Category: buildings

New York City shows way forward in energy efficient retrofits

Jeff Ray of CBS media describes the retrofit of a landmark building in New York City.  The entire retrofit took five years to complete which is a sobering thought when we consider retrofitting commercial buildings on a major scale. Sundance Square Making Energy Efficient Push The tallest building in New York City is now the tallest … Continue reading New York City shows way forward in energy efficient retrofits →

Commercial sector in UK missed in promoting energy efficiency

The news agency, Reuters, has recently published a column by Gerard Wynn on how the UK’s energy efficiency strategy has by-passed the commercial sector – a sector with significant potential for electricity savings. UK efficiency drive skips commercial sector Britain is missing a huge potential for electricity savings by companies as the government focuses on … Continue reading Commercial sector in UK missed in promoting energy efficiency →

Financing retrofits

Improving the energy performance of buildings will require some innovation on financing. Sandra Kwak, an entrepreneur with Powerzoa and D-Light Energy has provided an insightful, detailed article on energy efficiency financing that should be of interest to EiD readers.  It makes for more good summer reading.   Energy Efficiency Financing: The Absent, Invisible Hand “How … Continue reading Financing retrofits →

Does energy efficiency raise house values?

Frequently analysts are asked to know if there is a premium on energy-efficient homes since the change in asset value has an effect on undertaking a retrofit investment or the purchase of a high performing new building.  This study, reported in the Washington Post by Kenneth Harney, gives some strong evidence that there is a … Continue reading Does energy efficiency raise house values? →

Learning from the past

This report by Matt Fulford, head of buildings at Sustain, in the Guardian, discusses what we can learn today from our heritage buildings.   What can heritage buildings teach us about modern energy efficiency? Heritage buildings have, by definition, been around for a long time. With careful management, they are here to stay for hundreds … Continue reading Learning from the past →

Air conditioning – part 2

Following last week’s post on air conditioning or not, this is a good overview by Stan Cox for Yale Environment 360 of the global impact of air conditioning.  The report was on the Guardian website. Climate risks heat up as world switches on to air conditioning The world is warming, incomes are rising, and smaller … Continue reading Air conditioning – part 2 →

New study on retrofitting commercial buildings

Commercial buildings represent a large and growing share of energy consumption in buildings.  This is a good article by Business Wire on a new market study from Pike Research.   The market for energy efficiency retrofits in commercial buildings will nearly double by 2020, reaching $152 billion worldwide, according to new study Efforts to retrofit … Continue reading New study on retrofitting commercial buildings →

Energy Saving Trust: stand-by mode wastes £1.3bn on household appliances

A study by the Energy Saving Trust in the UK of energy wasted from stand-by use provides important lessons for all countries.  Even though there have been campaigns and energy performance standards to reduce stand-by consumption, the total impact is still a major concern.   Energy Saving Trust: households waste £1.3bn for leaving gadget switched … Continue reading Energy Saving Trust: stand-by mode wastes £1.3bn on household appliances →