Energy Efficient Buildings – Revamping Existing Spaces

Improving Energy Efficiency in Large Buildings

A recent British study found that 70% of the carbon reductions sought by 2020 can be achieved by investing in energy efficiency measures (Source: TheClimateGroup.org, July 6). As a hot topic at the G8 Summit this week in Italy, many of the tested methods that may help to achieve this goal will be discussed at length. The focal areas of this study include buildings, lighting, vehicles, motors and a reduction in deforestation, all of which the study claims bear reasonably low investment costs for the high rate of return in efficiency gain.

At a time when stimulus dollars in the United States are being allocated precisely to such “green” infrastructure projects, one must wonder how much of that money will or should be allocated for use in existing structures. With such a variance in structural composition, scale, and location, the challenges that exist are very broad in scope and make for a difficult blueprint or set of standards across all projects.

So, how do we tackle this issue? Considering that buildings account for about half of the CO2 emissions in the United States, this is an important question. Is it possible to compile lists of suggested improvements based on studies of several buildings, some fraction of which may ultimately apply to individual projects down the road? The good news is that we may be getting closer to an answer for that question. As I write this blog, there’s a large-scale energy efficiency retrofitting evaluation of the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The project, announced in April, is the product if a collaboration between four groups: the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Rocky Mountain Institute, Johnson Controls Inc. and Jones Lang LaSalle (Source: Envirovaluation.org, April 11). The program has a budget of $500 million dollars and is truly the first of its’ kind, utilizing experts from a range of specialties to formulate a comprehensive energy efficiency overhaul of one of the largest, oldest buildings in the middle of one of the busiest cities on earth.


The goal of this group is to reduce the emissions waste of the Empire State Building by up to 38%. Another goal of this project is to maintain performance of the building’s systems while getting the best possible “bang for your buck” in improvements, while providing a basic formula for other office building structures to follow. So, what were some of the winning ideas? The analysis revealed eight areas that would mark prudent efficiency upgrades, including:

• Changes to window lighting and window insulation.
• Radiator insulation to prevent the escape of generated heat.
• Better tenant-controlled lighting in each work area.
• More efficient building climate controls.
• More advanced ventilation controls.
• Building-wide HVAC upgrades.
• More (for a full list, please click here).

In addition to office buildings, we stand to gain a great deal of benefit from retrofitting existing homes and residential buildings as well. The challenges on this front are similar to those in the commercial sector, except for the depth of credit access that may be available to make these improvements. For a corporation or corporations, taking on an energy efficiency improvement project is more likely to be financially feasible and is likely to pay dividends more quickly than a similar project for a residential structure. One step in the right direction on this front is the Thousand Home Challenge. This challenge is the brainchild of a non-profit called ACI, which strives to bring together sponsors, architects, engineers, and designers to make real, measurable improvements to a thousand homes in an effort to lay a blueprint for energy efficiency improvements in the residential sector. According to their materials, residential energy consumption accounts for 21% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States (Source: AffordableComfort.org).



When it comes to the topic of improving energy efficiency in existing buildings, it’s clear that we have a long way to go. I can think of no better place to start than at a meeting of some of the most powerful forces in the world during this week’s G8 summit.