Energy & Sustainability Services

Helping clients achieve energy savings with proven sustainability management practices.

The design and construction industry is changing rapidly. First-cost pressures are rising while buildings are expected to perform better and be constructed of more sustainable materials - all while reducing the impacts of climate change.

Mason & Hanger sees opportunity in these economic and environmental imperatives and our professionals have embraced better ways of designing, commissioning, and operating facilities. Grounded in collaboration and extensive analysis, we apply the combined experience of our professionals to improve existing and new buildings to produce the next generation of high-performance facilities.

Energy Master Planning

For new and existing facilities, it’s important to have a long-range plan for ensuring energy security and minimizing costs.

We work with our clients to evaluate multiple options for energy generation, distribution, and storage. These services allow clients to use their on-site generating assets to work for them year round to improve resilience and dramatically reduce energy costs.

  • Energy security assessments to identify single points of failure
  • Microgrid implementation analysis and planning
  • Identification of optimized mix of distributed generation assets including hybrid systems utilizing fuel-fired generators, renewable energy, and on-site battery storage
  • Advanced district energy systems incorporating Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP)
  • Planning for Net Zero Energy
  • Application for alternate funding streams, including ERCIP

Energy Auditing and Performance Consulting

Our experts can evaluate your facility’s energy consumption utilizing sophisticated analytical tools, providing you with comprehensive energy and water conservation measures (ECMs) to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

We can assist owners, energy savings companies (ESCOs), and energy developers implement energy conservation measures (ECMs) and have worked with numerous energy savings companies to deliver successful performance contracts.

  • Analyze energy and water use
  • Create interactive models to evaluate a variety of saving strategies
  • Conducted by Certified Energy Managers (CEM) professionals
  • Detect energy lost from buildings
  • Locate thermal patterns to show leakage areas
  • Configure systems to view energy and water usage locally and remotely
  • Define savings analysis of an Energy Conservation Measure (ECM)
  • Meet Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) reporting requirements
  • Evaluate solar, wind, and geothermal energy options
  • Calculate a building’s greenhouse gas emissions
  • Assess all aspects of a building’s cost
  • Evaluate the total cost of ownership – acquiring, operating, and disposing of a building system
  • Building evaluations

Building Sciences – Advanced Analysis

Our Building Sciences team provides analytical capabilities and expertise beyond the reach of standard design, helping our clients produce better performing buildings that are energy efficient, sustainable, and cost effective.

blueprint of science builiding

Whole building simulation begins at the conceptual design stage, optimizing building orientation and massing:

  • Optimize insulation thickness and condensation mitigation
  • Reduce air leakage and thermal bridging
  • Evaluate fenestration and shading options
  • Select ideal mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems based on unique project variables
  • Optimize and document performance
  • LEED Optimize Energy Performance credit documentation
  • Analyze complex flow and temperature phenomena
  • Utilize natural ventilation with confidence
  • Complete air quality and plume studies
  • Perform fire and smoke modeling to support design of smoke control systems
  • Maximize daylight harvesting
  • Reduce glare and solar heat gain
  • Support architectural features relative to daylighting, including light tables, canopies, and screens
  • Transient analysis in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 160P
  • Reduce the risk of water accumulation in walls

Renewable Energy / Energy Storage

Our experts understand how to evaluate a building and building site for renewable energy systems applications. This includes detailed study into the optimization of energy and storage systems to maximize economic, emissions, and resilience benefits.

fuel tanks
  • Conduct detailed feasibility and economic analyses including shading analyses
  • Optimize energy output

  • Research feasibility of utilizing wind energy
  • Complete specifications for large-scale wind turbine installations
  • Battery storage systems for stabilization, ride-through, and long-duration production
  • Thermal energy storage including ice, chilled water, and hot water
  • Detailed modeling and open and closed systems done by Certified Geo Exchange Designers
  • Solar Thermal
  • Energy recovery systems
  • Co-generation / Combined Heat and Power (CHP) / Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP)

Water Resource Management

Water is increasingly becoming more scarce in many parts of the U.S. and the world. Additionally, there is a growing realization of the close interconnection between water use and energy production. Mason & Hanger treats water as a valuable resource and performs water studies to responsibly minimize consumption and minimize the impact of stormwater and wastewater on surrounding infrastructure.

