Establishing the crossroads for high-performance buildings is the driving force behind Red Car Analytics. Their mission is to help create an industry feedback loop of effective solutions to decarbonize today’s buildings. Located in the Bay Area, Red Car Analytics specializes in building systems advising, performance diagnostics, policy and research, commissioning, and energy modeling.
Between their founding partners, the team has worked on more than 25 net-zero-energy buildings as part of the design and construction team and have learned valuable lessons on how to make low-energy buildings work. Dating back to the commissioning of the David Brower Center in 2011, co-founder Michele Sagehorn recalls how this building was one of the first she had seen to use an in-slab radiant system with low ambient water temperatures. Today, it is hard to keep track of the number of times this building has been re-programmed and studied by CBE. For Red Car, the truly amazing story is that the building continues to be such a positive example of how these systems work, creating an opportunity to educate others and drive more low energy, high comfort strategies into projects.
“We believe strongly in the mission of data-driven research to help improve the built environment and this is a strong element of the work the CBE does. As a partner, we are excited at the opportunity to collaborate and learn firsthand, along with CBE and other industry partners about what makes buildings work,” shares co-founder Hillary Weitze.
A big focus of the Red Car team is to connect real building data and strategies with energy policy advocates and utility partners (like PG&E) to help inform future cost-effective efficiency solutions. In California, Red Car works closely as technical consultants to PG&E’s Codes and Standards department to develop new strategies to be able to inform future energy codes and energy programs, with measured field data and sound engineering.
“We are thrilled to be joining CBE! They have been highly influential to the work we do and have inspired the ideas we share with our clients. We want to find ways to help expand the reach of the organization and advance the research as industry partners,” shares co-founder Neil Bulger. “A large part of our business focuses on studying buildings and creating a network of partners. We are excited about opportunities to collaborate with CBE and other consortium members on truly world changing research.”
Featured image: Red Car Analytics provided commissioning and ongoing energy monitoring services at the The Central + Wolfe Campus in Sunnyvale, CA. Architecture, interior design and other services by HOK. Photo by Tim Griffith.