South Mountain Company

Martha’s Vineyard’s integrated design/build company

Energy Technology & Engineering

We all want to make a difference, and we all want to save energy. . . and money too. Who wouldn’t? But these days it makes you dizzy just trying to sort out the real from the hype.

SMCo’s Energy Technology & Engineering division was created in 2005 to do just that – in addition to providing design and installation of solar systems, engineering for our SMCo design/build projects, and integrated systems consulting for residential, commercial, and institutional clients.

We do all the parts

We do all parts of the process: consult, design, diagnose, install, implement, measure, monitor, and maintain. Our team of experts is the most well-trained and experienced in the area. Rob Meyers manages this complex department.

Nationally recognized building performance engineer Marc Rosenbaum, P.E. is one of our mechanical engineers. For 35 years he has been responsible for some of the most advanced buildings in New England. For 20 of those, he worked with SMCo as a consultant from his office in New Hampshire. In 2010 he moved here, joined forces with SMCo, and has since become an owner. We are thrilled to be able to offer his expertise and wealth of experience to our clients.

The two of them lead a talented team.

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We are devoted to research and development work to keep us at the forefront of renewable energy and building science. We communicate with a diverse group of professional peers to increase our knowledge and exchange information about what works, what doesn’t, and what’s new. We are deeply involved in regional energy policy matters.

According to Architecture 2030, buildings use nearly half of all energy in the U.S. We believe we must deploy efficiency and renewable energy strategies as rapidly as we can to contain costs and to protect our planet. As a company, making progress with that effort is a priority. It always has been. 

Solar Design & Installation

Our thriving solar business is the largest and most experienced in the region. Residential, commercial, institutional: we do it all. Rooftops, ground mounted, covering capped landfills, parking lot canopies, energy storage – we explore and implement the diverse ways we can successfully deploy solar technologies in today’s world.

The time is now

The worldwide transition from an extractive fossil fuel economy to a technical renewable energy economy is in high gear, and this is the best time ever to install solar. The future is now to eliminate or stabilize energy costs, reduce your carbon footprint, and increase your energy independence.

When you select our solar services, you get a complete, turnkey system including ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

A solar solution for every budget

When you call us, we will have a conversation to learn about your solar goals – total energy needs, aesthetics, budget, etc. – and create a conceptual proposal. We will work with you to determine the most economical financing plan for your budget. Think solar is beyond your budget? Not anymore. Our financing plans are flexible, and they include no money down options and monthly lease options.

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As the cost of electricity rises, the value of each kWh generated by a solar installation increases too. A residential installation can recover the cost of initial investment in 5-7 years, and produce for 30+ years.

When you install solar, you take control of your energy production and lock in at least a portion of your electric rate for years to come. Solar is a robust hedge against inflation and spiraling energy costs – an important way to avoid future risk. When we show you the numbers you’ll see that this is as good an investment as you can find these days.

We are the Vineyard’s solar company

SMCo is responsible for more than half of the solar installations on Martha’s Vineyard. We have done multiple installations in every town. We’re well-versed in all permitting processes – local, utility, and state – and know what needs to be done for each. Whether you’re looking to provide energy for your seasonal or year-round home or business, we’ve got you covered.

We’ve even done whole neighborhoods!

Quality assurance is part of the deal. All our solar installations meet the stringent requirements for quality set forth by NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners).

We are an Elite Dealer for SunPower, an American solar panel manufacturer of the most efficient panels on the planet. We use durable SunPower panels because they produce more power per square foot and more energy over the life of the system (making them the lowest cost overall), and are the only solar panel to achieve Cradle to Crade Certified Silver™ designation.

Amicus Solar Cooperative

South Mountain is proud – and lucky – to be one of the member-owners of Amicus Solar Cooperative, a collection of 50+ of the most progressive solar companies in North America. The co-op exists to support independently-owned solar companies by leveraging national-scale purchasing power, sharing best business practices, and combining collective brainpower. It is an extraordinary collection of people and companies. Rob Meyers, our Director of Energy Technology & Engineering says “Amicus keeps us cost competitive, but its greater value is the sharing culture that helps to ensure we are selecting the best products, and providing the best services available in North America, right here on Martha’s Vineyard.”

