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.
The term “green building” has been transformed in recent years from a qualitative ideal and marketing vehicle to a quantifiable and defensible statement about sustainability. Key to this transformation has been the development of transparent and trusted rating and certification systems for green buildings. BREEAM (established in the UK in 1990), LEED (established in the U.S. in 1998),
Building efficiency is key to cutting energy consumption. In 2007, 878 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gases were attributed to commercial buildings worldwide.1 Buildings account for 16 percent of world energy consumption2, with a higher share in developed economies (nearly 40 percent of total energy use in the United States)3. While roughly two percent of commercial floorspace is newly...
In the past, energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy programs have often advanced along separate pathways. However, a 2007 study conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) concludes that investments in both energy efficiency and renewable energy are essential to creating a secure energy future for the U.S.
