Comprehensive Energy Audit ›
Don't Guess...Test! ›
Energy Efficiency Retrofits & Green Remodeling Your one-stop-shop for green solutions ›
Solar Energy Consulting ›
BPI, HERS, LEED & GreenPoint Rated certification providers ›
Eco-Broker Real Estate & Green Financing Programs ›
EE Program Design & Implementation ›
Green Building & Product Consulting ›
Our Services
With building science and state-of-the-art equipment, REAS quantifies the energy consumption in homes. The assessment includes the heating and cooling systems; windows; insulation; flow of air into and out of the house; water usage; as well as a safety check of gas appliances. Using a whole systems approach a REAS audit will reveal the necessary road map for true energy efficiency. We reduce consumption not with a single technology, but with a suite of closely integrated technologies. Even the most energy efficient products may not save energy if they are not installed correctly. Craftsmanship is essential for the systems to function properly.
Our Mission: Increase comfort and safety levels, improving indoor air quality and address high energy bill to save our clients money while protecting the environment.
Comprehensive Energy Audit
As homeowners begin to connect climate change issues with their own electricity usage, carbon footprint and renewable energy are topics that are starting to become commonplace among our customers. However, comfort related issues, health concerns and high energy bills are the leading reasons that homeowners call us.
The first step towards energy savings is the homeowner’s interview. Our energy advisors will discuss your main concerns and goals.
REAS energy audits take 4-6 hours, depending on the size of your home and how many heating zones. Within two weeks of the audit we will present a unique report that details your homes overall performance. The report includes our findings and solutions with no-cost and cost-effective improvements for your consideration. Included in the report is a Utility Bill Analysis using the previous one year’s worth of your utility bills.
Don't Guess...Test!
Blower Door Test. A comprehensive test to help locate air leaks in your home. Many air leaks in homes are obvious, such as around windows doors and electrical outlets. But others like those in attics, around chimneys, crawlspaces and through recessed lighting fixtures, are often the more significant sources of energy loss in a home. Sealing air leaks will make your home more comfortable and significantly reduce your energy bills.
Duct Blaster Test. A test that measures your Heating and Cooling duct system for leaks and helps to locate those leaks. Many homes have leaky ductwork and poor air-flow, resulting in uncomfortable rooms and toxic indoor air quality. The ductwork in the average house can leak anywhere from 30-50%. That translates to a loss of 30 to 50 cents on every dollar you spend to heat or cool your home.
HVAC Equipment Test. HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Cooling) are very often incorrectly oversized which causes the system to cycle on and off frequently causing less comfort and inefficiency. A flow-hood is used to check room by room supply volumes for air mixing and comfort. Exhaust ventilation is a particularly important health and safety concern in homes. Proper mechanical ventilation is used to remove moisture, air pollution, or unwanted heat and must be checked for proper sizing and rate of air exchange.
Infrared Camera. This state-of-the-art equipment is used to survey the entire home for missing or inadequate insulation and hidden moisture damage. Poorly installed insulation and cable and electrical wiring are the major culprits of ineffective insulation levels which result in higher heating and cooling bills.
Combustion Safety Test. Gas leaks are the greatest indoor pollutant threat and can sicken or even cause death as 10-20% of homes have been found to have unsafe levels of CO or gas leaks. Thorough testing is performed both inside and outside for leakage to ensure both safety levels and unnecessarily high gas bills.
Water Usage. Water is often overlooked as a resource that should be used conservatively and efficiently. The assessment of your home's indoor water usage will be measured with a water flow test to check the GPM (gallons per minute) from the sinks and shower heads. Toilets will be checked for leaks and gallons per flush (GPF). Irrigation system performance is evaluated for efficiency.Lighting. An average household uses between 5% and 10% of its energy budget for lighting. Typical recessed fixtures cannot be insulated over and because they are open to the attic, are very leaky causing energy losses. Old-fashioned incandescent lamps produce 10% light and 90% heat. CFLs use about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer while producing 75% less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.
