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.
PACE finance programs allow property owners to pay for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and/or water efficiency projects through an additional assessment on their property tax bill over 5-20 years, depending on the lifespan of the equipment. There is no up-front cost to the building owner and the investment is immediately cash flow positive. If the property is sold, the benefit of the...
Net zero energy buildings are emerging as a trend of the future – in the 2013 Energy Efficiency Indicator survey, over 70 percent of respondents said they intend to achieve zero, near zero, or positive energy status for at least one of their buildings in the future. Net zero energy buildings demonstrate the art of the possible for energy efficiency and renewable energy while communicating...
If interest is high in building energy efficiency in the U.S., why aren’t investments in efficiency growing? Experts from local and federal governments, the private sector, and non-government organizations explored that question at a Roundtable Dialogue in Washington, D.C., convened by the Johnson Controls Institute for Building Efficiency and the Institute for Market Transformation, the...
In May 2013, the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) released a report, “Local Chambers as Change Agents: Creating Economic Vitality through Clean Energy and Innovation,” outlining ways in which chambers of commerce can help small to medium-sized business better understand and use energy. CICE provides information on a variety of topics, including energy efficient building...
The 2013 Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) study, conducted by the Johnson Controls Institute for Building Efficiency, analyzes the energy efficiency technologies, practices and investments made by over 3000 executive decision-makers around the world. Conducted annually since 2006, this year’s respondents come from ten countries and a variety of commercial, industrial and institutional...
Thought leaders on energy efficiency finance convened in Chicago May 13-15, 2013, for the 7th annual ACEEE Energy Efficiency Finance Forum. Participants discussed the latest developments and innovations in energy efficiency finance, in particular:
Net zero energy buildings are becoming more mainstream as technologies and processes improve, and renewable energy becomes less costly. Increasingly, innovators are focusing on how to take existing buildings to net zero. Whether for new or existing buildings, getting to net zero means first maximizing energy efficiency, then adding renewable generation to cover remaining energy needs. The...
A study completed by the Central European University and commissioned by the Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN) demonstrates how transformative change in the building sector can contribute to emissions reductions. To achieve the full potential of emissions reductions in the building sector, today’s best-practice, state-of-the-art buildings must become the standard in less than 10...
U.S. Policy Opportunities for Improving Building Performance The United States has made substantial progress in energy efficiency – energy use today is about half what it would have been without improvements made over the past 40 years. Still, there are opportunities to do a great deal more – cost-effectively – by adopting available and emerging energy technologies, according to...
The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Center for Market Innovation (CMI) now offers a guide for tenants and building owners that describes how to develop, quantify, implement, and measure energy performance solutions in a commercial office space. Tenant spaces account for more than half of a commercial office building’s total energy use. There is great opportunity for energy...