Our mission is simple - to help customers make Smart Choices. Smart energy choices provide compelling financial and environmental benefits, more sustainable use of energy resources, reduced dependence on foreign sources of energy and can improve comfort and health.

Our public service web site, The Energy Guy, covers a wide range of energy topics for free and is constantly being updated to better serve you!

Our Consulting Services can, at the very least, save you a lot of time and money and point you in the right direction. With our Design Team Approach, however, we can help you pick the right options for your building and even get them installed and operating properly.

Our Design Team Approach gives you a complete, "One Stop Shop" for solving all of your energy needs. Our approach is beneficial to you because projects are turned around quickly and every design and installation issue is carefully evaluated. It's more efficient for you in terms of time and money because you only need to communicate with one individual (the Project Manager), one company takes your project from concept through completion, and we find solutions appropriate to your budget and needs. This helps avoid many common problems associated with "business as usual" such as. . . .

- Multiple salesmen. Why talk to multiple salesmen with little technical expertise, one peddling heating and cooling, one for insulation, one for solar, one for lighting, and so on? We cover the widest variety of energy options available. We make it our business to provide reliable, trustworthy, professional advice so you really only need to deal with one person!

- Overstated utility bill savings (if they're conveyed at all). How do you know if the lighting guy's product will lower your utility bill, per dollar spent, more than the insulation guy's product (or vice versa)? We compare ALL your best options and are experts in the use of a wide range of the energy and economic analysis software needed to generate reliable savings estimates.

- Overpriced solutions. Salesmen often want you to purchase the product with the most profit for them. Our reputation is based on our ability to find the right solution at the right price. We continually shop around for better products at better prices and look for ways to improve the quality of our installations while reducing installation costs.

- Inappropriate solutions. Our approach offers a way for you to know, before an energy option is ever purchased or installed, of the costs (to install, operate, maintain, repair, replace) and the benefits (energy, environmental, economic and other).

About Our Team

Ray Darby, a.k.a. "The Energy Guy" President California licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer #21982. Ray began offering his energy engineering services to Nevada County in 1979 and has devoted his career helping others to make better energy choices. His experience includes 20 years as an energy engineer in private practice and 10 years as a government energy specialist. During this time he has worked closely with the solar industry from research and development to national standards for solar water heating systems. He helped develop California's energy code as well as the first set of sustainable design guidelines for state buildings. In 2000 he developed and managed a twenty-five million dollar statewide program that reduced electricity load on the grid during peak periods by almost 20 MW, or enough power to serve 20,000 homes. He has evaluated almost every energy efficiency and renewable energy technology at some point in his career and has designed thousands of sustainable energy systems for customers in 34 states and abroad. The Energy Guy web site was established by Ray in 1998 to serve a world-wide audience a comprehensive assortment of cost-effective sustainable energy solutions. The web site provides people a variety of choices to save money, help the economy and help the environment. Ray's consultation and design services typically involve working as part of a design/construction team. Because of the many benefits associated with a "Design Team" approach, Ray decided to form Sustainable Energy Group. The word "Group" captures the multi-disciplinary team approach used to deliver the Smart Choices people aren't finding elsewhere. The "Group" often includes other local subcontractors we've worked with in the past, giving us the ability to serve a larger audience a wide variety of sustainable energy solutiions. Sustainable Energy Group provides customers a "one stop shop" for understanding their energy options, the costs and benefits of those options, and the implementation of projects the customer chooses.

Dave Stokes Licensed General Contractor, Electrician & Plumber Dave brings a broad range of expertise to the company given his experience in construction spanning over 30 years. With a degree in electronics engineering and a background in high tech product development, Dave also helps with our ongoing quest to provide new, innovative and more cost effective system designs to our customers.

Jennifer Brooke Porter Office Manager (and much more) Jen-Brooke, as we like to call her, is a sharp and highly organized person. She not only manages the office but also helps with a variety of our energy-related work. In addition to having a BA from CSU Chico, with an emphasis in Geology and Chemistry, she took a variety of interdisicplinary studies courses at Humbolt State University in Natural Resources and Planning, Chemistry and Geology. At Humbolt she was tour guide coordinator at CCAT (Campus Center for Appropriate Technology). She also organized and scheduled volunteers for the schools recycling programs.

Brian Jones Brian Jones became a licensed general contractor several decades ago and has specialized in Sustainable buildings ever since. Brian has a strong background in new construction as well as the sustainable restoration of existing buildings.  He is consistently attentive to quality and customer service. He's also very intelligent, compassionate and dedicated to our mission!

Brian Bookout Brian has been working with the company for over four years now. He is our quality control guru, maintains our shop & supplies, and has proven himself to be highly capable of mastering the wide range of energy technologies we employ. Brian has become particularily proficient in the electrical and plumbing fields, having completed a wide variety of sustainable system installations. He is studying to become a licensed electrician and we're "grooming" him to help run the company some day! Brian is the ideal employee - intelligent, compassionate and dedicated to helping us create a more sustainable future!

These are the full time core members of our group.  In addition to the core we have a number of part time workers that help us meet the ever-changing demands of the business.  While their names and pictures may not be included here, we appreciate them very much (as do our customers)!