GUILDERLAND — K. George Keleshian, president of One Energy Inc. and chief executive officer of Zeroenergy Buildings Inc., has recently moved the companies to the second floor of Star Plaza in Guilderland, next to the Guilderland Chamber of Commerce.

There, he says, he helps customers retrofit existing buildings or do customized building design to bring structures to net-zero or Zeroenergy, which is trademarked.

The company always starts by looking at every aspect of a building, Keleshian says, including the insulation, heating and ventilation, and roofing and windows, to reduce energy usage by between 35 and 75 percent, before adding alternative energy systems to bring buildings down to either net-zero or Zeroenergy(™).

“One Energy Inc. handles the equipment for Norpole and Magic Chef. We set up dealers for them,” he said.

Last fall, Keleshian and Zeroenergy Buildings received a United States patent for net-zero or Zeroenergy cold-storage units. Providing clients with atmospherically controlled energy-efficient coolers and freezers is just one part of the way that Keleshian helps them reduce a client’s energy footprint.

Keleshian, 67, has done a lot of work for Indian Ladder Farms in New Scotland, he said, starting with a complete energy feasibility study two decades ago and retrofitting one section of the farm’s main building, including installing foam-in-place superinsulated polyurethane panels to dramatically reduce kilowatt usage and create a controlled environment within the naturally thermally capsulated cellar, for apple storage. More recently he also built a walk-in cooler and separate storage unit on the property for the independently-run Indian Ladder Cidery and Brewery.

Keleshian retrofitted sections of the building to create a unique, energy-efficient cool-storage system, known as a beer cave, for Brew Crew in Albany, he says. In this system, which greatly reduces the store’s energy use, he says, the customer enters the glass-fronted super-insulated cooler through a sliding door with an air curtain to create a barrier to prevent heat from entering; the door is equipped with an automatic closure. The customer selects products and finally walks out to pay at a register just outside the cooler.

Keleshian did an energy feasibility study for the existing Afrim’s Sports Center on Albany-Shaker Road and did a lot of energy conservation for the structure over the years, including super-insulating the roof and walls, changing to a white reflective roof system, and changing to all-LED (light-emitting diode) lighting, Keleshian says. Now Keleshian is providing some of the food-service equipment for the new Afrim’s Sports Center being built near the airport, he says.

In one planned restaurant building that he is retrofitting with a client, he said, he will first super insulate the structure to reduce BTUs, which stands for British Thermal Unit, the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Keleshian will take existing heat from baking bread downstairs that normally would be dumped outside through a flue and instead circulate it through hot-water tanks with double exchangers to provide radiant heat in the flooring and bring hot water to the dishwashers. Another heat exchanger in the ductwork on the second floor will take heat from the pizza ovens and use it to provide heating for the dining area during the winter months; in the summer, this heat will be directed outside in the normal way.

Keleshian will reduce the kilowatt usage 65 to 75 percent, he says, in a number of ways, including installing zeroenergy walk-in coolers and freezers, using Energy Star products, and using LED lighting inside and outside. Finally, the building will also be outfitted with solar panels on the perfectly positioned roof.

”We’ll put a solar photovoltaic system on the roof,” he said noting that Zeroenergy Buildings Inc. is partnering with Inverters Unlimited Inc. on the solar system as it has for a decade.

All of this, he says, will make the building net-zero.

“We don’t want to be like other solar photovoltaic companies,” Keleshian said, adding that other companies often ask for no money down, but then give only a small portion of the returns back to the customer.

“We give 100 percent back to the customer,” he added.

Zeroenergy Buildings has the customer pay for all of the equipment, but then the customer uses federal and state tax credits and rebates from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and power company to, over five to six years for residential buildings — less for commercial buildings — make a return on their investment, Keleshian said. After that,he explained, the customer keeps 100 percent of the savings.