Outdated schedules
Many buildings still run the exact schedule someone set 10+ years ago — empty suites, full-blast HVAC. Heating and cooling can fight each other with no one watching.
Refine Energy Consulting
Cut building energy waste without replacing the entire HVAC system.
We audit your HVAC controls, install the right solution for your building type, and keep optimizing — so Sacramento property owners keep the savings month after month.
- 30%
- of commercial energy is typically wasted
- $95/mo
- ongoing monitoring & optimization
- < 1 day
- typical smart-controls install
- 1.3 yrs
- illustrative net payback (conservative)
Figures drawn from DOE citation and REC pricing/analysis in the business overview — payback is illustrative.
Built for SMB commercial property
- Retail
- Restaurants
- Medical Offices
- Churches
- Warehouses
- Professional Offices
The Problem
Small buildings are flying blind on energy
Most owners never hear the term “building automation.” Systems keep running on schedules set a decade ago — and the waste shows up on the bill.
Unnecessary runtime
About 40–50% of a commercial energy bill is heating and cooling alone. Without occupancy sensing or setback logic, equipment runs when nobody is there.
Hidden HVAC faults
Most small property owners have no alerts and no data. Problems stay invisible until the bill spikes — or a compressor fails into an emergency call.
Services
The right controls for your building
We audit first — then recommend the path that fits your equipment. Commercial smart thermostats for independent rooftop units. Full building automation optimization for shared mechanical systems.
Commercial Smart Controls
Buildings with independent rooftop units
Commercial smart thermostats with scheduling, setback logic, remote access, and fault alerts. Ideal for strip malls and small offices with package RTUs per suite — where a full BAS is overkill.
- Illustrative project range ~$1,780 for a 3-zone retrofit
- Occupancy-aware setback & business-hours schedules
- Remote access without calling a contractor
Thermostat · Suite 1Online
72°F
Schedule: Business hours · 8am – 6pm
Building Automation Optimization
Buildings with shared mechanical systems
Full BAS programming and sequence optimization for multi-zone systems — supply-air reset, demand-controlled ventilation, optimal start, and coordinated scheduling across VAV zones.
- For central AHUs / shared zones (not single-suite RTUs)
- Controls logic, commissioning, and ongoing tuning
- Licensed C-7 contractor handles physical install
Compressor #3: High temp alert
Unit 2: Running normally
Zone AHU: Schedule updated
How It Works
Assess → Optimize → Monitor
A clear path from first call to ongoing savings — no equipment rip-and-replace.
- 01
Assess
We review utility bills, lease structure, and on-site HVAC type. You understand the savings opportunity — and which controls path fits — before any big project is proposed.
- 02
Optimize
We install and program the right solution: smart controls for RTU buildings, or BAS optimization for shared mechanical systems. A licensed C-7 contractor handles wiring; we own the controls logic.
- 03
Monitor
Ongoing remote monitoring, fault detection, schedule updates, and a plain-English monthly report — typically $95/mo — so savings compound instead of drifting away.
Illustrative Analysis
Rosemont Plaza building analysis
Illustrative — not a completed client projectFigures below are from an internal analysis of a publicly identifiable Sacramento property used to validate pricing and payback assumptions. REC has not completed a paid engagement at this address.
Building profile
Rosemont Plaza
9113 Kiefer Blvd, Sacramento, CA
- Size & type
- 12,876 sq ft — multi-tenant inline retail, built 1978
- Lease
- Full-service lease structure (landlord pays utilities) — verified via public listing research
- Recommended path
- Independent package RTUs per suite → commercial smart thermostat path (not full BAS)
Illustrative savings scenarios
Conservative
$1,192 / yr
15% savings floor
Net payback ~1.3 yrs after SMUD rebate
Realistic
$1,829 / yr
23% — scheduling + TOU + occupancy
Net payback ~10 months after SMUD rebate
SMUD rebate assumptions (~$75/unit) reduce net project cost in this illustrative model. BAS on the same RTU building was evaluated and not recommended — longer payback for marginal extra savings.
