Bright Employee: Sanel Basic, Project Engineer, New York

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We’re proud of the intelligent, passionate, and hardworking people that make up the Bright Power team. Each month, you’ll get a chance to meet one of them, understand how they contribute to the organization, and what makes them excited to come to work every day.

Meet Sanel Basic, Project Engineer, New York.

What are some of the things you like most about working at Bright Power? 
Let me start by saying I’ve loved every second I’ve spent working at Bright Power, from working alongside our intelligent and motivated people to all of the innovative and incredible ways we develop to reduce property energy consumption. I live my life with a big emphasis on learning, and I get to learn something new every day. It’s an experience I fully embrace and appreciate about working at Bright Power, making a greener city for us all.

What are some projects and accomplishments you’re most proud of?
When I was still a young energy auditor, I performed a ton of audits in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties around NYC, working as part of the NYCHA Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) – Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. The program allows the properties to do extensive repairs and help the residents in ways that weren’t attainable before. Being able to get on-site and help provide a clear path towards making residents’ lives better with more comfortable and safe homes while I was just starting is a memory I will cherish.

I’m also proud of chipping in for my team to ensure all of our Local Law 87 energy audit and retro-commissioning compliance projects were submitted on time in 2021 and 2020, all while writing other non-compliance-related reports.    

Lastly, I’m proud of the work I did with our MoBIUS and Analysis teams to analyze the change in energy consumption as a result of the pandemic.

What’s something people might not know about you and your role at Bright Power?
I spent some time working with the Analysis team learning some of the ins and outs of EnergyScoreCards, our utility analysis and energy benchmarking software. Working with our Analysis team allowed me to provide deeper utility analysis for the rest of my team, which is focused on conducting and delivering energy audits and retro-commissioning. So while the title of “EnergyScoreCards expert” goes to each Analysis team member, I can say that thanks to Jeannine (our Vice President of Analysis) and the rest of her team, I’m not your average EnergyScoreCards user anymore.

How would you explain the value of an energy audit and retro-commissioning?
I’ve been inside a bunch of buildings throughout New York City and New Jersey, and one thing that’s stuck with me is that no two buildings are the same. Things that work for one building may not work the same for a similar building with the same systems; every building has its own quirks. That is what I like about energy audits. When done right, each energy audit report gives the reader a comprehensive list of ways to become greener, save money, and make occupants’ lives better–to name a few of many benefits. Who can say no to that?

Retro-commissioning is just as important as an energy audit to a building. It’s like a check-up at the doctor. We establish the building’s baseline operation and find any hiccups in the day-to-day. Our observations range from replacing inaccurate monitoring gauges that help building staff with daily operations to rebalancing a heating distribution system to ensure all occupants can get heating on cold days quicker (Which also saves money, by the way!). Every building needs retro-commissioning, even buildings with newer systems.       

Energy audits and retro-commissioning studies are two critical steps everyone should take to understand better how their building works and how it can be better, regardless of any compliance obligation.