Collado Engineering: a year of steady progress, growing expertise and continued collaboration
As 2025 comes to a close, Collado Engineering has taken the opportunity to reflect on a year marked by steady progress, growing expertise and continued collaboration with clients and partners across the region. The past twelve months highlighted how the firm’s long-standing values continue to guide its work even as the industry evolves. Throughout the year, Collado focused on strengthening its role as a trusted advisor, responding to shifting energy expectations and deepening its engagement with emerging technologies. This combination of continuity and adaptation shaped much of the firm’s momentum in 2025.
After a slow start, project work grew steadily throughout the year with a diverse portfolio of projects. In addition to Collado’s long-standing work in educational, institutional and commercial buildings, the firm contributed to more retail and healthcare projects than in previous years, including multiple locations for the luxury brand RH and LaSante Health Care Clinics. Project scopes ranged from system upgrades, renovations and planning studies aimed at improving performance or preparing for future energy needs to ground-up new construction. Many clients turned to Collado for both design work and strategic guidance as they navigated the rapidly changing energy landscape. The firm performed an increasing number of assessments to help clients make informed decisions, and these project types continued to align with Collado’s strengths in offering clear, grounded guidance shaped by real-world constraints and long-term strategic planning.
Energy efficiency has become an increasing challenge across the AEC industry. As a result, it remained central to Collado’s work and played an even larger role throughout 2025. Clients sought support with efficiency improvements, electrification strategies and long-range planning for aging building systems. This emphasis did not represent a shift in direction but instead highlighted how closely Collado’s work is already tied to the broader clean energy transition.
Collado’s involvement with the Clean Energy Action Coalition, an initiative of the Business Council of Westchester, further reinforced this alignment. Throughout the year, CEAC created opportunities to participate in conversations about infrastructure, policy, and implementation challenges related to clean energy. Being part of this group allowed the firm to contribute its perspective while learning from others addressing similar issues across the county and beyond.
Another significant development in 2025 was the thoughtful integration of AI tools into daily operations. Collado has approached this gradually, with a focus on practicality and ethics. AI has supported tasks such as organizing information, reducing repetitive work and assisting with early-stage analysis. These tools were introduced to complement engineering judgment rather than replace it, and they have already helped improve efficiency while creating more space for deeper technical work. Over time, the firm has gained a clearer understanding of where AI can genuinely enhance its processes.
This year, Collado strengthened its team with several key personnel milestones, including new associate appointments and internal promotions that expanded the firm’s capacity and leadership bench. Multiple team members also passed their PE and FE exams, reflecting a shared commitment to professional growth and technical excellence. Beyond these achievements, the firm continued to invest in its culture through mentorship, ongoing learning initiatives, and company team building events reinforcing a workplace where innovation, collaboration, and collective growth remain central to Collado’s core values.
Looking back, 2025 stands out not for dramatic shifts but for consistent, purposeful progress. Collado Engineering continued to build on the foundation that has guided it for decades while engaging more intentionally with the technologies, partnerships and industry developments that will shape its future. With a strong team, steady project work and a clear sense of direction, the firm ends the year well positioned and excited for what comes next.
Long before we were designing high-performance buildings, many of us first learned about sustainability from a colorful classroom poster that proudly proclaimed: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It was simple, memorable, and it stuck with us—long before we knew where it would lead
“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” taught us early on that smart choices could shape a cleaner future, and its rhythm is still hard to forget. Today, its message is charging into the MEP and Energy engineering landscape with new force. Through electrification, thoughtful system design, and efficiency-driven engineering, we’re turning that simple childhood mantra into measurable performance gains that reduce waste and maximize how buildings use energy. This focus on sustainability sets the pace for everything we do at Collado Engineering from concept to commissioning.
Reduce – The highest form of efficiency is eliminating the need for supply
The first “R”—Reduce—was always the starting point, the one we could recite without thinking. Today, its childhood simplicity carries a new weight as it guides how we shape energy-efficient buildings.
Reducing demand is central to sustainable performance. Through intelligent design, MEP systems limit consumption and maximize performance, while minimizing waste.
To “reduce” in MEP design is to limit the amount of energy a building requires during the design stage. Reducing load is the foundation of sustainable engineering because the most efficient kilowatt or BTU is the one a building never needs to consume. Modern codes and performance standards enforce this principle by imposing energy efficiency requirements on lighting and lighting controls, ventilation systems, equipment selection & sizing, and overall building energy use. Through thoughtful design, reduction strategies directly reduce building energy consumption. Here are some key energy reduction strategies often considered throughout the design process:
Lighting and lighting controls are among the most effective strategies for reducing building energy use. Modern LED fixtures operate at a lower wattage than older technologies and generate less heat, which lowers cooling loads. When combined with robust controls strategy such as occupancy & vacancy sensors, multi-level dimming, and timeclock automation – lighting systems operate only when necessary and at the appropriate output level. Incorporating daylighting into the architectural design further reduces electric lighting demand by maximizing available natural light. Together, these measures significantly lower both lighting and HVAC energy usage.