  • Complete site water analysis, balancing uses and sources
  • Treat stormwater as a resource with low impact development (LID) strategies
  • Sizing and design of rainwater harvesting systems
  • Development of wastewater reuse strategies
  • Floodplain modeling and mitigation
  • Stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPP)

Building Envelope Services

Mason & Hanger has a team of building envelope experts that can assist with the analysis and design of envelope systems and also manage the entire building enclosure commissioning process. Our process begins with the owner’s project requirements, thorough design review, contractor submittal review, construction inspection, and development of the final system manual.

  • Air and water barrier analysis and review to prevent water and air intrusion, mold, mildew, and poor indoor air quality
  • Reduced energy costs and the risk of construction claims
  • Moisture migration analysis in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 160P, Criteria for Moisture Control Design Analysis in Buildings
  • Transient hygrothermal analysis and condensation studies
  • Complex heat transfer and thermal bridging analyses
  • Infrared thermography
  • Envelope optimization
  • Envelope commissioning (BECx)
outdoor building with pond in front

Sustainability Management and LEED Services

A client described Mason & Hanger's team as committed to delivering sustainability projects with sound, energy conservation principles. Our experts have applied sustainable management practices to hundreds of projects, guiding our clients through various strategies to obtain their goals, including achievement of certification in green-building rating systems like LEED, Green Globes, and others.

  • Carbon accounting/Greenhouse gas accounting (GHG)
  • Document carbon reduction associated with energy measures
  • Understand federal government mandates
  • Sustainability studies
  • Green building certification project coordination
  • Provide detailed analysis with comprehensive approach to sustainability for new and existing facilities
  • Includes design to Guiding Principles Compliance
  • Greenhouse gas reduction
  • LEED commissioning
  • Water Resource Management
  • Environmental site design
  • Net zero energy, water, and waste design
  • Design projects to meet LEED (or Green Globes or BREEAM, etc.), LEED project administration

Commissioning, Retro-Commissioning, and Building Envelope Commissioning

Our certified commissioning agents (CxAs) are professional engineers with specialized expertise in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, emergency power, lighting and daylight control systems, security, and fire protection systems.

computer screen with data

Commissioning (Cx)

  • Process begins with pre-design and continues through design, construction, and early operation
  • Maximize operational efficiency of facility systems
  • Help owners achieve sustainability goals
  • Includes life safety commissioning services capabilities (fuel systems, fire alarm, fire pumps, smoke control systems, and sprinkler and special suppression systems)

Retrocommissioning (RCx)

  • Thoroughly review, inspect, and test building systems to determine condition and operational capabilities
  • Improve system operation, equipment performance, indoor environmental quality, and tenant comfort
  • Increase energy savings, while reducing both greenhouse emissions and operating and maintenance costs
  • As a Building Enclosure Commissioning Authority (BECx), Mason & Hanger has a team of building envelope experts that manage the entire building enclosure commissioning process. Our process begins with the owner’s project requirements, thorough design review, contractor submittal review, construction inspection, and development of the final system manual.

Facility Management and Sustainment

Fees for design and construction of large facilities represent only a fraction of their lifetime cost. Operations and maintenance needs occur annually and are often underfunded. Mason & Hanger can assess the condition of your facilities and assist in budgetary planning for maintenance, repairs, and system replacement.

  • Facility condition assessments / audits
  • Facility Performance Evaluations
  • Post-Occupancy Evaluations
  • Recapitalization planning
  • Asset tracking and management systems
  • Benchmarking
  • Energy Management
  • Sustainment Management Software Implementation (USACE BUILDER, IBM Trirega)