SFPUC Energy Engineering On-Call Consulting Services

Turning Climate Goals into Clean Energy Programs and Electrification Plans

Thornton Tomasetti is providing on-call energy engineering and utility program consulting to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The engagement supports customer-facing initiatives focused on energy efficiency, building electrification, battery energy storage, and decarbonization.

Through a single contract, SFPUC can access multidisciplinary expertise for program research, technical analysis, building assessments, and implementation support. Our team helps shape program requirements, evaluate engineering questions, and translate utility objectives into actions that SFPUC, consultants, and building owners can implement.

The work spans both program-level strategy and site-specific engineering. Assignments range from incentive program development and performance analysis to electrification road maps, mechanical and electrical planning, energy savings calculations, and consultant quality assurance.

Connecting Utility Program Strategy, Building Electrification, and Energy Engineering

Our scope supports four SFPUC initiatives:

• Blueprint for Savings: New construction program research, performance reviews, modernization strategies, and engineering analysis of projected savings for customers pursuing high-performance new construction.
• Residential Battery Energy Storage Incentive Program: National peer program benchmarking, incentive rate evaluation, draft program design, eligibility and application concepts, outreach materials, and launch planning.
• All-Electric Multifamily Program: Electrification audits, road maps, electrical and mechanical planning assistance, support for expansion to CleanPowerSF customers, coordination of third-party resources, and management of audit and owner-presentation workflows.
• Public-Facility Energy Engineering: Support for energy performance improvements in SFPUC-owned and related city facilities, including early work on the San Francisco City Hall lighting retrofit scope and energy calculations.

Across these efforts, our work goes beyond high-level recommendations. We help assess existing conditions, evaluate current systems, identify practical electrification paths, and connect program goals to actions SFPUC and building owners can implement.

Managing Decarbonization Programs from Technical Review to Implementation

Our role combines technical consulting with program management. In the All-Electric Multifamily Program, we help guide delivery and manage the work and quality checking of other firms that also work directly for SFPUC. Depending on the assignment, our responsibilities may include QA/QC protocols, consultant coordination, technical review, technical assistance, and additional analytical support. 

This structure helps our sustainability experts connect program strategy, technical analysis, and implementation planning rather than treating them as separate efforts. It also supports a more consistent approach to policy, program, and building-level decision-making.

Multidisciplinary Energy Engineering for Public-Sector Decarbonization

Thornton Tomasetti integrates utility program consulting with mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building science, energy analysis and program management.

This multidisciplinary approach strengthens technical rigor and allows the team to evaluate the interactions among building systems, electrical capacity, energy performance and program requirements. It also helps SFPUC respond efficiently when new technical or operational questions arise.

Rather than treating site constraints as fixed roadblocks, our team evaluates alternatives and identifies viable paths forward. The goal is to give SFPUC and participating building owners clear, technically grounded options that can move from analysis into implementation.

By connecting policy objectives, utility program delivery and building-level engineering, Thornton Tomasetti is helping SFPUC advance practical energy efficiency, electrification and decarbonization initiatives across San Francisco.