Technical Strategy for Code, Programs, and Market Transformation

A2 Efficiency supports agencies, utilities, advocacy organizations, and implementers in shaping the future of building performance. We apply deep systems knowledge and modeling expertise to inform the development of energy codes, efficiency programs, and market interventions, from technology evaluation to compliance pathway design.

We don’t just analyze buildings—we help define how building performance is measured, incentivized, and scaled. Our team brings fluency in simulation, policy frameworks, and real-world building system constraints, making us uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between performance ambition and implementation feasibility.

What We Do

We offer upstream consulting services that support the design, development, and evaluation of energy policies and programs. Our work helps clients:

  • Define clear and measurable performance goals

  • Assess technical potential and market readiness

  • Translate emerging technologies into actionable standards or incentives

  • Inform code change proposals or pathway refinements

  • Build resources that increase market capacity and modeling accuracy

Planning, Programs and Research

Diagram of a house showing a solar-powered ventilation system. Sunlight provides direct solar gains and fresh air intake, while a roof vent facilitates conduction and convection to exhaust warm air, helping to cool the interior where people and equipment are located.
Diagram of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system showing day and night operation modes. It includes tanks with temperature labels, flow lines, a building load, towers, heat recovery chillers, and a CHW plant.
Diagram of a heat pump with labels for sensors, coils, airflow, and dampers, showing the flow of outside air, mixed air, and supply air through the system.

Modular Service Options

Each service can be scoped independently or bundled into broader program or code development efforts.

Market & Technology Potential Studies

  • Quantify savings and adoption potential of emerging systems

  • Identify cost-effectiveness thresholds and barriers to entry

  • Align market potential with code readiness or incentive design

Energy Code & Compliance Pathway Design

  • Support development of new prescriptive or performance measures

  • Define simulation protocols and assumptions for compliance modeling

  • Advise on feasibility from the design and construction perspective

Program Design & Incentive Alignment

  • Model savings impacts for different efficiency measure packages

  • Support design of stretch codes, voluntary programs, or above-code pilots

  • Provide guidance on metrics, baselines, and verification strategy

Training & Workforce Readiness Support

  • Develop training materials for code officials, modelers, and implementers

  • Translate complex system concepts into clear, actionable guidance

  • Support capacity-building for performance-based program delivery

A survey histogram illustrating the technology adoption lifecycle with segments labeled Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and Laggards, showing percentage distributions for each group.
Diagram illustrating energy transfer from Location and Site factors to Building Programming, including elements like HVAC, electrical, water, and renewable systems, with lists of specific factors such as orientation, solar gain, air temperature, building area, people, plug loads, lighting, air quality, and water needs.
A project development timeline with phases: Conceptual Design, Schematic Design, Detailed Design, Construction, Building Startup, and Building Commissioning. Each phase has associated tasks such as energy modeling, analysis, optimization, certification, testing, and verification, represented with color-coded lines and labels.

Client / Partner

California IOUs - Code change technology potential research, such as: DOAS, Thermal Energy Storage, VRF and building envelop technologies.

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) - HVAC technology feasibility assessment, detailed energy analysis for commercial and multi-family buildings

California Energy Commission (CEC) - Title 24 measure research and criteria development

Market Transformation Programs - Efficient technology assessment and program research into DOAS, eRTUs, and other technologies

New Buildings Institute (NBI) - Grid-integrated building metric analysis, complex building assessment for museum thermal controls

Washington State & Seattle City Light - Energy code pathway support and impact evaluation

U.S. DOD and DOE Buildings - Federal new construction project compliance with ASHRAE + LEED

Representative Clients & Projects

Why Work With Us?

We bring policy-aligned modeling expertise grounded in real building systems.

  • We know what makes performance programs succeed—or stall—in the field

  • We work across both prescriptive rules and performance flexibility

  • We support not only technical rigor, but strategic implementation

Whether you're defining the next generation of code, piloting a new incentive program, or exploring an emerging HVAC strategy, A2 Efficiency brings the insight, clarity, and modeling expertise to move the industry forward.