Commercial Retail (Charity Shop)

Accurately modeling a 550 m² space where the rear structure is integrated into solid rock. In standard SBEM (Simplified Building Energy Model) software, traditional exterior walls exchange heat with ambient outside air. For this property, the subterranean back wall had to be modeled precisely against unheated ground/earth boundaries to ensure thermal performance wasn't penalized by generic assumptions. Additionally, the site contained deep, historic brickwork storage areas that required detailed zoned assessments.

Our Approach & Solution Certus Commercial conducted a comprehensive site audit and tailored thermal modeling strategy:

• Custom Thermal Boundary Modeling: Managed the unique cliff-side construction by assigning correct thermal mass and ground-coupling factors to the rear boundary, reflecting real-world energy retention.

• Lighting Infrastructure Audit: Evidenced and calculated the complete transition from legacy T8 and T5 fluorescent lighting to modern, high-output LED fixtures across the entire 550 m² floor plan.

• Zoned Analysis: Segmented the main retail sales floor from the deep brick backroom spaces to optimize HVAC and lighting input parameters.