Architectural improvements to the building envelope provide substantial energy reduction. High-performance glazing, enhanced insulation, and effective air sealing reduce the amount of heating and cooling needed throughout the year. By limiting heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, envelope upgrades lower HVAC loads, allow for smaller system capacities, and help maintain more stable indoor conditions. Modern codes support these practices through strict thermal and infiltration performance criteria.
Smart, load-responsive HVAC design supports energy reduction. Building Management Systems (BMS) with predictive algorithms adjust heating, cooling, and ventilation based on occupancy trends and weather patterns. Zoning strategies, demand-controlled ventilation, and dynamic airflow adjustments ensure systems operate only at the levels required to maintain comfort, reducing unnecessary equipment operation and improving long-term efficiency.
Effective reduction also comes from accurately sizing equipment and design optimization. Parametric modeling, load profiling, and lifecycle cost analysis help engineers avoid selecting oversized systems that perform poorly at part load. By matching equipment capacities to realistic building needs, systems operate more efficiently, consume less energy over their service life, and maintain better overall performance. Electrification further supports this approach by transitioning heating systems away from fossil fuels and toward high-efficiency air-source and water-source heat pumps. These systems move heat rather than generate it, allowing buildings to meet heating and cooling needs with significantly less energy input while positioning the building for a cleaner, increasingly renewable electrical grid.
Reuse– Sustainable design leverages existing value
As kids, reusing meant turning jars into science projects or giving old notebooks a second life. In engineering, the principle has grown with us—now driving sophisticated ways to capture, retain, and repurpose energy within a building.
Adaptive reuse is a fundamental principle of sustainable development. MEP systems play a defining role, by revitalizing existing infrastructure and enabling older buildings to perform to modern efficiency standards.
To “reuse” in MEP design is to take energy or material in its original form and repurpose it within the same system rather than discarding it. Many modern building systems follow this principle by capturing energy that would otherwise be rejected and redirecting it back into the same system to reduce the overall energy input. Current energy codes in many jurisdictions encourage this approach by limiting how much energy may be wasted without recovery. Incorporating reuse strategies allows buildings to reduce utility consumption while maintaining code compliance and improving system efficiency.
One example of an HVAC system that reduces heating and cooling loads is the Energy Recovery Ventilator. This type of equipment functions as a heat exchanger that transfers sensible and latent energy between exhaust airstreams, such as those from restrooms or general exhaust, and the outdoor air that must be brought in for ventilation. By tempering the outdoor air, the ERV reduces the load on the downstream heating or cooling equipment. It also transfers small amounts of moisture between the airstreams, helping to humidify or dehumidify the supply air. The two airstreams remain mostly independent, with cross-contamination typically limited to about three percent or less.
Hot gas reheat is a further example of energy reuse within cooling equipment. Instead of rejecting condenser waste heat to the atmosphere, the system redirects a portion of that heat to a reheat coil located after the cooling coil. This process allows the air to be cooled and dehumidified and then reheated to a comfortable temperature without introducing additional energy. Hot gas reheat is especially useful in high-occupancy spaces where humidity control is essential, reducing the need for separate electric reheat or standalone dehumidifiers.
Heat pump based systems provide additional opportunities for reuse. In a water-source heat pump loop, individual units reject heat into or extract heat from a shared water loop. Heat produced by interior zones that require cooling can be repurposed to warm perimeter zones, lowering the need for boiler or cooling tower operation. Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems achieve a similar effect by transferring heating and cooling energy between zones through branch controllers, enabling simultaneous heating and cooling with minimal energy loss.
Greywater heat recovery offers yet another way to capture usable energy within a building. Warm wastewater from showers or laundry is routed through a heat exchanger that preheats the incoming cold water supply. This approach reduces the energy required for domestic hot water production and is particularly beneficial in buildings with significant hot water demand.
These strategies illustrate how energy reuse can be applied across a variety of MEP systems. Designing with reuse in mind reduces operating costs, improves energy efficiency, and supports compliance with modern energy codes.
Recycle –Closing the loop through design and operation
Recycling once meant sorting cans and paper in the school cafeteria. Now, the same familiar concept underpins an entire shift toward circular construction, material recovery, and low-carbon design.
