Sustainability assessments — Union County, NJ

Credible stewardship. Actionable recommendations. No greenwashing.

A five-domain sustainability assessment for small businesses, nonprofits, and homeowners — broader than a single-domain energy audit, more rigorous than a free checklist, priced for the customer actually asking.

5× UN Environment Programme InforMEA certifications School of Sustainable Sciences · UCVTS Benchmarked to ENERGY STAR · EPA WaterSense · ISO 14001 Run by a credentialed local practitioner
What we do

Five domains. One half-day on site. A written report you can act on.

An assessment scored against ENERGY STAR, EPA WaterSense, and ISO 14001 principles — not a certified energy audit, and honest about the difference.

1
Energy
Lighting · HVAC · envelope · plug load
2
Waste
Sorting · recycling · organic streams
3
Water
Fixtures · irrigation · leaks · hot water
4
Purchasing
Supplies · vendors · packaging
5
Transportation & Property
Fleet · staff · grounds · buildings

Each domain is scored 1–5 against best-practice frameworks. The deliverable is a written report — 10–15 pages for a full five-domain bundle, or 3–5 pages per single domain if you only want one or two — with prioritized recommendations and a short list of federal, state, and utility incentives you may qualify for.

Who it's for

Two market lines. Two distinct pitches. Same five-domain framework underneath.

Commercial

Small businesses & nonprofits

Independent cafés, restaurants, retail, houses of worship, community organizations, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Union County and the surrounding region.

$150–$300 full five-domain assessment, or $90 single-domain à la carte (+$50/domain).

See the commercial pitch →
Residential

Homeowners

Owners of 1950s–1990s single-family and small multi-family homes who want to lower utility bills, sequence upgrades in the right order, and claim incentives they qualify for.

$125–$250 full five-domain assessment, or $75 single-domain à la carte (+$40/domain).

See the residential pitch →
How we're different

Broad-scope, on-site, and priced for the customer actually asking.

The only paid option between a free checklist and a single-domain BPI/RESNET energy audit.

Academically grounded

Five InforMEA certifications from the UN Environment Programme. Formal coursework through the School of Sustainable Sciences at UCVTS.

Broader, not deeper

A BPI/RESNET energy audit ($400–$700) goes deep on energy alone. The five-domain assessment is broader by design — designed to tell you where the bill savings actually are before you decide whether a deep audit is worth the cost.

No greenwashing

Recommendations are ordered by real impact and real cost — not by what's easiest to put on a marketing page. The report's independence is the actual product.

How it works

Four steps from intake to delivery.

1

Intake

15-minute call. We scope the site, the timeline, and whether you want the full bundle or a focused single-domain.

2

On-site visit

Half-day walkthrough (≈ 3–4 hours). Conversation with you or your staff, photos, document review of utility bills and prior work.

3

Written report

1–2 weeks after the visit. Scoring per domain, 5–10 prioritized recommendations ordered by impact and cost, incentive map.

4

Follow-up call

30-minute call within 14 days of report delivery to walk through any questions and confirm next steps.

Honest disclosure

What we are. And what we aren't.

Current status

Balchunas Sustainability is a solo practice in its customer-discovery phase. Pre-revenue. The first paid pilot is targeted for August 2026, after entity formation and liability insurance are bound. We say so because the alternative is overstating, and the alternative is what we exist to push back against.

What this is not

This is a sustainability-management framework assessment conducted against ENERGY STAR, EPA WaterSense, and ISO 14001 principles. It is not a BPI- or RESNET-certified energy audit, a structural or code-compliance inspection, a contractor scope-of-work, or a guarantee that any specific incentive will be approved by the issuing agency. Recommendations are advisory. Engage appropriately licensed contractors and verify incentive eligibility before making financial commitments.