Energy + Environment

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced the opening of the fifth public comment period for the proposed update to its LEED green building program. The comment period, which will close on December 10, enables the building community to view the most recent draft of the rating systems and provide comments where any substantive [...]

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) offers a guide to integrating energy modeling throughout the building design process. Get it here.

Eighty-five percent of building owners and operators globally depend on energy management to drive operational efficiency, according to the 2012 Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator, a global survey of 3,500 building owners and operators. This represents a 34-point increase in the last two years. Energy cost savings and financial incentives are leading this shift, but [...]

Energy efficiency programs have been helping electric utility customers reduce and manage their energy costs for 30 years or more in many states. Born out of the energy crises of the 1970s, these customer programs have grown and matured to become a low-cost, high-value energy resource for electric utilities and their customers. Three Decades and [...]

The United Kingdom comes in first in a new energy efficiency ranking of the world’s major economies, followed closely by Germany, Japan, and Italy, according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published today by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The report finds that in the last decade the U.S. has [...]

Sq. ft. of space to earn LEED-certification in 2011 Per capita District of Columbia 18,954,022 31.50 Colorado 13,803,113 2.74 Illinois 34,567,585 2.69 Virginia 19,358,193 2.42 Washington 14,667,558 2.18 Maryland 11,970,869 2.07 Massachusetts 13,087,625 2.00 Texas 50,001,476 1.99 California 71,551,296 1.92 New York 36,538,981 1.89 Minnesota 9,591,445 1.81

I’m pleased to announce that my book LIGHTING REDESIGN FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS is now available as an eBook for Kindle on Amazon. LIGHTING REDESIGN FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS was written to educate owners, energy managers, electrical engineers, architects, lighting designers, consultants, electrical contractors, electrical distributors and other interested professionals about the relighting of existing buildings. The [...]

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)’s LEED Volume Program for Operations & Maintenance is available for existing green building projects. The LEED Volume Program streamlines the certification process for high-volume property owners and managers of existing buildings and new construction projects. Utilizing a prototype-based approach, the program enables large-scale builders, owners, and managers to achieve [...]

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption of fossil fuels were 5,638 million metric tons carbon dioxide (MMTCO2) in 2010, an increase of 3.9% from the 2009 level, according to Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions 2010, an online analysis released today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This is the largest percentage increase in U.S. [...]