Appliances. In some cases "early retirement" for certain appliances will be recommended. Refrigerators over ten years old are not energy efficient and should be replaced by an Energy Star qualified appliance. We measure the refrigeration temperatures for optimal settings.
Electrical Usage. Home electronic products use energy when they're off. Power strips can help to reduce this "phantom" load. Simple actions can make a big difference.
Window & Door Assessment. Windows are a significant source of heat loss and solar heat gain. Solar heat gain through windows can account for up to 40% of the total heat removed by an air conditioner. Dual pane low-e windows and doors are a great alternative to standard single pane windows and doors.
Energy Efficiency Retrofits & Green Remodeling
Your one-stop-shop for green solutions
Homeowners know that putting money into their homes is an investment. Making energy efficiency near the top of the list in your home improvement and remodeling projects is the best investment in uncertain times. Federal, state and utility rebates are available to help make your project pays off for years to come.
REAS promotes a comprehensive approach to home energy efficiency improvements.
Our training as a Home Performance with Energy Star* contractor and Green Remodeler, allows us to cost-effectively help you reduce your energy cost, improve indoor air quality, and create a more comfortable, healthier and safe home for your family.
- Sealing Air Leaks/Weather Stripping
- Quality Insulation Installation
- Crawl Space Sealing
- Moisture Management
- Dual Pane Low-E Window and Glass Door Installations
- High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems
- Sealing Ductwork
- Indoor Ventilation Design
- High Efficiency Lighting upgrades and Advanced Lighting Controls
- Home Energy Monitoring System
- Green Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling
- Energy Star Appliance Installation
- Saltwater Pool Conversions
- High Efficiency fixtures and toilets
- Tankless and Tank Water Heaters (90% and above efficiency)
- Drip Irrigation and Weather Station
- Drought Tolerant Landscaping / Green Roofs
- Solar Electric Systems / Photovoltaics
- Solar Hot Water and Pool Heating
- Whole House Water Filtration
BPI, HERS, LEED & GreenPoint Rated certification providers
BPI
The Building Performance Institute, Inc., (BPI) is the nation's premier building performance credentialing, quality assurance, and national standards setting organization. BPI supports the development of a highly professional building performance industry through individual and organizational credentialing and a rigorous quality assurance program. BPI is approved by the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) as an accredited developer of American National Standards.
BPI offers the following:
- Certification of individuals in building analyst, heating, AC/heat pump, shell/envelope, and multi-family designations
- Accreditation of contractors committed to delivering quality, home performance improvements
- Quality assurance to verify conformance with BPI Standards and provide feedback for continuing improvement
- Affiliation of training organizations that deliver BPI services in their market
- Open, transparent, consensus developed national technical standards based on sound building science BPI, in cooperation with the building performance industry stakeholders, establishes a professional performance bar at a level appropriate to ensuring the consistent delivery of exceptional building performance services for those entrusting the BPI brand.
HERS
HERS stands for Home Energy Rating Systems. HERS energy evaluation programs are recognized by the federal government. They are set up specifically to provide energy information on homes so people can benefit from the Energy Efficient Mortgage and receive Title 24 verification.
The California Energy Commission established regulations for a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Program to certify home energy rating services in California. The goal of the program is to provide reliable information to differentiate the energy efficiency levels among California homes and to guide investment in cost-effective home energy efficiency measures.
The California HERS Program includes field verification and diagnostic testing, verification of duct sealing, thermostatic expansion valves (TXVs), refrigerant charge, airflow measurement, building envelope sealing measures and solar rebate verification. Some of these measures are used when complying with the 2005 Standards for new construction.
Our HERS home analysis includes insulation, windows, heating/cooling system, water heater and lighting. Once verified and certified that the home meets state energy standards, the information is entered into a computer program that calculates an energy rating for the home and, when needed, analyzes all of the possibilities (up to 6,000 variations) for improving the home's energy efficiency. Once the analysis is completed, a detailed rating report listing recommended energy efficiency improvements, (many of which may be financed through an Energy Efficient Mortgage) is submitted.
LEED
LEED stands for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. As an international green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction focusing on the following categories:
- Energy and atmosphere
- Water efficiency
- Materials and resources
- Indoor environmental quality
- Innovation and design process
A LEED professional provides third-party certification for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. This nationally recognized certification gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.
