Whole-Building Approach

Buildings account for more than 70% of all electricity usage and almost 36% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. When property owners improve the efficiency of their buildings, they save energy and money and reduce their emissions.

The key to achieving these savings is a whole-building approach. View each building as an energy system with interdependent parts. One component in the house can greatly affect other components, which in turn affects the overall energy efficiency of the house. For example, an efficient heating system is not just a high efficiency gas furnace-- it is heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout the building using a network of ducts. If the ducts are not sealed and the walls, attic, crawlspace, windows, and doors are not well insulated, even the most energy efficient furnace will not prevent energy loss. Taking a whole-building approach to saving energy and water ensures that the money property owners invest to save energy and water is cost-effective.

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES

A typical whole-home energy retrofit, including a comprehensive energy audit, may include improvements to the home envelope (air sealing, installing attic insulation, repairing ducts), upgrade of the heating and cooling system, and installation of a high efficiency gas water heater. These types of improvements can cost from between $2,300 to over $9,000, depending on the needs of your particular property.1 After implementing these energy efficiency upgrades*, home owners can expect a return on investment (ROI) of between 5 to 20 years,2 reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, conservation of natural resources, and increased indoor comfort and indoor air quality.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES

Commercial properties vary greatly in size and energy usage. While savings are difficult to generalize, all properties will experience monetary and energy savings by taking a whole-building approach to energy efficiency. A 50,000 square foot office building that reduces energy demand through no-cost and low-cost measures can reduce operating costs by more than 30 percent and save on average $40,000.3 Flex Your Power provides some helpful case study examples of cost and savings of commercial energy efficiency upgrades. In the case study of Adobe Towers, approximately $958,500 has been spent on energy efficiency, energy conservation, and water use efficiency measures. The total annual energy cost savings were around $748,000, making payback in less than two years.4

  1. Home Energy Saver http://hes.lbl.gov/
    *Cost estimates depend on building characteristics (climate zone location, year built, conditioned floor space, stories above ground level, orientation of house, type of foundation, heating and cooling equipment fuel type, number of windows, etc.), household characteristics (number and ages of people, energy consumption habits), energy efficiency improvements implemented and specifications, and cost of labor to install. Assume typical energy efficiency improvements implemented are building energy audit, air sealing (25 to 50 percent air leakage reduction), attic insulation (replace, improve, or add insulation to R-30 level), duct sealing (reduction of leakage to 6% of total airflow), gas furnace (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of 90 to 96), central air conditioning (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating of 14 to 17), gas water heater (Energy Factor of .62 to .81).
  2. EPA Energy Star http://www.energystar.gov/ia/home_improvement/PHEE_Report_final.pdf
    *The average U.S. household spends $1,500 on energy bills annually. If improvements cost between $2300 and $9000, the ROI is between five to 20 years.
  3. Flex Your Power http://www.fypower.org/com/
  4. Flex Your Power http://www.fypower.org/bpg/index.html?b=offices
    *Since 2001 Cushman & Wakefield has implemented a number of energy efficiency, energy conservation and water use efficiency measures at Adobe Towers. In total, approximately $958,500 have been spent, receiving $178,489 in rebates and other incentives, and achieving annual energy cost savings around $748,000.