It is also a hotbed of triple bottom line business and employee ownership. As Sarah Stranahan of Democracy Collaborative wrote in a recent article, “Amicus Solar was founded in 2011 by six independent solar companies, including employee-owned cooperative and certified B Corp Namaste Solar. . . Similar to Best Western and Ace Hardware, Amicus is democratically owned by its members, 40 percent of which are B Corps and a growing number of which are employee-owned. With five Amicus members having joined the cooperative as employee-owned companies, Amicus has made a conscious effort to educate its members about worker ownership. As a result, five member businesses (ReVision Energy, Technicians for Sustainability, SunBug Solar, Positive Energy, and Sunlight Solar) have converted — and another five are considering converting — to either become worker coops or employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). The purchasing co-op has become a means of “industry contagion” — a way of rapidly spreading employee ownership.”

In 2017, several Amicus member companies, including South Mountain, helped found the Clean Energy Credit Union (CECU), which received the first federal charter for a new credit union in Colorado in 31 years. CECU’s mission is to promote clean energy, environmental stewardship and cooperative enterprises through consumer loans to reduce the cost of clean-energy products and services.

Systems Engineering & Consulting

We offer an integrated approach to mechanical systems, science-based building envelope solutions, renewable energy, and structural engineering. We guide the design process to assure that each dollar is spent to maximize value.

Our integrated consulting services and technical assistance to owners and design teams allows multiple challenges to be solved simultaneously.

HVAC, building envelope, and high performance consulting is primarily for our in-house projects. As resources allow, however, we extend these services to other architects, builders, and clients for residential, commercial, and institutional projects.

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Contracting & oversight

In other situations, specifically for HVAC and energy efficiency improvements, we can provide the general contracting and subcontractor oversight. Once all improvements are completed, we test to quantify the effect of the improvement, help you to monitor over time, and make adjustments as needed to ensure proper operation.

We solve problems

Forensic engineering is another specialty. We solve problems with buildings. SMCo combines decades of experience in the unique Vineyard environment with diagnostics based on building science rather than myth. We measure and datalog temperature, relative humidity, material moisture content, mechanical system flow rates and operation hours, carbon dioxide levels – whatever we need to know to make informed recommendations to solve the issue.

Let’s discuss your situation – we can probably help you save money, energy, and heartache.

Designing for Resilience

When we design buildings, we specify a program – what the spaces and their functions will be – and a budget. At South Mountain, we also specify performance – how the building will function in terms of its health and safety, comfort, acoustics, and resource usage. Another characteristic of a high-performance home is “resilience.”

Resilience is the capacity of a system to retain or rapidly regain functionality in the face of stress, disturbance or change. Resilient buildings support us when natural events (hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, ice storms) or man-made events (explosions, spills, infrastructure destruction, riots, toxic contamination of water, air, or soil) interfere with daily life.

During and after such events we try to satisfy our basic physical needs – clean water, food, shelter, heat, and sanitation – and supplementary needs like medical treatment, security, communications, and access to information.

Resilient design makes this easier to do.

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Buildings that respond well

Ordinarily, our buildings house most of our basic needs, so we need our buildings to support resilience rather than undermine it. Consider loss of power to a house after a significant event.

We may lose the use of the following:

  • Water supply and toilets
  • Refrigerator and freezer
  • Range (if electric)
  • Heating and cooling systems
  • Communications

In severe weather, we worry about the house freezing and the extensive damage that may come from frozen plumbing. In the summer, the cooling system won’t operate; in severe hot weather elderly and ill people may suffer without it.

In short term interruptions, a generator may suffice to keep the house operating. As the event stretches out, fuel to operate the generator may not be available. A recent specialty of ours is ‘bi-modal’ solar electric systems – systems that utilize battery storage for back-up power during a grid outage.

Strategies for resilience

How can we make a house support our resilience? Important strategies include:

  • Superinsulation – house loses heat very slowly, maintains temperature when the grid is down, and never freezes
  • Solar electric systems with back-up energy storage capability
  • Non-electric back-up heating
  • Passive Solar Water Heaters
  • Waterless composting toilets
  • Edible Landscape
  • Non-electric food storage

SMCo has implemented these approaches for years, and we can help you incorporate them into your project – building resilience into your home and your life.