Resources for Energy Savings in Buildings

The roles of engineers are changing; but some things never change
In April 2010, Consulting-Specifying Engineer (CSE) conducted a comprehensive survey on a large sample of its total circulation of more than 40,000 engineers. The National Engineering Survey (NES) addressed the status, needs, and opinions of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineers on a range of issues.

Green Building Semimonthly - Canaccord Genuity
Although second quarter earnings have been strong for many companies, the dog days of summer are likely to be volatile for stocks given the potential for more weak economic data.

Environmental Due Diligence Guide
Energy Efficiency Benchmarking: Due Diligence Moving into the Mainstream.

Sustainability in business today: A cross-industry view
What is the state of sustainability in business today: The answer, as suggested by Deloitte's multi-industry survey of 48 executives who oversaw sustainability efforts at their companies, may depend on how one interprets the results.

Federal Green Buildings
Statement of Kevin Kampschroer, Director, Office of Federal High-Perfromance Green Buildings at the US General Services Administration. Mr. Kampschroer discusses the progress and challenges of green building practices in the Federal Government.

The Green Building Boom Continues
Profiting from the Green Building Movement - Our research leads us to conclude that we are in the early stges of what will be one of the most significant secular trends in the global building / construction market - the "Green Building" (GB) movement.

Coming Soon to a Building Near You: Mandatory Energy Disclosure for Commercial Real Estate
In the near future, the owner of a commercial building in Minnesota may be required to provide a purchaser, lender or prospective tenant a detailed disclosure of the building’s energy performance. Such disclosure might even include a ranking or scoring of its performance in relation to other buildings in its peer group.

Green Building Semimonthly
"Unusually Uncertain" Those were the words Fed chief Ben Bernanke used last week to describe the outlook for the US economy. He went on to say that the Fed expects the economy to grow this year, despite a “somewhat weaker outlook.”

In Full Disclosure
Clients could see an impact as governments mandate sharing energy-use information. Dan Spenogatti and Joshua Lehman, EBI Consulting.

Untapped Potential of Commercial Buildings
Energy Use and Emissions, Capturing Wasted Energy: Efficiency, Retrofits, Barriers.

What you don't know may be hurting your bottom line
All buildings, large and small, all have at least one thing in common, they consume energy. In these tough economic times, cost-saving measures are actively being sought by building owners. Read more...

Green Building Semimonthly
The stock market managed to regain some ground last week, despite news that monthly retail sales took a surprising dip in May, falling 1.2% (expectations were for a 0.2% gain). Some of the decline may have been attributable to a drop in purchases of energy efficient appliances, which had benefited in previous months from government tax credits, and poor weather, according to Vanguard.

Highlights from the Johnson Controls Cleantech Analyst Day
Johnson Controls is the world’s largest provider of energy efficiency solutions for commercial buildings and a leading provider of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles. Below we provide some of the energy efficiency-related highlights from the company’s analyst day presentation.

Green Buildings - A Niche Becomes Mainstream
Deutsche Bank Research Whitepaper
Striving for more efficiency is a feature of market economies, and the real estate sector in Europe is no exception. Nonetheless, with the scientific consensus on the global effects of CO2 emissions and the ensuing strong political support for reduced emissions the topic of increased energy efficiency levels has received a considerable push.

The Green Building Opportunity Index
Source: Cushman & Wakefield, NEEA's BetterBricks
This assessment by BetterBricks and Cushman & Wakefield is the first to provide weighted comparisons of top U.S. office markets based on real estate fundamentals and green development considerations.

The Green Scene Green Building Semi-Monthly Report
If you’re a “glass half-full” type of person, last week’s economic reports reaffirmed that the recovery, while fragile, is strengthening.

Leading companies partner to improve the energy and environmental attributes of leased space
The members of the Coalition for Energy and Environmental Leadership in Leased Space issued the following statement.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Guidance Regarding
Disclosure related to Climate Change; Final Rule

The Securities and Exchange Commission
has voted to provide public companies with interpretive guidance on existing SEC disclosure requirements, as they apply to business or legal developments relating to the issue of climate change.

Valuing Building Energy Efficiency through Disclosure and Upgrade Policies
A Roadmap for the Northeast A Dunsky Energy Consulting Report in collaboration with Vermont Energy Investment Corporation.

Our Green Journey
Task Force to Mayor Newsom: "Your 7 keys to existing building efficiency in San Francisco."

Green Building Best Practices 2009
A unique 4-part webinar series on green building design and construction practices.

Green Building Index
Design Reference guide for non-residential new construction and residential new construction.

A Study: "Many Shades of Green: Diversity and Distribution of California's Green Jobs"
looked at the state of green jobs in the Golden State from 1995 to 2008 and found 45 percent growth in the number of green businesses in that time, and 36 percent growth in overall employment in green fields.

Market Trends: AEE Survey of the Energy Industry 2009
The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), a nonprofit professional society of over 9,500 members, issued a survey to its members to determine state of the energy industry, technology trends, as well as policy and market trends.

Copenhagen Climate Update
EPA Declares C02 endangers human health.

Rethinking Percent Savings
The problem with Percent Savings and the New Scale for a Zero Net-Energy Future.

Harvesting Tax Benefits of Green Building Incentives
In the past two years, several federal tax incentives have been extended and enhanced for designing and constructing energy efficient buildings, both residential and commercial.

Improve Energy Efficiency in Buildings
This research was supported by the Real Estate Roundtable and the Building Owners and Managers Association and was conducted under the auspices of the Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program (EEED) within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment (ISE).

Vice President Biden Unveils Report
Recovery Through Retrofit, a report that focused on expanding green jobs and energy savings for middle-class families.

California Building Standards
New California Building Energy Efficiency Standards to take effect as of January 1, 2010. Download or view the standards or individual sections of the Standards.

Energy Star Building Manual
A strategic guide to help you plan and implement profitable energy saving building upgrades

Guidelines for Energy Management
Energy management tools and resources to improve energy and financial performance

Commercial Building Design
Information about commercial buildings to help architects make informed decisions about energy efficiency during the design process

Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency
Guidance for the development of an effective green building policy

Industrial Plants: Best Practices
Ways to lower your plant energy bills