By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

BERKLEY — It seems that everyone these days is trying to go green, and since the beginning of the year, Berkley has boasted a virtual showcase for environmentally friendly technology in its own backyard.

In January, the mechanical and electrical engineering design firm Strategic Energy Solutions moved into its new headquarters at 4000 W. 11 Mile Road after nearly a decade at an office in Ferndale. SES renovated the 9,200-square-foot building, a former tool and die shop built in 1950, into a state-of-the-art facility that serves as a model for the type of geothermal heating and cooling systems designed by the firm.

“We’re definitely an environmentally conscious company,” said Mike Callahan, vice president of SES. “We’re specialists in designing high-performance, energy-efficient mechanical engineering projects, and we want to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk as well. When people come in here, we want to be able to give them a better understanding of how this all works.”

SES is currently in the process of submitting its new headquarters to the U.S. Green Building Council in order to achieve gold certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system. The firm also has two certified geothermal installers on its 21-member staff, and SES President Steve DiBerardine is one of only three certified geothermal designers in Michigan.

“Geothermal heating and cooling has become our niche — we have become an industry leader in this field,” said DiBerardine, who started SES out of his Berkley basement in 1997. “We have done 14 geothermal projects over the years, and we will probably be doing a lot more in the future.”

The GeoExchange systems designed by SES use much less energy than conventional systems, which not only saves energy and money, but also reduces air pollution. According to the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, these systems “are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective option available for heating and cooling.”

GeoExchange systems rely on heat from the Earth, which maintains a nearly constant ground temperature between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit below the frost line. Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of this resource to heat and cool buildings.

The system consists of three parts: a ground heat exchanger, a heat pump unit and an air delivery system. The heat exchanger is essentially a system of pipes, called a loop, and at SES’ headquarters, this loop is buried underneath the rear parking lot, while six geothermal pumps are housed inside the building. The air delivery system is maintained through a web of ducts that line the ceilings of the facility before making their way up to the roof to an energy recovery ventilator, which captures energy from exhaust air and uses it to heat or cool incoming fresh air from outside.

In the winter, the heat pumps remove heat from the heat exchanger and pump it into the indoor air delivery system — “like a refrigerator, but in reverse,” Callahan said. Then, in the summer, the process is reversed, and the heat pumps transfer heat from the indoor air into the heat exchanger.

SES appears to have already made a strong impression on city officials and residents. On June 2, the 14-member Berkley Environmental Advisory Committee held its monthly meeting at the company’s headquarters, where they also received a full tour of the facility.

“I think it’s great having a local business that provides services with green technology,” said Eric Auensen, chair of the committee. “(On the tour), they told us that sometimes it’s not about financial payback — sometimes it’s about doing what’s right environmentally. That was the real highlight for us.”

He also believes that the company reflects well on the community and its environmental goals. “They’re obviously a good fit here,” he said. “It’s nice to know that a city as small as Berkley is paving the way for green initiatives. I think it will inspire others to do the same.”

On May 18, the Berkley City Council gave a special recognition to honor the company’s designation as the Michigan GREEN 2009 Eco Award winner. At the meeting, Mayor Marilyn Stephan, who had recently taken a tour of the SES headquarters, introduced DiBerardine and Callahan to members of the Environmental Advisory Committee.

“We live in an age when the entrepreneur is very highly valued, and they are two very ambitious young men,” Stephan said. “They used what was already there and transformed it from an old system that is no longer working in Michigan to a new 21st century approach, which is quite noteworthy. They’re living what they’re selling.”

Locally, SES has already been involved with such projects as the 64,000-square-foot Farmington Hills City Hall, the 118,000-square-foot Roland Warner Middle School in Lapeer, and Kingsley Montgomery School, a 58,700-square-foot facility in Waterford. Now the company is looking to get on board with some upcoming municipal endeavors, such as Berkley’s new proposed Community Center and the new 43rd District Court building planned in Ferndale.

“We’re definitely interested in bringing our technology to those projects,” DiBerardine said. “Our (headquarters) only represents a small part of what we can do. Because of the size of our company, we can participate in these smaller projects and be competitive but also jump into the big leagues if we get the chance.”

It all seems indicative of a company that has taken great strides from its early years spent operating from cramped basements and office buildings.

“We’ve definitely come a long way,” Callahan said. “We’ve grown every year, and we’ve poised ourselves to become the experts on geothermal heating and cooling on the east side of the state.”

For more information on Strategic Energy Solutions, call (248) 399-1900 or visit www.sesnet.com.