A building doesn’t have to be new to be efficient. Today’s leading building owners are retrofitting buildings, converting existing buildings into models of sustainability. Building energy retrofits are investments in efficient technology during building renovation. While most building owners still pursue single technology improvements, market leaders bundle together energy saving technologies to get deeper savings in a more comprehensive approach. Energy performance contracting is one business model that enables building owners to implement whole building retrofits and significantly lower energy consumption and operating costs. Essentially, the upgrades are paid for through energy savings over time. Photo credit: Jack Amick/Flickr.
Each year the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) evaluates the sustainability practices in the global real estate sector. GRESB is an industry-led organization committed to rigorous, independent evaluation of real estate portfolios’ sustainability performance. The 2012 GRESB survey was completed by nearly 450 property companies and funds, providing aggregate...
With a population of 1.1 billion people and one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, India is experiencing a rising demand for energy. This growth has presented a challenge to the energy infrastructure, as evidenced by some startling statistics from the Central Electricity Authority’s Load Generation Balance Report 2010-2011. This assessment of the country’s anticipated...
The Climate Finance Options (CFO) website is a comprehensive source of information for developing country policy makers on sources of climate finance. The website was created by the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP) and the World Bank. The website includes a searchable database of more than 60 funding sources available for adaptation and mitigation projects that reduce climate...
Adam Sledd Green Leasing Program Manager Institute for Market Transformation...
Utilities looking for deeper energy savings from complex, whole-building energy conservation projects want empirical evidence of real savings – measurement and verification that covers HVAC, lighting, plug loads, data centers, and more. Smart grid technology can help. In this video, Joan Effinger, technical manager with PECI, describes a research paper looking at three...
Operable windows give building occupants fresh air and control over their comfort – but if used improperly, they can be counterproductive. In this video, Katie Ackerly, a researcher at the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California Berkeley, describes approaches to signaling occupants when to open and close windows.
Thousands will gather Nov. 14-16 in San Francisco for the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Industry leaders and practitioners from around the world have attended for the over the past decade to learn about green building best practices and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards, while engaging...
Johnson Controls partnered with the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) to commission a survey of more than 2,800 decision-makers responsible for managing commercial buildings and their energy use across the world during April, 2010.
Johnson Controls partnered with the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) to commission a survey of more than 2,800 decision-makers responsible for managing commercial buildings and their energy use across the world during April, 2010.
As Europe plans the next steps to improve building energy efficiency, a report from the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) analyzes the financial instruments available to fund deep retrofits. It also looks at the types of buildings involved and the renovation measures the financial programs support. Among the key conclusions: