Celebrating 10 Years!

Wow, what a journey! It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since I sat at my kitchen table, writing a business plan for what would eventually become Focal. While there were so many unknowns at the time, there were also things I was certain of: Energy and emissions would be the driving force for every project, and we would walk the talk and be carbon neutral from Day 1 (and yes, we did start tracking then!)

Since then it's been a wonderful journey with so many milestones along the way, but the thing that stands out the most is the people we've been fortunate to work with. I'm so very proud of the team we've assembled, both past and present. Merging with Riley at Loop was an obvious highlight, and a decade of working with Danny has been such a pleasure. Working with you all is truly the best part of my job, and I'm honoured that you choose to spend your days with Focal.

The first 5 years of Focal, we focused on energy modelling quality and processes, and were fortunate to work on hundreds of projects across the country, including some of BC's first ever step code projects! Since then, we've expanded our services using our energy modelling experience to deliver research and policy work at the municipal, provincial and national levels, and reduce energy and emissions at existing buildings. Our team has grown in size and experience, and we've enjoyed collabrating with so many others along the way.

Because we're engineers and love our numbers, here are a few fun Focal stats:

  • We've worked on 500 projects to date!

  • We've produced over 12.5 million square feet of simulated buildings

  • We've modelled over 150 step code buildings (in the 7 years that code has existed)

  • We've reviewed hundreds of energy models by others

  • Our team has presented 75+ times, including at EGBC, AIBC, BOABC, and as keynote at the 2021 eSIM conference

  • Our team has contributed to provincial codes, a CSA standard, and taught 2 simulation courses at UVic and dozens of 120B sessions for Passive House Canada

  • We've won two EcoStar awards

  • Our team has volunteered with multiple organizations supporting better buildings and equity, diversity and inclusion in our industry... and so much more!

Looking at our plan for the next 10 years, I can't wait to see what we achieve together. Thanks to all who collaborate and work with us- we truly couldn't do it without you.

We respectfully acknowledge and are committed to learning more about the Lək̓ʷəŋən People, on whose traditional territory we are privileged to live, play, and work.