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We Are...
A Leader in Certifying + Rating Sustainable Buildings
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We Are...
The Ultimate Wingman for Architects, Builders + Developers
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We Are...
Your Guide to Building a More Valuable Product
Services
LEED Construction
LEED is a national, voluntary certification system developed by national experts and experienced builders that promotes the construction of sustainable buildings.
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ENERGY STAR FOR NEW HOMES
ENERGY STAR certified new homes are designed and built to standards well above most other homes on the market today, delivering energy efficiency savings of up to 30%.
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HERS RATINGS
The HERS Index provides homebuyers with an easy to understand metric for a homes energy efficiency. A lower HERS rating is indicative of a better quality of life and lower bills.
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ZERO ENERGY READY HOMES
A DOE Zero Energy Ready Home is a high performance home which is so energy efficient, that a renewable energy system can offset all or most of its annual energy consumption.
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AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING
The countries first green building program created in 1990, Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB) remains one of the nation’s most successful sustainable building program.
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ENERGY CODE TESTING
Never before has Energy Code been such a moving target. Many cities now amend the energy code to make it more stringent and the code itself is constantly being modified.
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WATER EFFICIENCY INSPECTIONS
In many parts of the nation water is fast becoming an ever increasingly expensive commodity. We are working closely with RESNET to create a Water Efficiency Rating System.
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COMMERCIAL ENERGY BENCHMARKING
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Energy benchmarking lets you set targets and see how your buildings energy stacks up against similar buildings across the country.
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CITY OF AUSTIN ECAD AUDITS
Commercial, Multi-Family and Residential. All these building types are required to have energy audits reported to the City of Austin.
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HOME ENERGY CHECK-UP
A Home Energy Check-Up is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes, and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient.
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REBATES & INCENTIVES
Let us help you to find ways to offset building costs with available rebates, tax credits and incentives. We research at the national, state, city and manufacturer levels.
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BUILDING STRATEGIES
We offer a set of strategies that can make your project more manageable, define team responsibilities, and independently model plans and review critical building documents.
Read MoreWho We Are
Building is a Science. Sustainability is Creative. We seamlessly merge them both for you.
Green Building Authority allows you to compete with the “big guys” without having to create a sustainability department. Your competition has resources dedicated to sustainability, innovation, and marketing. We bridge that gap by leveling the playing field, which allows you to compete on a more even playing field. We give you access to the same technological innovation your competitor receives.
Furthermore, we can do it economically, to save you both time and money, and lower your risk. Our expertise is available for single family homes, multi-family living and light commercial buildings.
Now, how can we help you?
Our Mission
To synthesize and deliver the best building programs, certifications, high-performance pathways, and marketing for your building projects success. This is accomplished by working with you for the entire life-cycle of the building process; from design phase to marketing and sales. We find the best suited building programs available and apply our access
to millions of dollars worth of consumer research to every project.
We have a knack for helping code builders transition to certified high-performance construction practices.
Our Vision
For 15 years we have helped builders construct high-performance structures. We take code builders to the next level, and high-performance builders to the ultimate target of Net-Zero. We work with both conventional builders and those who build outside the standard construction box. Plus we guide with marketing these high-performance buildings in a way no other firm can because of our deep knowledge of the construction industry.
With each new project we learn and grow, and pass that knowledge on to our clients.
Our Foundation
Using building science principles we independently verify, test, rate, certify, and report on construction projects, and develop targeted marketing campaigns. This beginning-to-end strategy is designed to help build and sell certified high-performance homes, multifamily properties and commercial buildings. Architects, Builders, Developers, Contractors, Homeowners and Real Estate Agents all trust us as their independent third-party.
Our line of services is designed to identify cost effective, high-performance measures for residential, multifamily and commercial properties.
Rick von Schnier
President | Founder | Sustainability Consultant
- LEED for Homes™ | Green Rater
- LEED AP™ | Building Design + Construction – in progress
- LEED | Green Associate™ – in progress
- ENERGY STAR® Partner + Rater
- HERS Rater + RESNET® Green Rater
- RESNET Water Efficiency Rating Advisory Steering Committee
- WER Inspection + Testing Procedures | Technical Subcommittee
- Commercial Energy Builder | Auditor + Benchmarking
- Austin Energy Green Building Program | Extended Area Rater
- Zero Energy Ready Home | Verifier
- Building Forensics | Consultant
- City of Austin ECAD | Auditor
- Comprehensive Certified Texas Home Energy | Auditor
- Carnegie Mellon University | Master's Degree
- University of Northern Colorado | Bachelor's Degree
Certifications & Affiliations
U.S.G.B.C.
The U.S. Green Building Council and its community are changing the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated.
Green Rater
Green Raters provide in-the-field verification services at each and every LEED BD+C: Homes and LEED BD+C: Multifamily Midrise Project.
ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR certified new homes are designed and built to standards well above most other homes on the market today.
RESNET
RESNET is a recognized national standards-making body for building energy efficiency rating and certification systems in the United States.
RESNET Green Rater
The RESNET Green Rater has been trained to inspect and verify the green features of a home in addition to the home’s energy performance.
Habitat for Humanity
Under our partnership, GBA as a volunteer RESNET member, will provides pro-bono rating services to a Habitat affiliate in our area.
Zero Energy Ready Home
A high performance home which is so energy efficient, that a renewable energy system can offset all or most of its annual energy consumption.
Austin Energy Green Building
The City of Austin created the nation’s first most successful sustainable building program in 1990.
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
The best way to predict the future is to design it.
Award Winning Marketing
It’s not enough to just build beautiful high-performance buildings and homes — you also need to sell them. We’re a 3-Time STAR AWARD Winner for Best Website & Cool Web Awards winner for 4 Consecutive Years.
Who better to conceptualize and execute marketing campaigns than an expert in your very field? This component is so critical that we created a dedicated marketing and sales division called Cloud 9 Creative Labs. Cloud 9 provides you with a full arsenal of tools to sell your properties; custom websites, brand identity, micro-sites, print collateral and multi-media masterpieces. Your marketing should work in harmony with your commitment to high-performance building - they should be inseparable. Not only do we understand this, we can shift your corporate perception overnight.
Visit Our Marketing Site
You are not a Follower. We Get That.
Contact us today and get things started.
Company HQ | Austin, Texas
Service Area | United States
Phone (512) 992-5847
Email Us
Please tell us what you need and we will respond within 24h.