Green Tech Buyer

A gaze into our sustainably sourced crystal ball reveals a somber reality about the future of the green movement: Eventually, we’ll all work for big oil, utility companies and mega-corporations.

After centuries of consistently raking in more profits than any other industry by providing fuel for society while pillaging the planet, ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron and the like are actually spending more on clean technology development than anyone else. You can question their ethics all day, but companies don’t get this powerful by being stupid. While the greenwashed public relations machine steers clear of long-term business objectives, resources are being strategically positioned for a smooth transition to dominating the renewable energy market once their fossil-fueled existing model is no longer viable. And they have the cash to do it too. Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations are the most obvious entries into the smart grid, followed by utility-scale solar, wind and hydro power production to vertically integrate the supply chain from harvesting to distribution, just like they do now with taking oil from the ground to the gas pump.

Utility companies have a more dynamic challenge ahead re-vamping their business. They are so focused on maintaining their control of the retail energy supply that they’ll actually help customers reduce consumption to avoid the costs of increasing short-term production on soon-to-be-outdated technology. Once the underpinnings of a more intelligent grid have been vetted on a smaller scale, they’ll pare down the metering, software and storage vendors to a select few in the name of standardization. At this point, mega-corporations like GE and Lockheed Martin will swoop in to acquire the best of breed green technology suppliers. Utilities, accompanied by a handful of new entrants to the deregulated energy supply market, will complete the takeover by rolling up the energy efficiency contractors to control consumption at the end-points.

If you don’t think clean tech and energy efficiency companies will sell out to ‘the man’, consider the viewpoint of Private Equity and Venture Capital firms looking for the pot at the gold at the end of their green investment rainbow.  They invest in green companies to make money, not to save the planet. Any illusions to the contrary simply preserve the naiveté of an industry not yet accustomed to dealing with the big boys. The same people frothing at the opportunity to fund our innovation will be the ones applying pressure to sell the company when the offer is right in coming years.

Some may view this vision for the future as a failure of the green movement, but in reality it is the ultimate success. It means that ‘going green’ becomes a standard operating procedure for cultures worldwide. It means the tree hugging fringe has penetrated the mainstream to will their beliefs into common practice. It means keeping your enemies closer, for they may soon become allies.

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As GreenTechBuyer continues our support for encouraging commercial real estate owners and managers to address energy conservation projects (or ‘ energy efficiency’ as green industry insiders like to phrase it) before renewable energy initiatives, we think it’s important to lay out a prioritized framework that approaches energy saving technology options from the logistical perspective of a facility manager talking to a skeptical CFO. Unless the bean-counters sign on, even the best green intentions will not meet their potential, so here’s how to put some teeth to your plans when spearheading the efforts getting your company committed to ‘going green’.

1)      Ask for permission, but don’t ask for money: “I would like to explore ways we can save money by reducing consumption” is far more effective getting the proverbial ball rolling internally than “I need money for green technology”, especially when you don’t have any actual proposals or accompanying ROI calculations for the potential property improvements. Most corporate cultures love to grant permission for investigating green technology options. It’s requesting actual investment in them that creates resistance, so get the permission first and delay addressing specific financial considerations until you have your ducks in a (spreadsheet) row.

2)      Request an audit from a lighting retrofit company: Upon first glance you’d think a company specializing in comprehensive all-inclusive energy audits/assessments rather than lighting retrofits specifically would be the logical first step. Not so for two reasons:

a.       Lighting audits are usually free, quick and full of expertise. As long as you express sincere intentions to reduce an appropriate commercial property’s energy consumption, most lighting retrofit companies will send out a knowledgeable sales engineer (or sales rep / engineer team) to survey your property. They’ll analyze a year’s worth of utility bills, inventory your bulbs and fixtures, and then question you about usage habits to uncover consumption patterns. (Note: Some property managers and corporations are unnecessarily protective of exposing their past bills due to vague security concerns. We think this is overly paranoid and a bit silly.) Besides being lighting experts, the people brought in by the retrofit company are also likely to be LEED certified or have equivalent expertise in sustainable building, which means you get to pick their brains about other potential avenues for conserving energy while they’re trying to prove their value as ‘sales consultants’.

b.      Lighting retrofits are usually the ‘low hanging fruit’ of potential energy savings in just about any commercial property, so you might as well assume that’s the case for your property too unless it was built or gutted within the last five years. If you can’t sell the finance people on lighting retrofits after talking with the pros and getting a reasonable ROI prediction, they’re not going to sign on for anything.

3)      Now you can ask for the money…with ammo: When you initially approached the brass about exploring energy saving technology options, they probably had pictures of huge price tags and fancy solar equipment requiring major impositions and usage changes. Now you’re coming to them with something as simple and unobtrusive as changing light bulbs, and you can show a healthy capital improvement ROI with minimal interruption to current operations. “Heck, why did you suggest this sooner?!” Commercial lighting retrofits make the perfect first project going green because it’s inexpensive, un-invasive and familiar technology with reliable payback.

