and description of existing building systems with inventory schedules and photographs.

    • Financial analysis of Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs). Proposed EEMs are presented with estimated installed cost, annual energy savings, annual cost savings, annual O&M savings, available utility incentives, simple payback, and life cycle cost analysis.

  • A Level 3 audit is nearly always done after a Level 2 where key substantial projects are identified for further analysis. Vendor bids are generally required, and analysis is expanded with more detailed modeling and data logging on-site. A Level 3 primarily reduces risk for capital intensive projects.

Feasibility Studies

Our feasibility studies propose system configuration, integration into existing systems, and performance specifications. Analysis optimizes for peak load management, energy shifting, and backup power capabilities, and is tailored to the site’s unique energy profile for current and future use.

Application Engineering

We have extensive experience as solar application engineers, which includes battery storage and integration with charging stations and microgrids. We work with other architectural, structural and electrical engineers to ensure each installation is optimized for its environment, demand and budget.

Asset Evaluations

Our independent assessment can help reduce financial risk and ensure your site has the electrical capacity you need. Often projected energy rates and solar performance estimates are optimistic and only offer simple payback and ROI figures. We provide lifecycle cost analysis, which means accounting for maintenance and operating costs, inevitable system performance degradation, and the time value of money.

We offer application engineering, feasibility studies, and asset evaluations for:

  • Central Plant Decarbonization

  • Combined Heat and Power (CHP/Cogen)

  • Solar Photovoltaics (PV)

  • Battery Energy Storage Systems (BES/BESS)

  • Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS)

  • Hydrogen Fuel Cells

  • Microgrids

Solar PV & Battery Energy Storage

Solar PV is becoming ubiquitous, but each site is unique and requires optimization based on location and load. A battery energy storage system (BES/BESS) is a common addition to a solar installation in order to capture energy for use outside of daylight hours and to meet peak demand.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) Level II & III

As the state decarbonizes, many clients need charging stations. This often requires electrical service upgrades. We plan and oversee EVCS installations either stand-alone or in conjunction with optimized on-site energy generation such as photovoltaics, fuel cells, and battery storage.

Microgrids

A microgrid is a collection of distributed energy resources and interconnected loads that can connect and disconnect from the grid as a single entity. Microgrids can include energy sources like solar PV, wind, battery energy storage, and generators, in addition to controllable loads.

Central Plant Decarbonization

As California transitions to 100% renewable and zero-carbon energy by 2045, many facilities have the daunting task of decarbonizing their central plants. This requires the replacement of fossil fuel equipment such as natural gas boilers with non-fossil fuel alternatives. At first glance, it might seem like the obvious choice is to install the most efficient state-of-the-art equipment possible, however, increased maintenance costs and risks are often overlooked. 

For example, a commonly proposed solution for central plants with simultaneous heating and cooling needs are heat recovery chillers (HRCs), very sophisticated equipment with fantastic efficiency. HRCs also require additional training and extra cost for service and maintenance. This maintenance is absolutely crucial to prevent premature failure of the HRC, a very expensive capital investment in itself. Facilities may skip the maintenance, or assume staff are capable of maintaining the new technology without training, and find themselves with an irreparably damaged chiller. Much like running a car without refilling fluids and proper regular maintenance, or attempting to service a lamborghini like a standard car. 

Clients should be given:

  • realistic lifecycle costs

  • the true requirements of running a proposed system

  • the risks of non-adherence to maintenance plans

Our engineers emphasize the additional needs of new systems and offer realistic life cycle cost analysis to ensure that a client’s capital investment is a success. We also understand that the highest efficiency and state-of-the-art equipment isn’t always within budget. We keep the whole picture in mind and offer a range of solutions that will meet the client’s decarbonization goals, given their budget, scope and staff expertise.

Our team members have years of experience sizing and selecting new equipment for central plants, and also managing installation.

Energy & CLimate Plans

Many clients now need energy action plans (EAPs), integrated energy resource plans (IERPs), or climate action plans (CAPs) to meet aggressive decarbonization and net-zero greenhouse gas emission (GHG) goals. Our team plans systems that meet these goals with budgets and timelines at top-of-mind. We also ensure projects are sized appropriately to account for growth, peak demand, and the lifespan of system performance.

Energy Action Plan

An Energy Action Plan (EAP) focuses on reducing energy consumption by specific percentages or amounts. An EAP can be part of a complete CAP or function as a standalone plan. It generally involves a Level 2 energy audit, and takes it a step further by offering targeted strategies and projects to meet reduction goals.

Integrated Energy Resource Plan

An Integrated Energy Resource Plan (IERP) focuses on meeting future energy demands, often with the goal of decarbonizing and using renewable energy. This usually integrates the optimization of energy conservation, efficiency, generation and management. The process usually involves a Level 2 or 3 energy audit, and takes the analysis further by estimating future energy demand in order to plan energy generation projects. IERPs are often used by larger organizations to meet aggressive decarbonization goals.

Climate Action Plan

A Climate Action Plan (CAP) focuses on addressing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increasing resilience to climate impacts. Getting a CAP often integrates an EAP to reduce a site’s energy consumption, but also outlines a path to achieve climate-resilient facilities, supply chains, and to also empower management with climate literacy.

…And mOre

We currently focus on our core services, but we can likely help with any kind of energy project or service in the Los Angeles area. At the very least, we can refer you to someone who can.

contact us

Our engineers are ready to help.