Sustainability doesn’t end at installation, it’s sustained through systems that recover, repurpose, andregenerate energy and resources.
The built environment faces a growing challenge: buildings consume enormous amounts of energy while generating massive volumes of waste throughout construction and demolition. Traditional construction practices depend heavily on natural raw materials that are extracted from mines, leading to higher embodied energy and higher carbon emissions. This makes recycling, not just waste management, a core component of solving the building energy problem. Without shifting to more circular approaches, the construction industry cannot meet climate or energy efficiency goals.
Addressing this issue requires a combination of smarter design choices and materials strategies. Recycling construction materials—such as metals, concrete, gypsum, glass, and asphalt—reduces the energy needed for manufacturing new products. At the same time, using materials with recycled content significantly lowers embodied carbon and minimizes the environmental footprint of a building from the earliest stages of its lifecycle. Effective waste diversion programs on job sites and material reuse policies form the foundation for this transition toward a more energy-efficient building process.
Over the last decade, the industry has seen a dramatic shift in how sustainability is approached. Circular construction, lifecycle assessments, and responsible sourcing have become mainstream tools, supported by green building standards like LEED. These frameworks now reward projects not just for recycling waste, but for selecting materials that support long-term reuse, low embodied energy, and carbon transparency. Advancements in recycling technologies have also made it easier to incorporate reclaimed materials without compromising performance, cost, or durability.
Energy usage and recycling are more connected today than ever before. Recycling reduces the demand for energy-intensive extraction and manufacturing processes, thereby lowering the total energy footprint of a building before it is even occupied. Operationally, energy-efficient systems such as improved insulation, high-performance windows, and renewable energy generation further reduce a building’s lifecycle energy demand, making it possible to “recycle” energy internally through heat recovery and passive design strategies. In essence, energy efficiency and material recycling operate as two sides of the same sustainability coin.
Passive house principles provide one of the clearest examples of how to integrate energy reduction and recycling-focused strategies. These buildings are designed to minimize energy loss, maximize thermal performance, and reduce operational energy to near-zero levels. When combined with the use of recycled or reclaimed materials, passive buildings achieve significantly lower environmental impacts both in operational and embodied energy. This integrated approach creates structures that conserve energy, reduce waste, and maintain long-term resilience.
As industry moves toward a low-carbon future, the importance of recycled materials and passive housing strategies cannot be overstated. Together, they offer a practical and scalable path to reducing environmental impact while meeting modern performance expectations. By designing buildings that use less energy, incorporate more recycled content, and generate minimal waste, architects, designers and contractors can address both sides of the sustainability equation” resource conservation and energy efficiency” positioning the built environment for a more responsible and circular future.
While MEP design traditionally focuses on operational carbon—the energy a building consumes—embodied carbon addresses the emissions generated from the materials, manufacturing, and construction processes that bring those systems to life. As operational energy efficiency improves, embodied carbon represents a growing share of total building emissions. The next step for MEP engineers is to understand and influence how our design decisions can help lower that footprint. Reducing embodied carbon begins with cross-discipline coordination—working alongside architects, structural engineers, and sustainability consultants to understand the carbon impact of building materials and assemblies.
Looking Ahead
It’s remarkable that a simple phrase many of us learned in childhood still resonates today, not just as a memory, but a framework shaping the future of sustainable engineering. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: a lesson that began early and continues to guide us as we design for a more resilient, responsible built environment.
As the built environment continues to evolve, the next phase of sustainable design will demand deeper integration between systems, data, and material intelligence. MEP engineers will play a pivotal role in shaping buildings that not only operate efficiently but are conceived with carbon awareness from the start. Through collaboration, innovation, and emerging technologies, we have the opportunity to extend sustainability beyond performance—into the materials, manufacturing, and lifecycles that define our industry’s future. At Collado Engineering, our focus remains clear: advancing design that is efficient, adaptable, and ready for a sustainable future.
By: Sarath Davuluru, Alex Franciamore, Matt Vilaboy
Discover the best ways to install Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to mitigate the risk of uncontrolled combustion.
What is BESS?
BESS are devices that enable energy generated from a variety of on-site technologies to be stored during off-peak hours and used to supplement energy during peak demands or outages. These devices are essential to microgrids, which were discussed in our last article “Microgrids: The Smart Power Solutions for a Resilient Energy Future.”
While this technology has incredible benefits, there are some hazards that users should be aware of and prepared for. Whenever a large amount of energy is stored in a relatively confined space, there is a risk of the energy escaping in an uncontrolled manner. This often results in fires or explosions.
