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Energy efficient building materials and appliances are promoted in the United States through energy rebate programs. A 2022 report from the Boston Consulting Group found that, investments in developing greener forms of cement, iron, and steel lead to bigger greenhouse gas reductions compared with investments in electricity and aviation. [44]
Sustainable refurbishment describes working on existing buildings to improve their environmental performance using sustainable methods and materials. A refurbishment or retrofit is defined as: "any work to a building over and above maintenance to change its capacity, function or performance' in other words, any intervention to adjust, reuse, or upgrade a building to suit new conditions or ...
Building insulation is material used in a building (specifically the building envelope) to reduce the flow of thermal energy. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation , fire insulation , and impact insulation (e.g. for vibrations caused by industrial applications).
Sustainable rating systems are used to evaluate the environmental performance of buildings. These systems have common criteria and are similar in their evaluation of energy consumption, indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, and material. Three rating systems that can integrate with BIM are LEED, BREEAM, and Green Star. [6]
ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard published by ASHRAE and jointly sponsored by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) that provides minimum requirements for energy efficient designs for buildings except for low-rise residential buildings (i.e. single-family homes ...
A 2012 study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that multifamily buildings present a tremendous opportunity for energy savings. Comprehensive, cost-effective upgrades in multifamily buildings could improve efficiency by 15-30%, the Council found, representing an annual sector-wide savings of almost US$3.4 billion. [2]
Rather than focusing on energy efficiency, architects and engineers were more concerned with experimenting with “new materials and structural forms” to further aesthetic ideals. [5] Now in the 21st century, building energy performance standards are pushing towards a zero carbon standard in old and new buildings alike.
Energy-efficient design often relies on new technologies and techniques. These may create technical obstacles in addition to social, cultural, and economic non-technical obstacles. [17] Buildings designed for good energy efficiency do not always live up to the design goals; various reasons lead to this performance gap.