News + Events

Beyond Efficiency is highly motivated to solve the nation’s housing crisis and planet’s climate crisis through our technical work, but the traditional building consulting model isn’t going to cut it. To scale our impact far beyond what we’re able to accomplish as a small team working on one-off building projects, we’re excited to announce our new technology- and community-based initiative, BuildingGenius.

This is a case study about modernizing my 1200-square foot East Bay home by removing gas-fired appliances. The gas replacement work was done with some willingness to tolerate temporary inconveniences to minimize cost, which might be helpful for scrappy remodeling projects undertaken by many readers.

We are grateful to the more than 120 respondents that took the time to complete our survey in early April and share honest insights on the impact of the global health crisis on themselves. Read on for results, including a selection of written comments from respondents we felt captured the essence of the situation.

Respondent Roles

Our respondents were highly representative of our clients and contacts with building industry professionals comprising over 70%, homeowners about 10%, and others (suppliers, utilities, government, real estate etc) about 20%.

The Beyond Efficiency Team Reveals...

Katie Hollbacher, Principle: 

The Beyond Efficiency Team Reveals...

Katy Hollbacher, Principle: 

I’m late to the party. Prior to working at Beyond Efficiency, I couldn’t have told you what a heat pump was, nor what Passive House meant. I only had a vague understanding of what a net zero building was, and how important windows, R-values and insulation were. I understood the academic meaning of “retrofitting,” but had no idea how it could factor into reducing or avoiding carbon emissions. All I knew was that I wanted to do my part to combat climate change.

Beyond Efficiency is proud to be on the team led by Onion Flats Development, and supported by Love | Schack Architecture and GE Johnson Construction Company, vying for the rights to develop multifamily housing at 105 Mercill Avenue in Jackson, Wyoming. Our team’s proposal stands above and beyond the other finalists from the standpoint of its all-electric, zero energy, Passive House and LEED Platinum performance assumptions.

Image credit: Lake | Flato Architects – Georgia Tech Engineered Biosystems Building

Earlier this year, The New York Times published an article by Kendra Pierre-Louis called "Americans Are Staying Home More. That's Saving Energy." The article refers to a study about the positive effects on the environment that have resulted from more people working remotely and shopping online. Despite these positive developments, the article questions whether people are truly saving energy if they are multitasking, working a second shift at home, or using more electronics.

This spring, Beyond Efficiency is calling for proposals from organizations or families in need of building-related technical assistance. Applicants must be based in either the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area or Teton County, Wyoming or Idaho.

"We were researching one-day team volunteer opportunities when we realized we could provide more value and service by volunteering directly and doing the work we do best," said Katy Hollbacher, Principal of Beyond Efficiency.