Multifamily Energy Code Services
Blink Energy Services offers a variety of energy and sustainability services for multifamily projects.
Blink's experience with providing multifamily energy and green consultations, solutions, and services far surpasses industry standards. We have thousands of multifamily units under our belts, and can provide solutions on the fly that keep a project on-schedule and under budget. When Blink Energy Services coordinates with the design team, real-world construction knowledge meets the page and energy code challenges are nearly non-existent. Years in the industry have given us the opportunity to identify problems during design or rough construction that would have become project wide issues in the final stages of construction. We also work with municipalities that have in-house energy code inspectors to work through potential problems and help GC’s and developers meet the intent required by the code official.
Design Consultation
To help ensure that a project stays on track and in the green for the entire process, Blink Energy Design Services provides real-time feedback during design meetings and reviews drawing sets as they are released.
From large-scale issues such as ventilation, fenestration, and exterior sheathing, down to air sealing details that set the project up for long-term success and efficiency.
The finish out of a tenant space requires the careful consideration and balance of several building codes. The construction of a ground-up project can encompass dozens of codes, professionals, and teams. Energy code plays a part in many professional design decisions. Whether the team is aware or not of the final implications during those decisions could cost upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A member of the team familiar with energy code difficulties, nuances, loopholes, and creative solutions helps open new pathways and prevents accidentally designing the project into a corner.
Energy Modeling
Energy modeling deconstructs a building or project into each energy-consuming (or saving) component. This process, though tedious, allows for vastly greater flexibility in the design of each component as long as the building as a whole meets or exceeds the energy code requirements.
Blink Energy Services offers Energy Building Information Modeling (BIM) for all applications. Blink can provide energy modeling for any phase or scope of a project. We specialize in modeling for code compliance, green certifications, and tax incentives, but very capable of providing models for most all edge-case scenarios. With Blink Energy Services, you receive iterative feedback on-time delivery and comprehensive analysis of the energy usage of your project.
Code Compliance
We offer comprehensive modeling for IECC compliance with constructive feedback allowing designers to make adjustments to building specifications or design decisions to minimize the energy usage of a project. When making building design decisions, the implications of those decisions are not always apparent until the project applies for a building permit and a COMcheck or REScheck is created. Blink Energy Services offers an alternative to the basic compliance pathways with the use of advanced energy models. Buildings or projects that show non-compliance using these basic performances may easily comply with a more comprehensive energy model that takes into account additional building components site variables by using a complex strategy of trade-offs and detailed weather analysis. When a building struggles to meet the minimum code requirements, Blink Energy Services offers cost-effective solutions to bring the building into compliance without modifying the architectural vision or introducing insurmountable costs to the project.
Green Certifications
We offer iterative modeling for above-code green certifications such as National Green Building Standard (NGBS), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB), and more. We work with the design team during the design process to provide feedback allowing clients to make decisions yielding the greatest energy efficiency per dollar spent. As Above Code Programs increase in difficulty to keep pace and stay ahead of base building code requirements, builders and developers are forced to allocate larger amounts of capital to meet the requirements. Blink Energy Services understands the need to maximize the return on investment when making design decisions and we are fully equipped to aid in navigating these complex programs and building systems to help build efficient buildings that meet these requirements.
Tax Incentive and Tax Credit Programs
Blink Energy Services can assist you with conforming to a number of federal tax incentives based on building energy design and performance. The federal government offers a number of little-known tax incentives that reward developers and owners who construct energy-efficient buildings. Often the benefits received far outweigh the costs incurred to meet the requirements. Blink can provide a preliminary evaluation of your project to estimate which changes, if any, would be needed to meet those requirements. Once the basic expectations are established, we can construct a model that verifies those assumptions and yields further guidance for minimum modifications needed to meet the requirements of the program.
To learn more about these programs please follow the links below to the official IRS website:
Energy Code Inspections
Sub-contractor finished on Friday, and you need to work a Saturday to meet a deadline? Need an inspection first thing tomorrow so the drywall can go up? No problem! Blink Energy Inspection Services understands deadlines and time constraints and can make arrangements to inspect your project when it needs to get done.
Inspections are where the code meets the real world. Many consider energy code inspections a necessary evil, some consider them an unnecessary evil. Blink Energy Inspection Services works closely with contractors from early in the construction timeline to identify potentially problematic areas in the design, establish clear and concise understandings of inspected components.
Blink takes pride in being clear and transparent with every client which is why every site visit, no matter the scope receives a detailed report identifying current problems, potential issues with sub-contractors, and observes good quality practices.
With our reports in hand, site leadership has the tools to reward good work, clearly identify problem areas, and dismiss unnecessary change orders.
Above Code Inspections
If your project needs an above code certification for any reason, we have experience with a number of green and sustainable programs and can help find the best fit for your project. View a list of above code programs currently administered by Blink Energy Inspection Services.
For larger projects, we offer a consistent billing structure with the total cost of the project divided by the project construction schedule. This allows our customers extra time that would be spent matching invoices to inspection trips and ensures the project does not exceed the original budget.
Unit Testing
If your multifamily project is under four-stories, you will likely need to have air infiltration testing performed on a percentage of the units. Blink Energy Services is committed to not only providing a comprehensive testing service but also providing detailed reports and recommendations for success with future testing as well.
We prefer to be involved in projects before wall concealment so that problem areas can be identified. We can work with the on-site construction team and subcontractors to build a product that will pass blower door testing without headaches or delays.