our services

Every Building Can Be Green

Common perception is that higher building performance is all about technology, retrofitting and capital expenditure. But the new reality is that management and operational excellence are at the heart of energy and environmental performance. New approaches to building management, direction of external resources, and developing internal capabilities are needed to make every building the best it can be.

We do it your way. Enerlife provides the customized services you need to move your green agenda forward. The key to success is alignment of top-down commitment with bottom-up strategies. We help bring your policies, processes and people together under the common goal of high performance in individual buildings, and across portfolios.

Energy management plans that work

The energy management plan begins with benchmarking – knowing where you stand compared to peers – and your potential for energy, utility cost and emissions savings. Enerlife’s metrics, from our large, dynamic database, establish achievable energy targets for individual buildings and portfolios, identify your high potential buildings, and point to where the savings are to be found. Building system testing and advanced data analytics define and quantify operational as well as retrofit measures, providing the business case for capital investment and allocation of resources.

As important as WHAT to do, effective planning must address HOW energy efficiency improvements will be implemented. From governance and reporting, through capital planning and organizational alignment, to staff training and outcomes-based service contracts, mapping the necessary organizational requirements and setting annual goals help ensure focus and progress over time. Our reporting meets the requirements for provincial and state energy planning regulations and utility demand-side management programs.

Energy advisory services

We are expert, trusted advisors to executive teams in creation of vision, goals, policies and business cases for energy and environmental improvement. Our unique methodology reliably quantifies savings potential for large building portfolios, while directing strategy to make each individual building the best it can be.

From strategic advice on getting started, to figuring out what to do when an energy project isn’t delivering the savings, our advisory services help you evaluate your options and opportunities, develop your strategy, tackle the challenges, and get recognition for your results.

Our knowledge and success are grounded in our online Green Building Performance System, one of the largest dynamic building performance databases in North America. Tracking real building performance for hundreds of buildings over multiple years has taught us what works and what doesn’t. Our clients and partners benefit from this massive body of practical experience.

Project development and implementation

Our data-driven Performance-Based Conservation methodology uses benchmarking and target-setting to identify operational and retrofit projects that achieve real, deep energy savings measurable at the meter. We develop and implement the interrelated projects and operational improvements required to deliver the targeted savings. Achieving and maintaining high performance buildings is a team activity, so we work closely with your building management and operators, engineers-of-record, service contractors and building automation provider to ensure the best possible outcomes. In-depth measurement, testing and trend logging zero in on specific measures, and then verify that the improvements are working correctly. Repairs, replacement and right-sizing of malfunctioning equipment, re-balancing systems, and re-programming controls work together to achieve exceptional standards of efficiency and indoor environmental quality.

Building performance optimization

Getting to high performance, and staying there, requires ongoing attention. Enerlife’s building optimization service keeps everyone engaged with regular performance reporting, and seasonal team meetings to review performance trends, corrective actions and new technology. We start with a building-specific plan based on real data, and work with you to align operator training and service contracts with required performance outcomes. We support maintenance management and capital budgeting so that energy and water efficiency considerations are fully integrated into the ongoing management of the building.

Strategic sustainability

Beyond energy efficiency, Enerlife works with building owners and managers to help develop and articulate vision, goals and guiding principles for building-specific and corporate sustainability. We support implementation through energy and environmental policies and initiatives, tenant engagement strategies, sustainability manuals and design standards. We help you achieve exceptional levels of performance and certification under LEED for Existing Buildings, Energy Star, REALpac Benchmarking and BOMA BESt.

Energy Management Plan

The energy management plan provides your roadmap to achievement of the full potential of your buildings. The starting point is the potential for energy, utility cost and emissions savings. Enerlife’s proprietary energy targeting algorithms, using metrics derived from our massive database, reliably establish the savings potential for every building using readily available data. Built on this foundation, our energy management plan tells you how much you can save, which are your high potential buildings, and where the savings are to be found in each building. The plan identifies operational as well as retrofit potential, and provides the business case for capital investment and allocation of resources. In Ontario the report meets the requirements for an Energy Conservation and Demand Management plan according to Regulation 397/11.

Building Performance Audit™

Our data-driven audit is a major advancement over conventional audits. It replaces engineering assumptions and calculations with measurement, testing and building system and operational standards to produce more reliable recommendations, while setting the stage for implementation and verification. The methodology consistently uncovers measures which would otherwise remain hidden, and is responsible for the exceptional levels of performance which characterize Enerlife projects.

The Building Performance Audit can meet your ASHRAE audit requirements, or be used immediately to begin implementing operations, maintenance and control improvements while planning for future capital measures.

Integrated Building Performance Process™

Enerlife provides expert leadership and facilitation to multi-disciplinary Integrated Building Performance teams. We work closely with your building management and operators, engineers-of-record, service contractors and building automation provider so that everyone’s knowledge and experience is considered. With a shared understanding of current performance, and a common vision of how good the building can be, the teams apply collective genius in achieving and sustaining exceptional building performance.

Green Building Performance System

Our online Green Building Performance System ™ tracks actual energy use of hundreds of buildings, informing our deep, evidence-based understanding of standards, targets and best practices. The system keeps everyone informed of the energy and water performance and savings for their building, while continuously growing one of the largest dynamic building energy performance databases in North America.