4)      Communicate: Once you have approval to get the lighting retrofit project underway, it’s crucial to maintain momentum by communicating what work will be done, on what schedule and with what purpose to everybody on the corporate food chain. All parties need to understand the relevant bits about how this project affects the company’s bottom line, the environment and their daily work. You should create separate semi-weekly(ish) emails for the execs and everybody else updating them on progress. This way you also build yourself as the hub of the company’s green initiatives, which gets you some positive professional attention and will lead others within the company who support the green cause to talk to you about other ways they can help you achieve energy savings and reduce environmental impact within the organizations.

5)      Make Everyone a Hero: Getting your first energy efficiency project in the books is a huge win, and you should make everyone feel like they had a part in it. Publicly thank the team hired to do the retrofit, management for seeing it through and all the people who work at your company for tolerating any inconveniences stemming from the construction. Letting everyone know that you appreciate their efforts will make them far more motivated to help on the next project than monetary compensation alone.

6)      Repeat with Insulation, HVAC, and IT projects: In roughly that order.

7)      Look into Renewable Energy Opportunities: Now that your company is fully vested in going green, you can more comfortably and reasonably approach the big ticket items, like solar and small wind.

Hopefully this guide was helpful adding a semblance of structure to the chaos of all the noise about green technology. If you would like assistance finding the best companies to work with for lighting retrofit projects or just about any other clean technology initiative, visit our Buyer page and we’ll make sure you’re in good hands.

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As a follow up to our last post about selecting one of the top home energy audit companies in your area, we decided to clue you in on a few partners we have found to be the best in the home energy audit business. Each of the below companies exemplifies the five criteria we suggest you look for when selecting an auditor to determine where and how your home can utilize energy saving technology. 

In no particular order….

Pro Energy Consultants has been a leader in energy efficiency auditing, energy conservation services and home performance since 1994. Today, they are the nation's largest energy conservation auditing company with franchise locations from coast to coast. For 16 years, their home energy auditing and home performance business has been built on one very simple idea - that homeowners everywhere have home energy conservation issues that are not easily solved and, more importantly, are not easily assigned to a specific trade. At Pro Energy Consultants, their fully trained energy consultants give homeowners a surefire first step to solving their "hard-to-solve" issues. No more guessing.

At Pro Energy Consultants energy consulting firm, their mission is to help American homeowners make informed decisions through home energy audits and energy management consulting. By applying a holistic, scientifically-based home performance approach to your home, their energy management consultants can help you understand your home as a set of inter-related systems, all working with, and dependent upon, each other. For the first time, as you make decisions, you can be armed with definitive, objective evidence coupled with an eye-opening new understanding of how your home works. They want you to make the right decisions, for the right reasons. For your energy consumption. For your comfort. For your budget. And for your planet.

Save Energy. Save Money. Save the Environment.


Dr. Energy Saver is a network of top energy-conservation contractors across the country who specialize in doing energy and comfort assessments quickly and efficiently. They also do the work, enabling homeowners to get maximum energy and cost-saving results with minimum hassle. All Dr. Energy Saver franchisees are fully trained at the corporate headquarters in Seymour, Connecticut.  Thanks to comprehensive training and in-depth support, founders Tom and Larry's vision for Dr. Energy Saver is a sure bet: a company devoted to correcting energy-hogging homes and helping homeowners enjoy more comfort while spending much less on energy.


Focusing exclusively on improvements for existing residential homes, WellHome is a business of Masco Home Services, Inc. WellHome offers all-in-one service to improve home energy-efficiency and comfort. WellHome Building Performance Institute (BPI)-certified advisors start by providing home performance assessments to owners of existing homes. Advisors then offer improvement recommendations and implementation, and assistance in identifying rebates and incentives. WellHome launched in 2009 under the Masco Home Services name and launched the WellHome brand in the spring of 2010.

Focusing exclusively on new home construction, the Environments For Living® and Environments For Living Certified Green® programs offer a complete suite of turnkey services for builders, including pre-construction plan reviews that use industry-standard home- energy analysis software, various inspection services, diagnostic testing utilizing industry-standard authentication tools. Builders can also take advantage of building science training, sales training, and marketing assistance. The program also offers homeowner limited guarantees on heating and cooling energy use and comfort.

The Environments For Living program is product neutral and does not require any specific manufacturer's products. The prescriptive, performance-based program structure was developed with the assistance of nationally recognized experts in the field of building science. The program meets the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® program and, at the Platinum energy level, meets the U.S. Department of Energy Building America® specifications. The Environments For Living and Environments For Living Certified Green programs are initiatives of Masco Home Services, a Masco Company, and are additional examples of Masco's leadership in bringing education, services and leading-edge thinking to the residential construction industry.


Recurve began as a response to the founder’s experience working with homeowners who were flying blind when it came to making decisions on how to make their homes more energy efficient. In the past, homeowners have been on their own to navigate the complicated and often contradictory world of energy efficiency and upgrades to improve indoor air quality and comfort. Dealing with specialty contractors eager to sell their specific product, many homeowners found that results simply did not live up to promises and expectations.

