From Boiler Room to Boardroom: Introducing an Integrated, Accelerated Solution for Efficiency Consumption

A new study from the WMO determined that there is a 50% likelihood of a 1.5˚ C increase in average global temperature by 2026, a fivefold increase from the past five years. The world is decarbonizing far too slowly. And while there are a number of factors contributing to this, one stands out: the built environment produces nearly 40% of the world’s annual CO₂ emissions.

When it comes to architecting sustainable buildings, we don’t have time to waste. We need a faster response—one that maximizes efficiency and streamlines our transition to a more sustainable environment. Today, Legence, the world’s first energy transition accelerator™, is committing to meeting this urgent need.

A family of 11 industry-leading companies, Legence is the first organization of its kind, fusing decades of proven building design, engineering innovation, construction and implementation expertise, and leading ESG guidance. While Legence itself may be new, it integrates a legion of best-in-class companies, each with as many as five decades of experience, including Therma, RE Tech Advisors, CMTA, ICS, Yearout, VarcoMac, Gilbert, Bel-Aire Mechanical, CPMI, Provident Energy Consulting, and Black Bear Energy. These companies are united around a single mission—to turn back the climate clock, fast.

Our pioneering delivery model moves the building sustainability industry towards its goals at an unprecedented rate, reducing total project time—designing, planning, building, and measurement—by upwards of 20%. And there’s no secret to our success: Legence is simply greater than the sum of its parts, providing expert guidance, cutting-edge technology, master craftsmanship, financing, and experienced implementation in one nimble, affordable, and total solution. With an entrepreneurial spirit and industry veterans at the helm, Legence is transforming buildings from consumers of energy into consumers of efficiency.

"With an entrepreneurial spirit and industry veterans at the helm, Legence is transforming buildings from consumers of energy into consumers of efficiency." - Jeffrey Sprau, CEO

Propelling the Full Building Life-Cycle

Legence works with mission-critical facilities—healthcare, schools, data centers, biopharma, high tech manufacturing, commercial real estate, and government buildings—to reduce carbon emissions, implement renewables, lower utility costs through increased efficiency, and improve system operation, all while improving the wellbeing of occupants.

Individually, our companies have a demonstrated history of success in their respective areas: advising on, planning, and installing efficient designs. Legence companies have provided engineering services for the first net zero schools in Washington, D.C., cut the Louisville airport’s carbon emissions by 80%, and turned the Boston Medical Center into a zero-energy campus. Together, our companies have completed over 250 LEED projects and created over nine million square feet of net zero buildings.

But we need more than just solutions: we need to implement them at scale, quickly, affordably, and with minimal waste. That’s why we’re uniting as Legence—because individual companies won't make the kind of impact that a legion of dedicated experts could.

As an energy transition accelerator™, Legence presents a new vision for the future of buildings and energy by compressing the time it takes to reach desired sustainability outcomes. Our delivery model is integrated across the full life-cycle of a building: we evaluate, design, install, finance, operate, measure, and optimize our own work. This holistic approach accelerates procurement and minimizes wasteful setbacks like financing issues, stalled communication, and gaps between planning and execution. Think of it as a relay race: we are faster when there’s a shared objective, with smooth , well orchestrated handoffs along the way.

Staples-Motley School District in Minnesota engaged with Legence in 2021 with a goal of reducing its energy use across the district. We began by bringing in a life-cycle program management team. The team connected not only with school administrators about their sustainability mission, but also sought the local community’s perspective on the project (including any needs or potential concerns). From there, ICS contributed advisory and strategic planning components, CMTA laid out tailored designs, and Gilbert Mechanical brought the vision to life, installing sustainable heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting.

Over the course of the project, our in-house financial experts leveraged their deep understanding of the customer’s complex fiscal situation—namely, multiple disparate funding sources—to provide budgetary solutions. The program management team retained ownership from initial concept ideation to final commissioning, maintaining accountability and facilitating communication across teams.

Leading the Transition to Efficiency Consumption

Legence is driven by our people and our values: humility, collaboration, problem-solving, innovation, continuous improvement, and passion. Each one of us is committed to forming long-term strategic partnerships that provide the best possible service for our clients. And because we’re with them throughout their journey, we’re profoundly invested in their outcomes.

Above all else, Legence is united by our vision to take decarbonization from aspiration to reality at scale. There’s a lot being said about renewable energy sources and sustainability: in other words, decreasing energy consumption. But to make the biggest impact, we have to fundamentally change the way we use our resources. It’s time to tap into and increase consumption of a highly abundant and underused resource: efficiency.

"Legence is driven by our people and our values: humility, collaboration, problem-solving, innovation, continuous improvement, and passion." - Jeffrey Sprau, CEO

There are two key components to efficiency consumption. First, we prioritize energy efficiency. Our domain expertise means we use the best sustainable technologies, designs, and processes out there to minimize energy waste and incorporate renewable energy. Second, we’re never satisfied with the status quo: we keep moving the needle on what efficiency means, challenging ourselves and our customers to do better—always.

And for our customers, becoming efficiency consumers doesn’t mean sacrificing money and time in the name of sustainability. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite: when executed properly, efficiency consumption reduces complexity and waste of all kinds. The result: integrated, elegant, pragmatic solutions that meet our customers’ needs.

We believe efficiency consumption is the bedrock of a sustainable future—one that the world desperately needs and deserves.

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