Southface Energy Institute Inc

Technical services: southface offers fee-for-service support to improve the performance and sustainability of residential and commercial buildings: design consulting: tailored guidance for new builds or major renovations, aligned with client goals and budget. In 2024, southface supported 27 projects. Green certification: expert assistance in selecting and achieving optimal green certifications. In 2024, 29 projects and 774 multifamily units received certifications. Earthcraft: co-developed with the greater atlanta home builders association, earthcraft certifies homes and buildings for energy efficiency, air quality, and durability. In 2024, 3,170 multifamily units and 95 single-family homes earned certification. Bit building: a performance improvement program for existing buildings and tenant spaces, bit supports buildings of any type, with accessible pricing and no minimum performance thresholds. In 2024, 64 projects participated.

Research: building america - hvac afdd: southface is completing a multi-phase study on hvac installation verification and monitoring tools across climate zones 2-7. Results show statistically significant improvements in system performance, pointing to transformative opportunities for the 14 billion hvac service industry. While past efforts to scale installation quality fell short, our findings demonstrate the market potential of emerging systems for high-performance hvac. Doe energy shed (georgia tech): in partnership with georgia tech and funded by the u.s. Department of energy, southface is helping reimagine electric infrastructure planning to better meet community energy needs. As distributed renewable energy sources grow, this research explores localized strategies for energy generation, transmission, and storage. Georgia industrial assessment center (ksu): southface co-operates the georgia industrial assessment center (geo-iac) alongside kennesaw state university and clark atlanta university. Since 2022, geo-iac has provided free energy and productivity assessments to small- and medium-sized manufacturers, resulting in 4.88 million in cost savings and 0.59 trillion btu in energy savings. The center also serves as a training hub, with 26 students participating in its programs.

Advocacy: southface's advocacy team laid critical groundwork in 2024 to prepare for the 2025 integrated resource plan (irp) proceedings before georgia's public service commission. We hosted six workshops to inform partners about key energy issues in the irp debate. Our advocacy extended to vital warehouse solar research and building strategic partnerships with the association of county commissioners, georgia municipal association, carl vinson institute of government at uga, and atlanta regional commission-fostering collaboration toward shared goals and future policy initiatives. Education: in 2024, southface's education team equipped 2,224 individuals with the knowledge and skills to advance within the green building workforce. Through 57 trainings, workshops, and events, participants earned professional credentials such as home energy rater and duct and envelope tightness verifier, among others. Our instructor-led virtual and in-person courses ensure workers are prepared to thrive in the growing clean energy economy. Sustainable communities: southface supports municipalities in creating customized sustainability plans that prioritize clean energy and equity. In 2024, we led the dekalb clean energy & transportation transition plan, driving progress through strategic writing, stakeholder engagement, and ongoing municipal coordination. We also hosted and supported clean cities georgia, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing clean transportation. Our events, webinars, and outreach engaged approximately 1,600 people directly and reached an additional 10,000 across the state.