Recurve has developed a holistic approach to home performance contracting that treats the home as a system. Their experience in a wide range of home improvement technologies and contracting allows us to identify the best and most cost effective approach for customers to get the most out of their home improvement dollar.

Recurve has two offices in the Bay Area. From San Francisco, they provide home energy audits and energy remodeling / construction services to homeowners in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Jose counties.  From the San Anselmo offices they provide home energy audits and energy remodeling / construction services to homeowners in Marin, Berkeley, Oakland, and Sonoma, among other locations.


BrightHome Energy Solutions is a leading home energy-retrofitting company in the greater New York and New Jersey area. Their consultants are trained in building sciences and certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI).  They are an approved NYSERDA contractor and a founding member of Efficiency First with a goal of helping homeowners be more comfortable, save money and reduce harm to the environment.

There you have it folks. Our list of the best energy audit companies in the land. That’s not to say that there aren’t other equally qualified home energy conservation pros in your neck of the woods. IN fact, there probably are! And if you’re interested in speaking being matched some energy auditors in your area to help you weigh your options, we’re here to help. Just submit your info at www.greentechbuyer.org/home-energy-audits and we’ll handle the rest.

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Top Home Energy Audit Companies

Whenever a conversation arises about home energy savings and available energy conservation technologies, we tell people the discussion really starts with a comprehensive home energy audit conducted by a top local company with the resources to effectively diagnose their property and needs. This is immediately followed by “Who are the best home energy audit companies?” or “How do I find the top home energy audit companies?” Have no fear. We’re here to help.

First, let’s talk about what you’re looking for in a high quality home energy audit company as well as some warning signs that you should probably seek advice elsewhere. 

• Certification: At the absolute minimum, you want to be sure that the person being trusted with assessing your home’s energy efficiency has been certified by the Building Performance Institute (http://www.bpi.org/) or the Residential Energy Services Network (http://www.resnet.us/). This ensures they adequately understand the fundamentals of structural integrity, energy monitoring and what technologies are available to make appropriate improvements. If you’re dealing with a traditional home inspector or contractor that isn’t certified with either of the above entities, they’re likely looking to expand their business due to the halt in new construction, and you’re best off seeking the services of an energy savings specialist.

• Price: There’s a happy medium between settling for inadequate free energy audits and over-paying for what’s really a fairly simple comprehensive home energy assessment. The free audits offered by local utility companies will be cursory at best, leaving you with little more than copies of your energy bills and a brochure containing common energy saving tips you already knew, like turning off the lights and lowering the thermostat. Other free audits offered by insulation and HVAC contractors are poorly disguised excuses to quote you for their one-dimensional services. On the other side of the spectrum,  ‘independent’ auditors will charge $500+ for a truly thorough energy analysis, home inspection and prioritized recommendation list, but all the high-end gadgetry and technical language will leave you stranded when it comes time to hire other companies to actually implement the changes. What you want is a company that charges $100-$250, because that way you know they’re paying qualified people to do the work, but they’re also not making all their money on the audit, in hopes that it’s a first step towards working with you to make your home as energy efficient as possible.

• Process: There are five basic components to a quality home energy audit. If they’re not doing them all, then they’re not doing the job right.

         1.  Analyzing your last 12 months of energy bills.
         2.  Installing a blower door to reveal where your home is leaking energy.
         3.  Using an infrared gun/scanner to visually detect energy leaks.
         4.  Inspecting all internal ducts, insulation, HVAC controls and  water heaters.
         5.  Inspecting all external gaps leading into the home.

• Recommendations: The whole point of a home energy audit is to figure out what you can do to save energy and reduce utility expenses. Assuming you pay for a quality audit, you should get recommendations for any combination of improvements including weather stripping, caulking, additional insulation, altering boiler/HVAC settings, changing light bulbs and fixtures, replacing appliances and electronics with EnergyStar versions, installing new windows and utilizing renewable energy sources, such as solar or geothermal. Knowing your options is great, but the real value lies in understanding their associated costs and payback timeframe. A solid post-audit recommendation list should include a prioritized schedule of suggestions along with approximate upfront costs, possible government programs that can be utilized and the projected payback timeframes from accompanying reductions is energy consumption.

• Resources: As mentioned above, the energy audit itself is only the beginning of home energy savings. Taking advantage of available energy saving technology and appropriate subsidies to ease the costs means having a team in place that will hold your hand from start to finish for each phase of your home energy improvement project. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will handle all the work in-house. Nobody can be all things to all people. But it does mean they should at least have partnerships with competent and trusted contractors within their network where they can refer you when the scope of implementing elements of the project exceeds their expertise.

For the typical homeowner interested in energy conservation and green technology, the above is a good starting point for selecting an energy audit company. Of course, GreenTechBuyer would be glad to save you the work of shopping around on your own. Just fill out a form requesting home energy audit proposals on our Buyer page (http://www.greentechbuyer.org/buyers), and we’ll match you with the best local companies for free with no obligation to purchase anything. We’re here to help you become educated and confident making intelligent green technology purchases.

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