What We Do | Our Services:

What we do…

SunSpec is a Milwaukee area energy efficiency and solar energy consultant serving SE Wisconsin. We provide consulting services in the area of home energy efficiency and renewable solar energy solutions for residential, multi-unit and commercial properties. Our assessments and recommendations result in exceptional savings, an improved healthier space, and benefit the environment.

SunSpec provides three fundamental services; Electrical Energy Efficiency, Home Performance Energy Auditing, and Solar Solutions which include hot water and solar electric (photovoltaic) technology. Review details about each services below to determine which package best fits your needs and budget. We’re happy to answer any of your questions. Call us at: (414) 489-0826

Step One: Electrical Efficiency Audit

It makes greater financial sense to reduce your energy usage first, and implement measures that save you money. SunSpec will test your appliances and provide you with a detailed list of recommendations to optimize their performance. Then when you’re ready to install solar, a smaller system would be sufficient, because you’re not using as much energy.

• Complete Electrical Audit
• Our detailed electrical audit shows you how to optimize your home’s electrical usage—saving you money now.
• Appliance Inspection
• SunSpec provides a thorough assessment of your electrical appliances’ energy consumption and efficiency, identifying areas of energy waste.
• Itemized Recommendations
• At the conclusion of SunSpec’s meticulous inspection of your home’s electrical appliances we provide a detailed list of energy saving recommendations.

Assessing your electricity use:

You’ll find your total electricity use on your meter or your electricity bill. Overall, average household electricity use in the Midwest is about 9000 Kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, although homes with electric heating may use about twice that amount.

SunSpec’s electrical energy audit will assess the energy consumption of all the different appliances in your home. We will monitor each appliance for instantaneous power consumption and calculate cumulative energy use. For certain electronics, we will record the energy use in operation and when on standby. Once the readings are complete we’ll calculate total kilowatt-hours per day, month, or year.

Our electrical energy assessment will show you exactly where you can lower your electricity usage. Our recommendations can help you make some immediate money saving changes, such as switching off appliances at a power strip rather than leaving them on standby, or changing to energy saving light bulbs.

back to top

Step Two: Home Performance Energy Audit

SunSpec’s Home Performance Energy Audit ensures your home is sealed and insulated properly, safely, and economically. Our consultant will analyze your home, looking for hidden “energy drains”, and give you a priority list for making improvements.

• Comprehensive Audit
• SunSpec conducts an exhaustive inspection and evaluation of your home’s heating and cooling energy efficiency.
• Holistic Approach
• Looking at your home holistically means that we consider how various improvements will interact, suggesting an optimal order to perform the upgrades.
• Improved Air Quality
• Having an efficient home is about far more than saving money—it’s about the health of you and your family.

Your initial motivation to have an energy audit done may be reducing energy bills, improving comfort, or solving moisture problems, but the approach is always a holistic one. Just like with your own health, every aspect of your home affects something else. Heating/cooling energy usage, moisture, comfort, durability, and health and safety in a home are all interrelated. It is easy to look at a particular problem in isolation, and try to fix it with a single solution and call it done. Often homeowners, and indeed many trade professionals, focus on just one problem and fail to consider all the ramifications.

At SunSpec, we use specialized tools and our expertise as a BPI-certified Building Analyst to analyze the home as a system. We then give you a prioritized “to-do“ list to improve the overall health of your home, with an eye toward keeping the total home in healthy balance. Also included is a list of reliable tradesmen who can do the work in the itemized list. Our recommendations will be prioritized as to safety first, then in order of cost-effectiveness. We will make it very clear which items could cause a safety hazard or added expense if done out of order.

back to top

Step Three: Solar Solutions Assessment

The sun provides an unlimited source of clean renewable energy. Solar energy is one way to meet or supplement your energy needs while reducing your dependence on polluting power plants and unsustainable fossil fuels. Solar technology is an investment that will save you money and increase the value and energy independence of your home.

If you are thinking about putting in a solar energy system, but want to make sure it makes sense for you and for your site, a Solar Site Assessment is the first step. SunSpec will provide the information you need to help you make a decision. Instead of a sales pitch, you will get an informational report that is site-specific, customer-specific, and unbiased as to installers or equipment manufacturers. Potential installers may also use our reports as a guide when quoting a system for you, improving their response time.

• Solar Hot Water
• These systems require a small space, just 4 hours of sunlight per day, and provide heat even on cloudy days.
• Solar Electric (PV)
• Solar electric systems reduce your dependency on external pollution-producing energy sources. They can last for decades, and require very little maintenance.
• Residential & Commercial
• SunSpec has provided site assessments for homeowners, builders/developers, schools, recreational facilities, office buildings, non-profits, hotels, public buildings, and many others. We can serve virtually any consumer of electricity or hot water.

back to top

What do I need to do during the appointment?

You will be asked to provide your 12 most recent monthly energy bills, and answer some questions regarding your vision and motivation for your project.

For residential solar electric assessments, you will be asked to provide estimated usage of the major lights and appliances of your home. This is necessary to provide the site assessor with a breakdown of your usage, and where you have the potential to cut back. In the case of a newly purchased property or new construction, it is essential for making an estimate of your energy usage.

For solar hot water assessments, you will be asked to answer some basic questions about your hot water usage.

Solar Space Heating Analysis

As an additional service, SunSpec can provide a solar space heating analysis. This can supplement a Solar Hot Water Site Assessment if the system is to be used for heating one or more rooms in a home or building.

It includes an estimate of the energy and financial savings that may be realized from installing a radiant heating system that is heated by solar hot water collectors on a particular property. Although the savings are only estimated, and actual results will vary depending on exact details of the home’s construction, existing heating system, and climate conditions, the analysis can help the client understand the potential effectiveness of such a system.

For more details regarding our process, call us today: (414) 489-0826

back to top