Hazards & Failures
In pursuit of cleaner and more accessible energy generation, BESS have been installed globally at a high rate with energy storage capacities growing by nearly 200% since 2023. Due to this rapid deployment, assessment of the fire hazards associated with the installation has had to happen in real time. While a fire event resulting from using these systems is an uncommon occurrence, there have been some notable installations that resulted in flames or worse. Examples of these fire events happened at Arizona Public Service, Tesla in Victoria, Australia, and a private company in Seoul, South Korea.
Here is a deeper dive into the specific hazards that can lead to a fire event:
1. Thermal Runaway/Off Gassing
This is the rapid uncontrolled release of heat from a single battery cell that can result in a chain reaction. The compounded heat can cause the batteries to release highly flammable gases and serve as an ignition source. If the gases are not properly ventilated and continue to accumulate without being ignited, an explosion may occur.
2. Stranded Energy
This is when a battery cell is unable to safely discharge stored energy back into the user’s system as intended. The stored energy can unexpectedly release that energy, further damaging adjacent battery cells or potentially igniting released flammable gases.
3. External Abuse
This is any set of extreme external circumstances beyond the batteries design parameters that can result in the integrity and function of the battery failing. This includes extreme temperatures, overcharging, or physically damaging the battery.
Safety Considerations for BESS
In response to multiple failure events, people have globally started to investigate establishing safety considerations when it comes to the installation of BESS. Most notably, New York State convened an Interagency Fire Safety Working Group (FSWG) to improve the Fire Code and make recommendations for requirements addressing these safety concerns. These recommendations were produced with a focus on outdoor, grid scale systems and may be excessive for smaller applications.
The recommendations fall into three categories:
1. Fire Code Updates
This category includes modifying the language of the existing code to further expand on requirements. For instance, the FSWG recommends the installation of monitored Battery Management Systems (BMS) and video surveillance that collects data on the voltage, state of charge, gas detectors, and temperature of the battery cells. This allows potential hazards to be detected early and assists with post-event analysis should a fire event occur.
2. Fire Code Additions
This category includes supplemental sections influenced by tangential code references like NFPA 855, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems. For example, the FSWG recommends that the BMS references above be monitored from a central station that is directly connected to the local fire department for expeditious response. Furthermore, they recommend requiring a periodic special inspection to ensure compliance is maintained throughout the life of the system.
3. Additional Considerations
This category includes recommendations that may not be appropriate for the scope of the Fire Code by they are constructive for ensuring safe installations of BESS. The FSWG recommends establishing guidelines for design and intent of water as a suppression tool in BESS fires and installing firestops on all BESS enclosures. These recommendations aid in slowing down the impact of a fire event.
Suppression & Extinguishment
With all the safety considerations applied, there are still rare cases where a fire event occurs for one reason or another. In that case, how does a Fire Department contain and fully extinguish the fire?
In order to mitigate thermal runaway, water can be used to douse the exterior of the battery enclosure and absorb the heat. This is something that must still be done cautiously because if the water encounters a battery that has stranded energy, electrical shorting can occur. For direct contact with batteries, specialized agents work best in lieu of water. Each agent is unique in how they fight fires; some remove oxygen from the space, and some have a cooling effect to absorb heat.
Even with these resources, suppression and extinguishment is a long process that requires patience and expertise to ensure that reignition does not occur.
Let’s Stay Safe!
No matter the type of facility you own/operate, a BESS can be installed safely. However, there are several considerations to explore in order to understand the feasibility of a system. Each design will vary based on the needs of the facility, so it is imperative to consult with a professional first. Collado Engineering monitors the latest in fire safety technology and is familiar with the relevant regulations/incentives for your system. We are happy to advise on the next steps of the process!
Discover how microgrids are transforming the way businesses manage energy costs, reliability, and sustainability.
The Energy Infrastructure Challenge
Across Greater New York, energy systems are under strain. Much of our existing electrical grid is outdated―built for a different era―and the pressure of electrification, renewables integration, and growing energy demand is pushing it to its limits. With load growth having doubled since 2023, alongside the economic challenges associated with replacing or repairing the grid, utilities face growing congestion. This can lead to increased demand charges or more expensive energy―costs that are passed on to customers through increased rates for energy generation and distribution.
So, what is the alternative? Microgrids.
Microgrids are no longer a niche concept; they’re becoming essential infrastructure. As the vulnerabilities in the electrical grid grow more apparent, microgrids offer a resilient, decentralized solution to ensure energy reliability and stability.
R-410A has been a staple refrigerant for comfort cooling HVAC systems—including packaged rooftop units, split systems, VRF systems, and chillers—since it replaced the previous popular refrigerant R-22 back in 2010. While still prevalent in older equipment, R-22 has been completely phased out and is no longer allowed to be used in new systems. R-410A is now meeting that same fate and will be phased out over the next decade.
