CLOVIS, CALIFORNIA (October 16, 2024) – Somfy, the world’s largest manufacturer of motors for interior window coverings and exterior solar protections, Draper, a leading window shades fabricator, and ConSol, a technical advisory firm and Federal grant partner of the Department of Energy, launched a pilot program for sustainable housing in Clovis, California today. ConSol played a key role in supporting the original design phase of this development, optimizing the home design and construction for energy efficiency with the goal of achieving Zero Net Energy (ZNE) design. The launch event was attended by Congressman Vince Fong, who has been actively involved in lowering energy costs in the state. Also in attendance were Maryellen Oswald, Somfy Partnerships Business Development Manager, one of the homeowners participating in the project, and Roman Khaschuck from IHS Fresno, the installer of the shades, who provided a demonstration of how the automated shades work.

The pilot program was launched for a select group of highly energy efficient single family homes in Clovis and has the support of the California Building Industry Association. The Clovis homes feature automated shading systems from Somfy that utilize existing power consumption monitoring tools to gather energy savings data, and include ConSol’s ZNE home features, which were implemented with funding from the California Energy Commission's Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program. Homeowners will be able to compare utility usage from previous years to the current year and see in real-time the savings they’ve made from the automated shading systems.

“Today, I got to tour this innovative project with Somfy and Draper,” said Rep. Vince Fong (CA-20) at the event. “They showed me their cutting-edge strategies like the automated shading systems, which are designed to help relieve strain on the energy usage in our state and assist with cost-effectiveness for homeowners. In learning about the energy-saving technology, they demonstrated the steps they are taking in reducing the cost of homeownership, high utility costs, and the burden on our power grid in California. Thank you Somfy and Draper for implementing your work in the Central Valley to help local residents save money.”

As the State of California aims to reduce energy consumption through efficient technologies, it is vital to understand how homeowners interact with and benefit from their homes’ automated energy saving features. Using efficient technologies like Somfy’s automated shades and ConSol’s ZNE design will be critical for the California Energy Commission and California’s public utilities to monitor energy usage and savings, and implement new technology. In the coming months, ConSol will monitor reduced energy consumption and utility bills using real-time energy monitoring systems and Green Button Data. Using the data that is gathered from the shades, the Commission will eventually have the ability to further lower utility costs for all Californians.

About Somfy Systems, Inc.

For over 50 years, Somfy has been pioneering innovative motorization and automated solutions for window coverings and exterior shading products. With comfort, ease of use, security, and sustainability in mind, our seamless and connected solutions are designed to help people make the move to living spaces impactful for humans and with a reduced impact on nature. For more information, visit https://www.somfysystems.com.

About ConSol

ConSol delivers data-driven technical, economic, and policy-based advisory solutions that empower our clients to adapt to and implement clean energy-building technologies and strategies. Our services range from technical energy assessments, energy efficiency retrofits, and quality assurance field inspections to code and policy advisory and market transformation programs. For more information, visit https://www.consol.org/.