Millig makes decarbonization work for you.
When you work with Millig Design Build, you get a comprehensive and actionable building decarbonization strategy and a team with the know-how to execute it in a way that meets your objectives without disrupting the work your building has to do.
Millig Design Build has developed comprehensive decarbonization master plans for over 16 million square feet of complex facilities and campuses across North America.
We specialize in providing cost-effective, practical, and achievable plans to transition to a sustainable-energy future for facilities including K-12 school, cities, counties, and industrial facilities. Millig’s team has particular expertise in decarbonizing critical facilities, including:
University, College, and School District Campuses
District Campuses
County Governments
Historical and Community Buildings
Through our rigorous processes, Millig Design Build will deliver a tailor-made solution that is informed by our extensive experience as a builder and general contractor.
Project Highlight
Washington State
Department of Enterprise Services, Capitol Campus
Washington is leading the nation in state-led initiatives to accelerate decarbonization and the transition to a sustainable energy-based economy. In August 2023, Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services (DES) conducted a worldwide search for an engineering partner to lead the State through this transition at its flagship Capitol Campus in Olympia.
DES selected Millig Design Build thanks to our unique approach to campus decarbonization planning which includes creating a detailed Digital Clone of the campus. Our Digital Clone is a comprehensive, interactive virtual simulation that enables the team to perform rigorous analysis of the operation of individual buildings, as well as performing district energy balancing across 20 buildings and 3 million square feet for central system optimization. This approach will support a phased approach, where the greatest impact measures will be identified today and the Digital Clone will be used for ongoing, dynamic analysis of future phases of work.
Phased implementation will run through 2034, positioning Washington as a national model for public-sector decarbonization.
Let’s build a low-carbon future.
This Decarbonization Report outlines a strategic plan to modernize the Washington State Capitol Campus energy systems. Developed by Millig Design Build in partnership with the Department of Enterprise Services, the report identifies a phased, cost-effective path to replace aging infrastructure, reduce carbon emissions, and improve long-term energy resilience.
Key Benefits
$759,000+ in annual energy cost savings
Avoids over $1.17 million in energy fines
Improves reliability, scalability, and operational resilience
Project Highlight
Eagle County Government
Eagle County, Colorado
Eagle County is a mountain community with a strong commitment to environmental stewardship and climate action. As part of its Climate Action Plan, the County established ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve full decarbonization by 2050.
To help achieve these targets, Eagle County selected Millig Design Build to develop a comprehensive Decarbonization Strategic Plan for county facilities, fleet vehicles, and housing assets. Millig’s approach combines energy modeling, infrastructure analysis, and long-term capital planning to identify practical pathways for reducing emissions while improving building performance and operational efficiency.
The plan evaluates more than 50 buildings across 20 locations and outlines a phased strategy prioritizing high-impact upgrades such as HVAC electrification, heat pump systems, energy efficiency improvements, and targeted fleet electrification. By aligning carbon reduction strategies with equipment replacement cycles and operational needs, the plan provides Eagle County with a clear, achievable roadmap for long-term emissions reduction.
Turning climate goals into action.
This Decarbonization Strategic Plan provides Eagle County Government with a practical roadmap to modernize infrastructure, reduce carbon emissions, and transition to a cleaner energy future.
Key Benefits
Strategic roadmap to achieve 50% emissions reduction by 2030
Evaluation of 50+ county facilities and fleet operations
Phased decarbonization plan aligned with capital replacement cycles
Improved energy efficiency, building performance, and operational resilience
Why Decarbonize with Millig Design Build?
We utilize advanced facility energy modeling to create a three-dimensional computer simulation of your facility’s hourly energy use. This model incorporates actual construction, process equipment, system types, and operational characteristics and is closely calibrated to your facility’s actual utility data to validate accuracy.
We provide an actionable roadmap for the implementation of building decarbonization strategies. This approach goes far beyond the level of analysis typically provided by consulting firms in ‘energy audits.’
We identify practical solutions that are vetted for constructability and we can immediately design and construct our recommendations in a turnkey fashion.
In addition to carbon emissions reduction, we consider the invasiveness of each measure and work to minimize the effect each measure has on the job your facility has to do.
How We Approach Building Decarbonization
A successful decarbonization strategy is structured around interdependent steps that start with energy load reduction.
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Retrofitting facilities to be more energy efficient lowers operating costs and greatly reduces the cost burden to implement the decarbonization steps needed to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, such as electrification and renewable energy systems.
When implementing load reduction strategies, the Millig Design Build team strategically develops load reduction measures in concert with the owner’s future plans for the facilities and each of the other decarbonization steps discussed here.
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Energy efficiency improvements reduce operating costs and carbon emissions, but these improvements alone cannot move you to a Net Zero carbon future.
To achieve deep decarbonization, the Millig Design Build team will help you transition from fossil fuel-fired, combustion-based heating systems to electrified sources of heat, particularly through the use of heat pumps.
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Electrifying heating sources prepares a facility to be fully energized in the future by utility power that comes from clean, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Currently, utilities provide electricity from a mix of hydroelectric, nuclear, renewable, and fossil fuel sources, but electrifying today, in most areas of the county, significantly reduces current carbon emissions and is the only path to fully eliminating emissions in the future.
This is because utilities across the country are reducing carbon emissions in line with 2030 and 2040 targets, and the ultimate goal of many utilities is to fully eliminate emissions by 2050. As utility emissions get greener over time, fully electrified buildings will naturally reduce or eliminate carbon emissions.
This process can be aided and controlled by building owners by installing onsite renewable systems, like solar photovoltaics and geothermal heating, on facilities.
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Employing a combination of energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy to eliminate 100 percent of carbon emissions may not always be achievable, especially for users who need high grade heat like high temperature steam. For all remaining applications requiring fossil fuels, including gas used in cogeneration, the Millig Design Build team can help you supplement with clean fuels, like biogas or hydrogen.
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Non-combustion emissions commonly come from refrigerants and other working fluids in heat pumps, air conditioners, and chillers.
The Millig Design Build team will help you replace these powerful contributors to greenhouse gasses through careful consideration of the refrigerant type.Typically, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants require cooling equipment which is physically larger for the same load as compared to existing equipment. As a Design Build contractor, Millig can help you select the most appropriate equipment selections and manage the general contracting requirements associated with accommodating larger machines.
Contact us.
Start Your Decarbonization Journey with Millig Design Build Today.