Ecotope was founded in 1974 to provide research and education on the use of renewable resources and energy efficiency in various applications. Among Ecotope's early projects was the construction of a large methane digester in Monroe, Washington, which provided commercial methane to a dairy
farming operation. During the same period, Ecotope developed educational and training programs centered on the use of solar energy for passive and active solar heating designs for residences in the Pacific Northwest. This work, supported in part, by research contracts from the US Department of Energy, evolved into a substantial commitment to design services and consultation on the development of energy efficient housing.

After a substantial reorganization in 1982, Ecotope was contracted to develop a residential conservation supply curve for the Northwest Power Planning Council as part of the very first power plan in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of this supply curve was to establish the amount of conservation available from the residential sector to offset the region's growing power requirements. The result was an estimate of long-term availability of conservation in the residential sector, which helped to establish the viability of conservation as a large-scale resource that could be used to provide energy supplies in the Northwest region.

Over the next ten years, Ecotope developed and expanded its research capabilities in the residential sector, addressing the major questions and unknowns encountered in establishing the conservation supply curve. In 1985 Ecotope turned its research focus onto the performance evaluation of commercial buildings. This work focused on the analysis of commercial building audits, equipment, and lighting design. Ecotope's work in the residential and commercial sectors has continued to grow and diversify with our changing environment.

Throughout its existence, Ecotope has maintained a small-but-growing consulting & design practice focused on mechanical engineering and architectural solutions to energy efficiency problems. Our clients are typically architects and/or design teams desiring a systematic approach to energy efficiency in their building projects, coupled with a professional review of building plans for both code compliance and overall efficiency. In recent years, this has evolved into consulting on sustainable design issues, with the inclusion of water conservation and management techniques, and material selection as part of an overall picture of energy efficiency in buildings.

Ecotope's sustained focus on and commitment to energy efficiency in buildings for more than 25 years is unique to the Pacific Northwest region and rare anywhere in the country. The level of experience we can bring to any project-and building projects in particular-in terms of analytical tools, cutting-edge design techniques, quality-control commissioning, and detailed understanding of control systems, is second to none.