US Energy Dept.'s New Video on Energy Efficient Designs and Retrofits for Commercial Buildings

The U.S. Energy Department just put out its newest informational video release – Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings – as part of its Energy 101Video Series.

While the video focuses a lot on taking a holistic approach to energy efficient design planning in new constructions, it also has a lot of ideas that can be retrofitted into both existing commercial and residential buildings with little expense.

These ideas are important, especially for commercial buildings, because the department says that, “About 20 percent of all the energy we use in the U.S. today goes to power commercial buildings, like the offices and schools we use everyday.”

The Energy Department said that depending on the level of energy efficient design implemented in a new construction or retrofitted into an existing structure, these “buildings can be up to 70 percent more efficient than conventional commercial buildings.”

One of the easiest approaches that can be taken to reduce energy costs in both new constructions and existing buildings, whether commercial or residential, is daylighting – the practice of using natural light to illuminate building spaces. To make the most use of the concept, there are some important aspects of daylighting to understand.

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