Home ›

Homes and Buildings

Share this

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.

London Olympics: Most Energy-Efficient Games Yet

Date: Jul 09, 2012

The 2012 summer Olympics in London are shaping up to be the most sustainable and energy efficient in the games' recent history.

Olympic Stadium in London

London’s bid for the 2012 Olympic Games came with a hefty vow: to host the greenest Olympics in the tournament’s recent history. That vow is being kept through a variety of energy-efficient features at this year's summer games.

San Francisco: Building Efficiency Policy

energy efficiency San Francisco
June 26, 2012
Rodney Sobin
Nicole Steele

In 2009, the mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, created an Existing Buildings Task Force to make recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the city’s existing real estate.

Return to Main City Efficiency Policy Page

Did you know?

New York City: Energy-Efficient Building Policy

Energy efficiency new york city
June 25, 2012
Rodney Sobin
Nicole Steele

New York City is one of a handful of cities in the U.S. that has taken the lead in creating building energy use benchmarking standards in urban planning efforts to address environmental concerns to help mitigate and adapt to a changing climate.

Return to Main City Efficiency Policy Page

Austin, Texas: Building Efficiency Policy

energy efficiency Austin
June 25, 2012
Rodney Sobin
Nicole Steele

Austin began a pivotal initiative to promote energy efficient policies in commercial and residential buildings by passing the Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) Ordinance in 2008.

Return to Main City Efficiency Policy Page

NYC, DC, SanFran, Austin & Philly: Cities Use Local Policy to Make Buildings More Efficient

energy efficient cities
June 19, 2012
Rodney Sobin
Nicole Steele

Buildings use huge amounts of energy and are responsible for an estimated 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. This report details how five U.S. cities – New York, Washington, San Francisco, and Austin – passed local laws and ordinances that promote energy efficiency and improve quality of life for their residents.

Buildings – which require huge amounts of energy to power their operations – are responsible for an estimated 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. And buildings in dense metropolitan areas account for a large portion of those GHG emissions due to the way city dwellers live, work and travel.

Glossary of Commercial Building Terms

energy efficient building
June 19, 2012
Rodney Sobin
Nicole Steele

Glossary of Terms for Commercial Buildings

Auditing

An energy audit is an assessment of a building’s energy consumption by inspecting its systems and operations, insulation and other factors that contribute to energy use. The results of an audit give a building operator a clear picture of how the building consumes energy, where any problems may lie and opportunities for improvement.

12th International Conference for Enhanced Building Operations (ICEBO)

October 23, 2012 - 12:00pm - October 26, 2012 - 6:00pm
303 Deansgate, M3 4LQ Manchester

Jacob Johnston

Program Associate, Industrial
Add a comment

Home Energy Assessment: Find Out Exactly What Your Energy Bill is Paying For

Date: Jun 07, 2012

Author(s): 
Michael Timberlake

A home energy assessment or “audit” is the first step in determining how much energy your home is using. By pinpointing energy leaks, you can identify improvements that will make your home more comfortable and save you money.

About 30% of your home’s heating and cooling dollars go right out the door due to leaks and lack of insulation. A home energy audit can keep you from throwing one-third of your energy dollars out the window!

This article is the first in a series on home energy audits/assessments from the Alliance to Save Energy. Check back on ASE.ORG for more!

Add a comment

In Memoriam: Doris Iklé, Energy Efficiency Innovator and Entrepreneur

Date: Jun 06, 2012

On June 1, energy efficiency advocates lost a visionary. Doris M. Iklé, a pioneer in home energy efficiency and a longtime friend and patron of the Alliance to Save Energy, passed away peacefully at her home in Bethesda, Md., with her family by her side.

Above photo courtesy of Home Energy Pros.

On June 1, energy efficiency advocates lost a visionary. Doris M. Iklé, a pioneer in home energy efficiency and a longtime friend and patron of the Alliance to Save Energy, passed away peacefully at her home in Bethesda, Md., with her family by her side.

Syndicate content