The environmental and financial benefits to earning LEED:
- Lower operating costs and increased asset value.
- Reduce waste sent to landfills.
- Conserve energy and water.
- Healthier and safer for occupants.
- Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
- Qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives in hundreds of cities.
Certifications: LEED for New Construction, LEED for Existing Buildings, LEED for Commercial Interiors, LEED for Retail, LEED for Schools and LEED for Core & Shell rating systems. Building types include – but are not limited to – offices, retail and service establishments, institutional buildings (e.g., libraries, schools, museums and religious institutions), hotels and residential buildings.
GreenPoint Rated
GreenPoint Rated is a certification program of Build It Green, a professional non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient homes in California.
GreenPoint Rated removes the guesswork by having a GreenPoint Rater evaluate your home's green features allowing homes to be compared on a level playing field. GreenPoint Rated rewards building professionals and homeowners who create green homes by allowing them to brand their products with a recognizable, trustworthy seal of approval. Think of GreenPoint Rated as a report card for single and multi-family homes for both existing and new construction.
GreenPoint Rated is a recognizable and independent seal of approval for green homes that allows them to stand out from the crowd. It reassures home buyers that a home is truly healthier, more energy efficient, and more resource-efficient.
GreenPoint Rated Existing Home is a comprehensive green building rating system for existing homes and is available for homes of all vintages; existing or undergoing remodeling. Existing Home rating system helps educate homeowners about the benefits of green remodeling and to provide a pathway for making continued improvements .Depending on your home's current energy performance and the extent of green home improvements, you can receive either an Elements or Whole House consumer label.
General steps for GreenPoint Rated program include:
- Builder or homeowner contracts with the rater to verify project(s). Please be aware that Build It Green charges a small processing fee for each project submitted for certification.
- Rater works with the client to identify targeted GreenPoint Rated measures and submits project planning score sheet and application to Build It Green.
- Rater conducts verification. The rater will generally engage in at least four of the five following activities during the course of project design and construction:
Plan check, Rough inspection, Final inspection, Supporting documentation review, Performance testing. - Rater compiles documentation, calculates score, and submits final results to client and to Build It Green for certification.
- Rater obtains completed certificate(s) from Build It Green. Be sure to specify up front whether the rater should provide certificate copies to anyone but you (e.g., lender, realtor, home owner, or public agency).
Solar Energy Consulting
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As utility costs continue to rise, homeowners are considering the value of renewable energy systems. With proper roof orientation, rebates and tax credits, solar can be a valuable solution.
Many homes have a tremendous opportunity to integrate solar power for producing electricity, heating water for domestic use and heating swimming pools.
Installing solar electric typically provides only a fraction of the homes required energy needs, so before you invest in solar it’s important to reduce your energy consumption by 30% to 50%. Insulating, air-sealing, installing energy efficient heating and air conditioning systems and appliances will return your investment at least three times as fast as any application of solar energy.
For homeowners who have improved the efficiency of their homes through energy efficient retrofits, solar power is one more step towards energy independence while increasing the value of the property.
For more information visit American Solar Energy Society: www.ases.org
Utility Rebate Programs
Anaheim
Azusa
Burbank
Glendale
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Pasadena
Santa Monica
Southern California Edison (SCE)
State Rebate Program
California Solar Initiative - Incentives for Solar Space Heat,
Solar Thermal Electric, Photovoltaic
California Solar Initiative - Pilot Solar Water Heating Program
Eco-Broker Real Estate & Green Financing Programs
Eco-Broker is an excusive program for real estate professionals who care about our environment and who want to encourage energy efficient and green features in homes and buildings.
Why work with an EcoBroker?
Buyers:
With interest in cost-effective, healthy, and comfortable home features,
We can make it easy to either find homes with these attributes or to help
you make the improvements.
Buyer Benefits:
Save money on utilities
Find homes with green features easily
Live healthy & comfortably
Work with a professional who cares
Sellers:
Anyone can price your home. It takes marketing to really sell it.
