Energy Efficiency Consulting

Sustainable engineering for LEED, and beyond.

Conserve Resources, Cut Emissions

Achieve and Exceed Your Sustainability Goals

The conversation around building energy efficiency is evolving.

Whether your priorities include certification through a third-party tool like LEED; an aspirational emissions-reduction target; or a mandate to comply with building energy regulations, our expert energy efficiency consultants can help. Grumman| Butkus Associates has been involved in more than 80 LEED certified projects, including nine Platinum certifications. We’re also an accredited evaluator for Green Globes. Here are some of the ways we can assist.

LEED Platinum, building plaque

LEED and Other Programs:

  • LEED design of MEP systems, including advanced green technologies
  • LEED consulting (registration, determining conformance with prerequisites, estimating achievable credits, recommending design modifications to achieve points, calculations, indoor environmental quality ramifications, document submission)
  • Assisting with performance-based requirements for LEED v4 and beyond
  • LEED Fundamental and Enhanced commissioning
  • Green Globes evaluations and reporting
  • ENERGY STAR certification and verification
  • Assisting other project team members with requirements of WELL or Living Building Challenge certification
chart showing greenhouse gas

Energy Consulting:

  • Building energy modeling (design analysis; alternatives; energy code analysis; certification under EPAct, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act for IRS tax credits and deductions)
  • Electrification/decarbonization analysis and recommendations
  • General sustainability master planning
  • Energy infrastructure master planning
  • Benchmarking and energy reduction for regulatory compliance
  • EPA emissions reporting
  • Greenhouse gas emissions analysis and reduction recommendations
  • Resiliency analysis and recommendations
  • Advice for accessing financing options for energy efficiency projects
  • Retro- and monitoring-based commissioning
  • A host of analytical services to support your energy efficiency and sustainability goals

I've worked with GBA for more than 20 years.

“Their team takes the time to get to know a facility and listen to the needs of facility staff, leading to infrastructure upgrades that improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs.”

– Gregory Edwards, CHFM, CHC, CHSP, Project Manager, Hospitality & Construction, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital

 

solar panels

Trailblazing Design

Technologies for Better Buildings

Cleaner, greener facilities through engineered systems.

GBA’s experienced mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers stay up-to-date on the latest in building systems technology, receiving regular training and actively participating in professional associations and sustainability-focused committees. From hospitals and labs to hotels and data centers, even the most demanding building types can leverage eco-conscious strategies—often with surprisingly attractive ROI.

Advanced Energy Efficiency Strategies

Whether we’re serving as your design engineer, commissioning engineer, or LEED consultant, we’ll collaborate with the entire project team to ensure that the finished facility achieves your energy efficiency goals.

  • Low-pressure-drop air systems
  • High-efficiency heating and cooling plants
  • Ground-coupled heat pumps
  • Solar photovoltaics
  • Natural ventilation and daylighting
  • Pond- or river-water-cooled systems
  • Ice and chilled water thermal storage
  • Geothermal
  • Low-flow plumbing fixtures
  • High-efficiency lighting and lighting controls
  • Chilled beams
  • Energy recovery systems
  • Advanced building management system controls
  • Fault detection and diagnostics / analytics
  • Premium-efficiency equipment motors
  • Variable-frequency drives
  • Combined heat and power systems
  • Variable-volume supply/exhaust systems
  • Demand-based control of air change rates
  • Wind power
Refrigeration units for an ice thermal storage system at a Chicago area hospital.
NYC Energy Efficiency Rating label

Regulatory Response

Building Performance Standard (BPS) Compliance

Meeting the challenge of prescriptive sustainability laws.

Increasingly, states and municipalities are passing rules that go beyond facility benchmarking and reporting. Regulations meant to reduce buildings’ emissions or energy usage—like New York City’s Local Law 97—increasingly come with hefty fines for noncompliance. We’re helping our clients address these mandates with analytical services, retro-commissioning, capital planning, and design of necessary upgrades.

Contact an Expert Energy Consultant

“I have enjoyed working on interesting energy efficiency projects for clients with complex facilities. Each project presents its own set of challenges that working at GBA has prepared me to address.”

– David Eldridge, PE, GGF, BEAP, BEMP, HBDP, LEED AP BD+C, Associate

We Walk the Walk

Embracing the global impact of our work.

GBA understands your sustainability objectives because we’re also striving to operate an earth-friendly organization. Our commitment extends beyond the work we do for clients. Through our external and internal sustainability initiatives, we strive to live out the mission that drove Dave Grumman to launch the firm more than 50 years ago.

Learn More About Our Sustainability

Amy Adam, headshot

“Our clients know us to be a firm that delivers high quality designs with energy efficiency at the top of our list of priorities.”

– Amy Adam, Project Engineer

GBA staff working on internal sustainability project

High-Performing Buildings

Verified efficiency for the planet and your bottom line.

office building exterior

512W22

GBA commissioned this new, LEED Gold office building on New York City’s High Line, including advanced green features

Chicago Botanic Garden Daniel and Ada Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, exterior view across water

Chicago Botanic Garden, Daniel and Ada Rice Plant Conservation Science Center

The innovative MEP engineering design for this LEED Gold facility helped the Center win R&D Magazine’s Lab of the Year award

Museum of Modern ARt, New York City, gallery

Museum of Modern Art

Commissioning for a LEED Platinum expansion/renovation led to a long-term sustainability and code compliance collaboration, including an infrastructure master plan

Effective Data. Efficient Designs. Sustainable Engineering Expertise.

Find the solutions you need to operate at your best.