Green Building Blog

In February, 2017, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) surveyed its members pertaining to sustainability issues facing their industry. Highlights from this report that are relevant to Michigan contractors and builders are summarized as follows:

Use of the word sustainability, based on recorded mentions, skyrocketed starting in the early 1980s and has grown exponentially over the past 3 decades. In the past few weeks alone I have attended two exceptional programs on sustainability, and I see many more in the near and distant future as it becomes a hotter topic at the various green building and commercial real estate industry conferences to which I am invited.

Just have an energy audit done? Congratulations! It’s a great step toward saving money in both the short and long term, and toward creating a more environmentally-friendly building. But the audit is just the first step, not an end in itself. Don’t let it just sit on the corner of your desk, gathering dust! Whether it’s for business or home, here are some common-sense reminders of steps you can take to implement the audit.

Is Retrocommissioning Worth it for Facility Managers?

Note: Since this was article was originally posted, a budget passed Congress that does not significantly reduce EPA funding. So we believe the Energy Star Program is safe - for now. It’s good to know, however, what else is out there from the private sector, for example, ASHRAE bEQ as is discussed below. Our industry needs to be well-versed in all the options, not on a just-in-case basis, but on a what’s-best-for-the-customer basis. (updated 5/10/2017)

Since its inception in 1992, the Energy Star label has gained tremendous popularity, and today thousands of products (mostly small and medium home appliances) sport the Energy Star logo. Use of this program, run by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the US Department of Energy (DOE), had saved $362 billion on energy bills and prevented nearly 2.5 billion tons of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere. If this program goes away, as is being proposed by the current administration, we risk losing many of the gains that have been made.