Promoting green features sets you apart from the competition.
Seller Benefits:
Green features Sell for more
Distinguish your home from the competition
Attract more buyers
Work with a professional who knows how to sell green
When your offer is accepted on a home purchase and escrow is opened, a typical home inspection is one of the first items to be scheduled. An ordinary home inspection is all about what is visible and easily accessible to the inspector and the energy performance of the home is not considered.
PEACE OF MIND
Never buy a home that hasn't been audited by REAS.
Your written energy report can be used to have the seller make repairs or negotiate a credit to cover the cost of the repairs.
Planning to sell your home? A presale inspection and efficiency upgrade will help you to differentiate your property in the market place and sell quickly.
Monthly utility savings will cover the difference in the mortgage payment when financing cost-effective energy efficient upgrades while adding value to your home.
There are many options to finance your energy efficient home improvements An Energy Efficient Mortgage allows you to qualify for a larger mortgage that covers both the property and the cost of the energy efficient upgrades. An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) enables the homeowner to qualify for a larger loan. FHA Energy Efficient Mortgages allow the homeowner to borrow up to 5% of the loan amount or $8000, whichever is higher, above the purchase price for qualified improvements.
Some publicly-owned utility company’s have loan programs for eligible efficiency technologies for residential customer and 100% of the interest from the loan can be deducted.
This personal tax deduction allows taxpayers to deduct the interest paid on loans used to purchase energy efficient products or equipment for a residence in California. The deduction is for loans from a publicly-owned utility company for the purchase of energy-efficient heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting, solar, advanced metering of energy usage, windows, insulation, zone heating products, and weatherization systems. Customers of publicly-owned utility companies that do not offer customer financing may be able to deduct the interest from a home equity or home improvement loan used to purchase energy efficient products and equipment.
California Franchise Tax Board
Phone: (800) 852-5711
www.ftb.ca.gov
EE Program Design & Implementation
Energy Efficient program participation rates have to do with both awareness and targeting. Awareness that energy efficient homes are more comfortable, can improve health, can save large amounts of energy and money, and adds value to homes will create a tipping point for consumer demand.
The environmental message that our homes are a greater source of pollution than our cars is not common knowledge to most consumers. When utility customers connect climate change issues, security and peace of mind with their own electricity usage they will be motivated to do the right thing.
As utility rates continue to rise, it is extremely important to provide customers the tools and services to help them reduce their bills. REAS is your single-source solution for residential energy efficiency from start to finish.
Designing and managing a program that targets customers who have the means and interest to participate in efficiency upgrades will ensure success. A mass market approach isn’t appropriate.
REAS can manage the logistics of municipal contracts providing much needed data and in-field services. Our full range of services and cost effective approach is the key to a winning home efficiency program
Green Building & Product Consulting
Determining product specification and green building protocols for certification credits can be confusing and time consuming. REAS consultants provide green design services for environmentally responsible and energy efficient projects. Our specialists will review the specifications for customer projects and make recommendations to increase LEED and GreenPoint Rated credits and receive HERS verification. Applying green design services early in the design process can make your projects cost-effective and ensure a high performance building.
We are committed to evaluating high-quality alternatives to conventional building materials. Our hands-on field experience with innovative, sustainable interior and green building products can help you achieve optimum results. With our extensive network of manufacturers, craftsmen, fabricators and installers we guide builders, contractors, designers and homeowners to understand sustainable building.
Criteria for Green Products
do you have third party certification
where did the materials come from
what are the specific chemicals in this product
is the material from a natural/ nontoxic source
what are the effects of those chemicals on the environment
how do those chemicals affect human environmental health
how much of the product content, and which specific materials are recycled
where is the product manufactured
is it locally produced (within 500 miles)
what are the manufacturer's practices in regard to environmental sustainability
how is the product shipped to the job site
what is the manufacturer’s end of life strategies for its product
is it biodegradable
can the product be easily disassembled for recycling
are the component parts labeled for recycled
does the manufacturer help customers recycle its products
how is the material maintained and operated is it durable
does installation require additional chemicals