Building Efficiency

I worked at Nest on the thermostat and energy algorithms for over seven years, and so I'm picky when it comes to HVAC contractors. When I look for an HVAC contractor, I don't just want one who shows up on time and cleans up after themself; I want one who understands building energy efficiency and cares about it!

I first worked with David and his team at Building Efficiency when I was in charging of selecting and coordinating an HVAC contractor to perform an energy upgrade for my church. The energy upgrade included installing heat pumps for two different buildings, along with performing a total ductwork replacement and attic insulation upgrade for one building that serves as an office and preschool building. The Building Efficiency team was great to work with, and we love having the heat pumps! Replacing our old fossil fuel-burning gas furnaces with heat pumps that can run on clean electricity was a win for the environment and a win for our comfort.

Having been pleased with how the project at the church went, I referred Building Efficiency to a neighbor of mine and also hired them to upgrade the attic insulation in my own home. Lalo and the crew who did the attic insulation and air sealing work were fantastic, and I appreciated that Lalo went the extra mile to do things like loan me some drywall patching compound so that I could fix a pre-existing hole in my garage ceiling before they blew in the new insulation. I'm very happy with the new cellulose insulation, both because I got rid of all of the old fiberglass insulation and because my home stays warm much better in the winter and cool much better in the summer.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Building Efficiency to a friend or neighbor, and I look forward to working with them again in the future.

David and his team installed a heat pump and heat pump water heater in my home several years ago, and I have been very pleased with them and Building Efficiency's ongoing support. When my garage was flooded in late 2022, David and his team helped troubleshoot the heat pump and made sure everything was running smoothly. More recently, I had plumbing issues that required another service visit, and the team was just as responsive and efficient as before. I highly recommend you go with Building Efficiency for your HVAC needs; they are an excellent value!

We hired Building Efficiency to design and install a heat pump system for our top-level apartment in our 120-year-old Victorian building in San Francisco in 2023. Getting the project started and ordering all the components took longer than we'd anticipated; supply-chain issues may have been at work, but also this is a small company that does high-quality work and has a lot of demand (as other reviewers have noted.). HOWEVER: the work they did was top notch. We had a difficult installation, as there is no easy roof access, and we have very narrow attic crawl space. BE solved all the problems. After six months of operation the system has worked flawlessly. We are comfortable AND power-positive (with the solar power system that was installed by Albion Power at the same time.). The owner David H obviously treats his employees well.

These free "consultations" are limited to offering paid services provided by the company - they are not about maximizing the energy efficiency of your home.
In addition, after a month of waiting for an appointment, I had my consultation was told that an estimate would come in a week. After two months of waiting for an estimate - and several unanswered phone calls and emails - I still have not heard back from the company.
If the company was too busy , unable or uninterested to provide services, they could have simply written an email to inform me.
Instead, I have wasted months of my time when I could have sought help elsewhere.

Highly recommended. David and his team are all very professional and knowledgeable. From the virtual review of my project all the way through to completion, everyone was helpful as I navigated the very complex topic of electrifying my hot water and heating system. All members of the team were friendly and patient with my numerous questions. They also were responsive every time I reached out and they completed the project within the timeframe they estimated. If you are doing any energy upgrades or electrification projects, I highly suggest you reach out to Building Efficiency.

They promised a quote within 7 days, but it took 12 days. They did not keep me updated, and their [former] office manager stopped responding to my emails. When I finally did get the quote, the price was fair, but it was too late. Their competitor delivered a quote after only 1 day.

We wanted to do energy efficiency upgrades, but didn't know where to start or what we needed. David helped us put together a long-term plan and figured out what we needed. They put in wall insulation, redid the attic insulation, removed our gas furnace and air conditioner in the garage and installed a heat pump in the attic, and installed a heat pump water heater. At some point we'll have them get our crawl space in order too. We are finally on the verge of being 100% electric and removing our gas line! He teams handles all the permits and rebates, and has been patient through all of out delays with PG&E. I don't know anything about this stuff, but the building inspectors have been impressed with both the equipment and the installation work, so I take that as a good sign!

Excellent work. On time and very good finishing / cleanup.
Seeing the benefits of the upgrade immediately.

Building Efficiency installed insulation into my 1800 sf San Francisco house (which had no insulation prior) at the end of 2021. Insulation was installed both into the exterior facing walls (via holes in the interior drywall) and into the very low clearance attic crawlspace (maybe 1.5-2 feet of clearance). They were willing to crawl in the very small attic crawlspace to get the insulation installed - which was impressive b/c the clearance was so low.

Day-to-day life in the house is completely different. The temp is actually regulated. Heat no longer dissipates immediately after being run. The house also doesn't get super hot when the sun shines on the walls. In the dead of winter we used to sleep with wool hats on - no longer! (We've never run the heat at night at still don't.) I actually only use a light sheet when sleeping at night now - even when it's cold. It really is the single best thing I've ever done to this house and I should have done it much sooner. It's as life changing as anything you can do to a house can be lol.

I was concerned about having holes drilled in the drywall but they matched the texture of our drywall (skip trowel texture) and you absolutely cannot tell at all that there were ever holes in the drywall.

I also got my BayREN rebate timely to help offset some of the cost.

All in all a great experience.

David and his team are incredibly professional, experts in their field and very easy to work with. They insulated the attic, installed a heat pump with all new duct work and also installed a heat pump water heater. My 110+ year old SF house has a new lease on life!