Homes and Buildings

Energy-efficient buildings, whether new or existing, lessen our nation's energy use.

Essential to Efficiency

Buildings consume 40 percent of all energy used in the United States and are responsible for nearly 40 percent of domestic carbon dioxide emissions. Efficient buildings reduce the speed and severity of global warming, lessen demand on the power grid, decrease stress on natural gas supplies, improve local air quality and save consumers money. Efficient features may be either embedded in new buildings or added to existing buildings through energy retrofits.

New Buildings

The design phase of a new building is the best opportunity to embed long-term energy savings into the building. Major improvements in building efficiency are often accomplished through stronger efficiency requirements in building codes. More on building codes.

Existing Buildings

With less than 1.5 percent of the U.S. building stock built new each year, improving existing buildings is critical to improving building efficiency overall. Energy retrofits, which upgrade equipment and seal the envelope of existing buildings, can save building inhabitants up to 20 percent on their utility bills. Still, participation in retrofit programs remains low. Financial support and technical assistance from all levels of government can help drive energy efficiency retrofits.

Policy Perspectives with Senator Richard Lugar

August 13, 2010 - 8:30am - 9:30am

350 West Maryland Street , 46225 Indianapolis, Indiana

EE Noon: Commercial & Industrial Insulation: The Forgotten Technology

May 25, 2010 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm

1850 M Street, NW, 20036 Washington, District Of Columbia

Kateri Callahan

President

Contact Email:

info@ase.org

Kateri Callahan brings more than 25 years of experience in policy advocacy, fundraising, coalition building, and organizational management to her position as the president of the Alliance to Save Energy. The Alliance to Save Energy is a premier non-government organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Alliance has worked for more than three decades to advance energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security.

Phone:

202-857-0666

Address:

1850 M Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036

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Legislation, Legal Action Aim to Safeguard PACE

Date: Aug 13, 2010

As property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing programs face an uncertain fate, the Alliance is supporting legislative action that would ensure PACE's future.

As property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing programs face an uncertain fate, the Alliance is supporting legislative action that would ensure a strong future for PACE.

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Alliance-led workshop explores tune-ups in federal buildings

Date: Aug 13, 2010

Author(s):

Rodney Sobin

At a workshop in May, federal and private sector building managers and energy experts discussed how the federal government could reduce energy consumption in its buildings through the practice of commissioning, which involves “tune-ups” that make sure buildings meet performance standards.

While recess and impending reelections slow progress in Congress, the federal government strives to become the nation’s greatest leader-by-example in building energy efficiency. To help reduce the federal government’s energy consumption, speakers at a May workshop on efficiency in new and existing buildings explored advances in commissioning, a tool that already sits in the government's tool belt.

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India Leaps the Hurdles of an Energy Building Code

Date: Aug 11, 2010

On the fast track to high electricity use in the next decade, India is mitigating an energy crisis by pursuing energy efficiency and conservation programs.

By Hana Chmielewski

On the fast track to high electricity use in the next decade, India is mitigating an energy crisis by pursuing energy efficiency and conservation programs. One of these programs is the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), which was developed in 2007 to curb energy use in buildings. The ECBC will soon become mandatory, and the Alliance is helping with its implementation.

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BCAP Releases Alabama State Gap Analysis

Date: Aug 10, 2010

The Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) is speaking with stakeholders across Alabama to identify the gaps in energy code adoption and ultimately help the state's municipalities implement building energy codes.

When it comes to energy codes in Alabama, success is difficult to measure. Although a few local jurisdictions have adopted energy codes, all efforts to mandate a statewide energy code have failed, setting an unfortunate precedent for current adoption and implementation efforts.

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Living Efficiently With Tom: Air Sealing with Caulk and Spray Foam

Date: Aug 10, 2010

Sealing gaps in your home’s exterior envelope — or between conditioned and unconditioned parts of your home — is an easy and effective way to cut energy costs and keep your home more comfortable. In this latest installment of the At Home With Tom series, Tom talks about stopping air leakage in his home's envelope using caulk and spray foam.

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Spray Foam Inuslation
Spray foam around a new door in an old wall. This can be trimmed down once dry to allow for molding, drywall, or other material to create a finished look. I'll be writing about my adventures in energy efficient doors in a future entry.

Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2009 (S. 1320)

August 9, 2010

The Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2009 would upgrade manufactured housing stock by providing financial incentives for homeowners to replace older, inefficient manufactured homes with Energy Star-qualified homes. The bill passed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on August 5, 2010 and the U.S. House of Representatives on May 6, 2010.

On August 5, 2010, Senator John Tester’s (D-Mont.) Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2009 (S. 1320) passed the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. This bill aims to upgrade the manufactured housing stock by providing financial incentives to replace older, inefficient manufactured homes with Energy Star-qualified homes. By focusing on low-income Americans, the bill would bring home efficiency to a cash-strapped set of homeowners, for whom long-term energy bill savings would make a real difference.

Topics: Codes and Standards , Financing, Homes and Buildings, Policy
Programs: Policy and Research Program
Resource Type: Policy Summary

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Clean Energy Ministerial Introduces Global Superior Energy Performance

Date: Aug 01, 2010

Over July 19th and 20th, ministers and government officials from 24 countries, who together account for over 80 percent of global energy use, came together in Washington, DC for the inaugural Clean Energy Ministerial conference. The participating countries jointly introduced 11 international energy initiatives that target the greatest opportunities for clean energy deployment and energy efficiency.