Decarbonization of a building? Yes. Decarbonizing buildings means reducing or eliminating the greenhouse gas emissions from the building’s energy sources. Why? Improving energy efficiency, improving indoor air quality, lower energy bills, help fight climate change … let’s face it – reducing carbon emissions will have a good return on investment in existing buildings and the environment.
In 2018 the U.S. commercial buildings used 6,787 trillion British thermal units (TBtu) of all major fuels: 4,081 TBtu of electricity, 2,300 TBtu of natural gas, 305 TBtu of district heat, and 101 TBtu of fuel oil.1. Which is equivalent to 1,592 million Metric Tons CO2/Yr. Existing Building Commissioning resulted in Median primary energy savings for commissioning projects in existing buildings ranged from 5 percent for those conducted under utility programs, 9 percent for monitoring-based commissioning utility programs (i.e., augmented with submetering and diagnostics), and 14 percent for commissioning projects outside of utility programs. Across all project types, median savings ranged from 3 percent for the lodging market segment to 16 percent for public order and safety facilities.2 Now that’s some statistical progress!
Implementing existing building commissioning in accordance with ASHRAE 230 The Commissioning Process for Existing Buildings and Systems in the commercial sector of the built environment would effectively reduce carbon emissions by approximately 255 million Metric Tons CO2/Yr with a pay back in energy savings generally in 2 years or less. On going commissioning can help keep your buildings perform at their best and provide the information needed for continuous improvement in decarbonization and energy efficiency. If you aren’t satisfied with your current energy performance, you can always conduct an energy audit to see what the root of the problem is.
Foot notes:
- 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)
- LBNL Building Commissioning Costs and Savings Across Three Decades and 1,500 North American Buildings 11/2020.
