Process
The Retrofit
Most existing buildings in the US, both commercial and residential, were built in an era of cheap energy. Construction was done without concern for efficiency and cost of operation. At Energy Ecostrategies we believe that the retrofit can and should incorporate upgrades to the thermal envelope and systems using the latest technology where applicable. We also feel strongly that this process should be developed around the admirable goals of efficiency, conservation, and stewardship.
The Strategy
Our goal is to gain a deep understanding of how your building functions. With this in mind, we evaluate your property using a variety of equipment including a blower door, IR camera, borescope, and data loggers. The data collected on site, in combination with weather information and a detailed analysis of current utility bills, empowers us to assess and reveal for you critical sources of building energy loss. We have developed simple models designed to incorporate measured data from your building. In conjunction with a building evaluation, these models help to reveal inefficiencies and bring greater accuracy to financial and other calculations. This move toward quantification takes our process beyond the energy audit.
With this study as context, we shift from the realm of the scientist to that of the designer. We conduct a careful and detailed interview and work with the client to understand what brings them to this process and what their goals are. At this point, we are adequately prepared to develop appropriate system upgrades. When ever possible, we incorporate biomimicry into our strategies for remediation. The report generated from this process will clearly lay out problems and a road map to remediation. Strategies proposed will relate not only to the building envelope and standard systems but also the microclimate including solar resource.
Contact: 
Fred Mitchell … 
206.491.7832