The EPA’s latest mandate as part of the AIM (American Innovation and Manufacturing) Act calls for using refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of less than 700 to help curtail global warming. R-410A has a GWP of 2,088, meaning that it has 2,088 times the heat retention effect as CO2, exceeding the new mandate limits.
Collado Engineering had a remarkable and eventful 2024 as we celebrated our 25th Anniversary. We kicked off the year with a special event honoring the retirement of our Founder, Al Collado, and continued the year with a wide array of exciting projects that we successfully launched and completed. In addition to these achievements, we are proud to highlight the growth and success of our team, including the addition of new PEs (Mario DiMondo) and EITs (Andrew Kim and Matt Vilaboy), as well as our active involvement in various industry organizations. Below, we share a snapshot of the key projects, events, and team milestones that made this year truly exceptional.
Heat pump water heaters are emerging as game-changers in the realm of energy-efficient water heating, outperforming traditional electric resistive counterparts, as an alternative to fossil fuel-based water heating units. This innovative technology offers a compelling solution for both existing buildings looking to transition away from gas or oil-fired systems and new construction striving to achieve high-performance energy standards.
Harnessing Proven Technology:
Drawing from the same principals employed by heat pump air conditioning units, heat pump water heaters excel in transferring heat from the surrounding air or water sources to produce hot water for domestic use. Recent advancements in refrigerants and compressors have further optimized these units, enabling them to generate hot water at temperatures suitable for domestic application even at low ambient temperatures.
Diverse Configurations for Varied Needs:
Heat pump water heaters are available in a multitude of configurations, catering to medium to large apartment buildings and commercial settings. When selecting a unit, designers must first determine whether a water-sourced or air-sourced system is preferrable. Water-sourced units are ideal for buildings equipped with geothermal or condenser water systems operating year-round. In the absence of these systems, air-sourced solutions are an alternate option, particularly for retrofit projects.Read More
Collado Engineering has had an extremely eventful 2023 with the wide variety of projects that we started and completed throughout the year. Not to mention the new PEs and EITs, presenting to the Association of Towns, bringing our expertise to NYC Code Committees, and the many other personal achievements of the staff. Below is an overview of some of these projects, events, and team updates.
As discussed in Electrical Vehicle Charging: Part 1, the number of EV’s on the road increases daily and with it, the demand for “refueling” these vehicles is also growing. Before proceeding with adding EV chargers to your parking garage or lot, it is imperative to ensure your building is prepared to support the additional electric loads. But what changes are needed to the building’s electrical system? Retaining a consulting engineer, such as Collado Engineering, to address this question is the first step. The following is a case study detailing what could happen when the proper steps aren’t taken to prepare prior to installation.
Case Study:
The parking garage in a COOP building is leaded by a third-party operator. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations were improperly installed by the vendor’s electrician. What was intended to be a benefit to the building and its parking garage users, resulted in more headaches for the building management.
The property manager then retained Collado Engineering to remedy the issues brought to light by the installation. We performed a review of the installation including the electrical infrastructure supplying the garage panel and the loads connected to the panel in question.
The garage panel was found to be past its useful life and once the panel door was opened, found to contain exposed busbars (see photo 1), creating a Safety Hazard. The panel itself was in poor condition, and we recommended that it be replaced.
With electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more prevalent on the roads across New York, providing charging infrastructure to support the rapid expansion is becoming a priority. The industry will likely need to invest billions of dollars into the charging infrastructure within the next 10 years, but how do EV chargers work to begin with? And what are codes actually requiring?
How to EV chargers work?
EVs use batteries as their energy source, replacing the standard gasoline tank. Battery capacity is measured in kilowatts-hours (kWh), which is analogous to the size of a gasoline tank. The efficiency of the battery to move the vehicle is measured in kilowatts (kW). Typical batteries in electric vehicles today can span anywhere from 25 to 200 kWh. Which for the larger battery, depending on driving conditions, could translate to approximately 500 miles per charge. The larger the battery, the further the EV can travel between recharging.
Charging stations are essentially gas pumps for your vehicle, but rather than filling up with gas, you charge your vehicle’s battery similar to how you would any other battery powered device.
The power grid uses alternating current (AC), soc each EV contains a power supply and rectifier/inverter to convert the grid power into a usable form of energy for the car’s direct current (DC) battery. The most common forms of EV chargers available today are:
Type 1: uses 120V power
Type 2: uses 208/240V power and chargers substantially faster than Type 1