Benefits
Everything your building gains
Lower utility bills
Target HVAC energy reductions in the 15–30% range depending on baseline controls — Sacramento peak-season bills make every point count.
Longer equipment life
Optimized runtimes and fault detection reduce unnecessary wear on compressors and air handlers.
Fewer emergency repairs
Catch high-temp alerts and stuck dampers early — before they become costly emergency service calls.
Remote control
Adjust units and override schedules from any device — without calling a contractor for every change.
Automated scheduling
Occupancy-based setback runs automatically. Nobody has to remember to adjust the thermostat.
Better tenant comfort
More consistent temperatures across suites — fewer complaints, better retention.
SMUD rebates
SMUD Custom Retrofit can pay back up to 50% of qualifying project costs. We handle the paperwork.
Section 179D
Federal deduction of up to $5.65/sq ft for qualifying HVAC improvements — documentation from the audit helps your accountant.
Financial Incentives
Three reasons the numbers work even better
Compliance pressure, utility rebates, and federal tax incentives stack with operational savings — differentiators most HVAC repair vendors never mention.
AB 802 compliance
California requires buildings over 50,000 sq ft to benchmark energy annually. Non-compliance can mean fines up to $2,000/day. Many landlords have never heard of it.
SMUD Custom Retrofit
SMUD pays back up to 50% of qualifying project costs (program caps apply). We prepare and submit the paperwork so net project cost drops before the first month of savings.
Section 179D deduction
Federal deduction of up to $5.65/sq ft for qualifying HVAC improvements. On a ~12,000 sq ft building, that can mean substantial documented deductions — show it to your accountant.
Our Story
Built by an engineer who spent years inside these buildings
Refine Energy Consulting was founded on a simple observation: small commercial buildings waste enormous amounts of energy, and nobody with the right technical skills is focused on fixing it.
MR
Matthew Allen Reed
Founder
- E.I.T. — HVAC & Refrigeration
- Distech + DeltaV BAS
- Controls programming & commissioning
- Sacramento commercial focus
Matthew Allen Reed
Founder & Principal Engineer
Matthew is a BAS consultant with hands-on programming experience on Distech and DeltaV building automation systems — the platforms common in the Sacramento commercial market.
He is an Engineer-in-Training (E.I.T.) pursuing PE licensure in HVAC & Refrigeration, bringing credentials most local HVAC contractors and many “energy” vendors simply do not have.
The gap he saw: buildings roughly 5,000–80,000 sq ft are too small for giants like Johnson Controls or Siemens, yet too technical for general contractors who only fix broken equipment.
Before taking clients, he validated pricing, savings estimates, and verification methods against real Sacramento-area properties using public county and listing data — including the illustrative Rosemont Plaza analysis on this site.
FAQ
Common questions
Usually no. REC focuses on controls, schedules, and monitoring — fixing how existing equipment runs rather than ripping out rooftop units or boilers.
The audit decides. Independent package RTUs per suite typically favor commercial smart controls. Shared AHUs and multi-zone VAV systems need coordinated BAS optimization.
Remote monitoring, fault detection, schedule updates, and a plain-English monthly report — typically $95/mo in the current pricing model (subject to building scope).
A licensed, insured C-7 contractor handles wiring and physical install. REC owns programming, commissioning, and ongoing optimization.
No. Rosemont Plaza figures on this site are an illustrative internal analysis used to validate the model — clearly labeled as such, not a completed engagement.
Contact
Request a free energy assessment
Tell us about your building. We’ll review the basics and follow up with next steps — no obligation.
- hello@refineenergy.example(placeholder)
- Phone
- (916) 555-0142(placeholder)
- Service area
- Sacramento, CA and surrounding areas
Stop paying for wasted energy.
Find out how much your Sacramento-area building could save — free assessment, no obligation.
- No equipment replacement
- Typical one-day install
- Cancel monitoring anytime