Commercial buildings use a significant amount of energy, accounting for almost 20 percent of all energy consumed in the United States. Companies are taking steps to reduce energy use in buildings, including upgrading lighting systems, switching to more energy efficient office equipment and appliances, and using technology to better manage energy consumption.
The resources below include presentations, reports and news on energy efficiency improvements in commercial buildings, as well as links to other organizations and web sites active on this issue.
In England there is a building made with insulation that can be inflated or deflated to adjust to outside temperatures. In Germany there is a house designed to be easily disassembled and recycled. The New York Times Co. building is draped in shades that automatically adjust to the movement of the sun. In Milwaukee a museum changes its very shape to shade itself.
Instituting a 10-year retrofit program for the country’s commercial spaces could save $41.1 billion in energy expenses every year, according to a new report by Pike Research.
In another bid to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, the European Union is requiring all new buildings to produce nearly as much energy as they consume starting in 2020.
NEW YORK -- Most Manhattan office buildings are designed for paper pushers, but there is a new factory running at the end of a long dim corridor on the fifth floor of the Empire State Building. Here machines are whirring, a furnace is roaring, and dozens of blue-collar workers are bustling about.
The simple step of painting rooftops white may be the cheapest way to win a short-term reprieve from global warming, and an influential expert says the Energy Department could soon be offering technical support to countries interested in implementing white roof-friendly policies.
IBM has added new software and service offerings to help owners and managers of commercial buildings leverage the latest energy-efficiency technologies and compliance systems.
BERKELEY, Calif. -- The Bay Area's foremost energy research facility has increased its data load capacity by 50 percent over the past three years with virtually no additional investment in cooling infrastructure, according to officials at the Energy Department.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu defended his agency's budget raise on Capitol Hill yesterday, including one program that may test Republicans' appetite for bipartisan energy policy.
Energy-efficient network equipment holds the promise of significantly cutting power costs, IT industry figures have said.
One of the nation’s leading homebuilders is offering energy-efficient homes in two new markets.
Johnson Controls has announced that its current public sector building efficiency projects are “guaranteed” to save more than $4.7 billion in energy, water and operational costs over the next ten years.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) have launched a global library of building energy rating policies.
The U.S. Energy Efficient residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) market is projected to grow from $5.38 billion in 2010 to $8.15 billion in 2015, according to the latest issue of EL Insights. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 8.6% during this time period.
A few years ago in central Florida, John Santarpia had an idea. He was the president and CEO of a credit union and felt he needed to do something to improve its image.
Programmable thermostats, which now make up about half the U.S. sales of all thermostats, could be more trouble for some than they're worth.
