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:

  • monitoring energy use

  • improving building commissioning

  • applying insights from building science

  • selecting innovative HVAC and building envelope technology

  • 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.

Quick Takes

Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.

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  • Comparing Fuel Costs

    Primer

    One would think comparing the costs of different heating fuels would be simple, but figuring out the amount heat available in a given quantity of fuel-and the associated cost-can be tricky.

  • How the Sun's Path Can Inform Design

    Primer

    Designing a building with the sun in mind can help reduce both heating and cooling loads.

  • Solar Reflectance Index and Cool Roofs

    Primer

    Understanding reflectivity and emissivity of roofing materials is important to evaluating their effect on cooling loads and the urban heat island effect.

  • Energy Metrics: Btus, Watts, and Kilowatt-Hours

    Primer

    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.

Product Guidance

Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.

In The News

We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.

Perspective

Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.

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Learning Resources

Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.

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Just For Fun

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