Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency involves a set of strategies that can be used to reduce the consumption of energy—especially fossil-fuel energy—in buildings. These strategies include:
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monitoring energy use
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improving building commissioning
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applying insights from building science
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selecting innovative HVAC and building envelope technology
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using natural ventilation and daylighting to provide low-cost alternatives to standard systems
Energy Efficiency
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Owners, This RFP Hack Enables Lasting Building Performance
Feature Short
A request for proposals is not just about selecting the right team; it’s the first chance to create buy-in for your new building’s goals.
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Verifying Project Outcomes: Which Metrics Work?
Feature Short
Project success is increasingly tied to performance metrics, especially EUI. But that doesn’t always capture what owners are really looking for.
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How Six Affordable Housing Projects Got to Green
Feature Short
Stories of designers and developers who overcame the challenges of building affordable housing that is also green, sustainable, and healthy.
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The Water We Drink: Softeners, Filters, and Other Treatment Options
Feature Article
Although our nation's tap water is among the best in the world, most Americans are concerned about its quality. This article explores the range of technologies to treat real and perceived water-quality problems.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Energy Metrics: Btus, Watts, and Kilowatt-Hours
Explainer
Mixing units of electric power with those of energy is a common mistake, but distiguishing kilowatts from kilowatt-hours is not that complicated, and is worth getting straight.
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Solar Reflectance Index and Cool Roofs
Explainer
Understanding reflectivity and emissivity of roofing materials is important to evaluating their effect on cooling loads and the urban heat island effect.
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How the Sun's Path Can Inform Design
Explainer
Designing a building with the sun in mind can help reduce both heating and cooling loads.
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Heat-Pump Water Heaters
Explainer
Heat-pump water heaters produce more than twice as much hot water per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed as standard electric water heaters.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Blanket and Batt Insulation
Product Guide
Batts and aerogel blankets with high recycled content, reduced air-quality concerns, or superior performance
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Blown Insulation
Product Guide
Blown-in products with high recycled content, superior energy performance, and low-toxicity ingredients
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Board Insulation
Product Guide
These insulation products and thermal breaks provide superior thermal performance and avoid common chemical hazards.
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Zurn Introduces Flood of Water-Conserving Products
Product Review
Zurn Plumbing Products Group's new offerings include a 1.1-gpf toilet, a dual-flush toilet, a non-water-using urinal, and a dual-flush flushometer valve.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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A Quieter XLerator
News Analysis
Excel Dryer now offers a modified nozzle for its XLerator hand dryer that makes the drying process nine or ten decibels quieter.
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President Bush Authorizes Energy Research But May Not Fund It
News Analysis
President Bush has warned he may not include funding for science and technology, authorized in a recent bill, in his budget request.
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LEED Delivers on Predicted Energy Savings
News Analysis
Data from the U.S. Green Building Council and the New Buildings Institute shows that, although varying widely in individual buildings, measured energy savings meet or exceeds predicted energy savings for LEED buildings on average.
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EPA Partnership Focuses on Commercial Refrigeration
News Analysis
GreenChill, a new partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, supermarkets, and equipment manufacturers, aims to improve refrigeration technology, save energy, and eliminate the use of ozone-depleting refrigerants.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Get Ready for Fuel Switching
Op-Ed
As the cost of heating fuel rises, utilities must prepare for increased demand as homeowners switch to cheaper electric-resistance heat.
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Why Standing Rock Matters to Green Building (and How You Can Help)
Op-Ed
The green building community must choose its battles carefully. And Standing Rock should be one of those battles.
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Opting Out of Paris Accord Fortifies Global Warming Battle
Op-Ed
By making the administration’s position clear, Trump’s decision unleashed a wave of actions to stabilize the climate.
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The Universal Low-Carbon Building Standard Does Six Things
Op-Ed
Here’s how we’re going to deconstruct “net zero” and rebuild it as a comprehensive standard that applies to every building.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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The BuildingGreen Guide to Thermal Insulation
Special Report
The BuildingGreen Guide to Thermal Insulation, Fourth Edition, provides detailed guidance on insulation products and practices, including environmental and health comparisons, and recommendations on what insulation to use and what to avoid.
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Is Using Smart Glass Smart?
Feature Article
Electrochromic glazing holds the promise of less glare and better energy efficiency with fewer attachments. The reality is much more complicated.
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We Must Decarbonize Existing Buildings by 2050—but How?
Feature Article
Curbing carbon emissions requires that we address our vast stock of existing buildings. Here’s how to make the case and get it done.
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We Must Decarbonize Existing Buildings by 2050—but How?
Spotlight Report
