The High-Performance Commercial Building Systems.

Commercial buildings account for about one-third of all California electricity consumption, at an annual cost of $9 billion. Although aggressive efforts by California to improve building design within the state have led to significant increases in commercial building energy efficiency over the past 20 years, the savings are still well below technical and economic potential.

A three-year public-private research initiative targeting substantial reductions in the energy costs of commercial buildings has been launched under the leadership of scientists from the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. More than $9 million in research, development, demonstration and deployment funding has been committed by the California Energy Commission through its Public Interest Energy Research Program, along with the U.S. Department of Energy and private sector partners who will provide in-kind assistance. A team of 13 public and private sector organizations are carrying out the many tasks of the program.

           

☻ The primary goals of the High Performance Commercial Buildings Program are to develop and deploy energy saving technologies, strategies, and techniques; to improve processes for designing, commissioning, and operating commercial buildings; and to improve the health, comfort and productivity of occupants.

☻ The program's energy savings goal aims to mainstream the above strategies to cost-effectively achieve energy savings levels that were previously achieved only in aggressive research: 70% in new construction and 50% in major retrofits.

☻ The program's economic goals are to strengthen the state's growing energy efficiency industry, providing jobs for companies in hardware, software, design and building services.