San Francisco commercial properties have boosted their energy efficiency since 2011, when an energy consumption benchmarking law went into effect.
The city’s Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance has helped to spawn a 7.9% reduction in energy use across 176 properties tracked since 2010. The estimated savings on utility costs on these structures is $170 million.
A review of a broader group of 817 buildings found that energy reduction measures could save tens of millions of dollars in costs during the lifetime of the buildings, providing a significant boost to the properties’ value.
The Urban Land Institute Greenprint Center for Building Performance and the city partnered on the benchmarking effort. This project could be an effective model for other cities, according to a ULI Greenprint report.
Related Stories
Sponsored | HVAC | Jan 6, 2020
Maximize Energy Efficiency in Class A Office Buildings With Modern Building Systems
Energy-efficient building design starts with the building envelope, but the building systems have a tremendous impact on energy use as well.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 16, 2019
Top Building Systems Products for 2019
FabricAir’s ceiling-hung fabric duct and Ellumi Lighting’s bacteria-killing lights are among the 13 new building systems products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 12, 2019
Top Building Envelope Products for 2019
Sto's beetle-inspired exterior coating and Dörken Systems' UV-resistant vapor-permeable barrier are among the 28 new building envelope products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
Energy Efficiency | Aug 8, 2019
Florida’s first net-zero K-12 school opens
The building is distinguished by its rooftop solar array and its air-tight envelope.
Energy Efficiency | Dec 5, 2018
Harvard debuts HouseZero as a possible response to making existing buildings more efficient
Hundreds of embedded sensors will inform energy use reduction research.
Sustainability | Sep 10, 2018
At Penn State, sustainability is more than a goal
The university, encompassing 13 colleges and 24 campuses, adheres to protocols established by the UN.
Energy | Aug 6, 2018
Will California lead the way to energy independence?
The architecture, engineering, and construction industry will have to make major adjustments in the years ahead now that many state, city and local governments are getting serious about creating a carbon neutral buildings sector.
Sponsored | Energy Efficiency | Jul 2, 2018
Going solar has never been easier
There is an efficient system for mounting solar panels to roofs and turning roof real estate into raw power.
Energy Efficiency | Apr 23, 2018
New toolkit offers local governments energy-saving strategies for buildings
Provides estimates on savings for various policies.
Green | Apr 13, 2018
evolv1 earns Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building-Design certification
The multi-tenant commercial office building is currently under construction.
