Energy Management in Commercial Buildings

Abstract

The construction industry is a great consumer of energy and other resources. Commercial buildings consume nearly 15% of all the energy used in the United States annually. Commercial and residential buildings, taken together, annually consume just over one-third of the nation's energy pie. The age of cheap fossil-fueled energy is past. Skyrocketing energy costs and the growing scarcity of other resources has made energy conservation a fact of life for the entire construction industry. Everyone involved in the industry — architects, engineers, contractors, building suppliers and equipment manufacturers — must now carry on their business with a careful eye on energy consumption. The construction industry can help reduce our reliance on foreign energy products by designing and operating buildings in a more energy-efficient manner.