About

Resynergy Systems is a small start-up founded by Keith Burrows, an environmentalist and systems geek that loves to get outside at every opportunity to run, hike, climb or bike. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts (Operations Management), and Master’s degrees from Boston University (Computer Science) and Boston Architectural College (Sustainable Design Studies).

Keith’s thesis at the Boston Architectural College (BAC) focused on the creation of a simple, low-cost operational rating system for homes. His final project won the Greene Master of Design Studies Award and became the foundation for this little enterprise. The goal of this business is to make efficiency ratings available to any homeowner or renter that might want to understand how efficiently they are operating their homes. We also provide energy, sustainability and technical consulting services.

This blog contains environmentally themed posts written primarily by Keith, with guest appearances by friends and colleagues. The goal of these posts are to share information and thoughts related to energy, climate change and our work. Please feel free to share and comment!

2 comments

  1. Ravi Bajaj · July 16, 2015

    I’d like to suggest a followup question for the previous study by U-Chicago response you did. There was a comment that subsidized efficiency doesn’t pay. In a world where the energy we currently buy so cheaply is already subsidized (even if at a minimum we call it ‘subsidizing’ community impacts like dirty emissions or the spillout from energy production and processing fuel sources) – I think it’s a bit one-sided to only look at the incentives for efficiency as effective or not. In short, I’d just suggest a conversation about how real energy pricing is most likely half of the solution, while incentivizing efficiency can be the other (or of course requiring efficiency like in CA).

    Thanks for the insight, and summarizing the report with an open mind. I’ve had a tough time reading it with an open mind, but find that we all need to open up to real numbers and performance metrics in order to make the best decisions.

    Thanks,
    Ravi

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    • Keith Burrows · July 17, 2015

      Thanks for the thoughtful comments Ravi. I was a bit one-sided in my remarks about the effectiveness of subsidizing efficiency in order to make the point that what we’re doing is not working fast enough. It’s true that subsidizing efficiency has had a significant impact and I believe it should continue, but I think we need to broaden our focus.

      Your comment that we need both real energy pricing and incentives for efficiency are spot on — we absolutely need both. While “true” energy prices will increase demand for efficiency, we should also leverage market forces (e.g. building labeling and disclosure) and continue to subsidize efficiency. There’s no one perfect solution. Much like mitigating the larger issue of climate change, I think we need an “all of the above” strategy when it comes to improving efficiency.

      Thanks for taking the time to read and comment Ravi!

      – Keith

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