Hub: Building Innovation
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti Leading the Way to Decarbonization with Municipal Buildings
Post / February 11, 2020
Less than year after Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a Green New Deal for the city of Los Angeles, he is building on that leadership with a new Executive Directive that will help kick-start the decarbonization movement by accelerating the transformation...
GridOptimal: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from the First Pilot Project
Webinar / January 30, 2020
This is a Best of the Forum session. AIA credits for this course are available until 1/14/2023. The role of buildings in the grid is changing as historic grid infrastructure strains to handle more centralized and distributed renewables, electric vehicles,…
Putting Data to Work: Using Monthly Data From Benchmarking Programs
Report / January 27, 2020
This guide from the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) provides an overview of the powerful ways in which monthly building consumption data can yield new insights, and how these insights can help cities to design more effective targeted programs.
Getting to LEED Zero Energy and LEED Zero Carbon Workshop – USGBC Oregon
Event / February 25, 2020 @ 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm PST
NBI is partnering with USGBC on an upcoming workshop. How do you take LEED and your high performing building to the next level to mitigate the impacts of climate change? This workshop shows you how LEED Zero supports the goals…
Getting to LEED Zero Energy and LEED Zero Carbon Workshop – USGBC Washington
Event / February 24, 2020 @ 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm PST
NBI is partnering with USGBC on an upcoming workshop. How do you take LEED and your high performing building to the next level to mitigate the impacts of climate change? This workshop shows you how LEED Zero supports the goals…
GridOptimal: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from the First Pilot Project
Webinar / January 30, 2020 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PST
The role of buildings in the grid is changing as historic grid infrastructure strains to handle more centralized and distributed renewables, electric vehicles, and smart systems. Learn more about how in this webinar. NBI and USGBC are leading the GridOptimal…
Innovations in Energy-Efficient Apartments
News / September 28, 2019
Published by MHN: Faced with the urgency of reducing carbon footprints and greenhouse gases, multifamily operators are embarking on a new era of energy efficiency. No one-size-fits-all approach exists; strategies vary widely by location and multifamily category. Whether the community...
EV Stations Spark Broad-Based Change
News / September 19, 2019
Published by Commercial Property Executive: As EVs continue to grow in popularity, the need for electric charging stations is also growing and commercial real estate owners and managers are helping lead the charge to make them available. While some states...
GridOptimal Phase 1 Outcomes
Document / June 19, 2019
The role of buildings, renewable energy, and energy storage in the utility sector is changing. New near-term solutions are needed to address today’s challenges and capitalize on opportunities for market transformation. New Buildings Institute (NBI), in partnership with the U.S.…
The California Roadmap to a Carbon Free Future for the Built Environment
News / May 8, 2019
Published by Meeting of the Minds: Participants of COP21 (Paris, 2015) agreed that limiting the average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius was an absolute imperative, and that this goal would require that human-produced emissions peak in 2020 and...
GridOptimal Initiative Changes Power Grid Interaction
News / April 12, 2019
Published by BUILDINGS: GridOptimal, a new initiative by the New Buildings Institute and the U.S. Green Building Council, aims to help buildings become better “grid citizens” by improving communications between the built environment and the power grid. A good grid...
13 HVAC Money-Saving Products for 2019
News / April 4, 2019
Published by BUILDINGS: No matter what side of the country your building sits, facilities professionals seek out solutions for HVAC systems. This is why the HVAC category of BUILDINGS’ Money-Saving Products annual program receives so many submissions. 2019 is no...
Online Tool Helps Cities Frame Energy Performance Goals
News / March 14, 2019
Published by Facility Executive: The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and New Buildings Institute (NBI) have developed a new tool, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, to help jurisdictions tackle energy...
The GridOptimal Buildings Initiative Phase 1: Metrics, Modeling, and Momentum
Webinar / February 28, 2019
NBI and USGBC are leading the GridOptimal Buildings Initiative, a collaborative project bringing together a wide range of organizations interested in optimizing building performance to promote grid integration. The GridOptimal project team is developing metrics by which building features and…
Local Governments Can Lead by Example in Climate Action, Starting with the Buildings They Own
Post / February 27, 2019
For communities across the United States that are committed to implementing policies and practices that advance the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, buildings represent a golden opportunity to lead by example. Overall, about 20% of the nation’s building floorspace...
Technology Talk—Getting to Zero Energy in Existing Buildings
Post / February 22, 2019
Without upgrading our existing buildings to higher efficiency technologies we have zero hope of getting to zero energy (ZE)–or at least ultra-low energy performance–and our carbon reduction targets. We know that there are many roads to retrofits but rapid scaling...
Leading in LA
Report / December 26, 2018 / Existing Buildings
New Buildings Institute led a major research project funded by the California Energy Commission in response to the critical need to greatly reduce energy use in California’s existing commercial buildings with cost-effective and scalable solutions. Working with prominent energy efficiency…
Effective Design Strategies for Optimal Energy Performance and Occupant Comfort and Health
Webinar / December 13, 2018 / Benchmarking & Feedback
With building occupants spending an average of 90% of their time indoors, indoor environmental quality is key to occupant comfort and health and provides a unique opportunity to focus on advancing energy efficiency. This one-hour webinar will present best practices…
Decarb for a New Tomorrow
Webinar / October 20, 2020 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am PDT
Natural gas accounts for over 50% of the recent carbon dioxide growth in the past few years, leading some policymakers to look at building decarbonization to meet local climate goals. Designers are seeking new technologies to reduce carbon and meet…
Portfolio Energy Benchmarking and Prioritization – Step by Step
Webinar / November 8, 2018 / Benchmarking & Feedback
This one-hour webinar covers the practical realities of benchmarking individual buildings and building portfolios, prioritizing audits, and targeting commissioning and retrofit activities that will optimize portfolio energy performance and occupant comfort.
“GridOptimal” Buildings Can Smooth Transition to Renewables
News / November 5, 2018
Published by BuildingGreen: Getting a solar array on your project might seem like a huge triumph, but there could be a downside. Too much “distributed generation” (grid-connected power generation coming from individual buildings) can disrupt how the electrical grid works,...
Radiating Efficiency
News / November 4, 2018
Published by Net Zero Buildings (page 12): Because of the drive for optimized energy efficiency, design teams need to look at alternative HVAC methods in order to meet energy goals. A recent NBI report on radiant heating and cooling in...
Effective Design Strategies for Optimal Energy Performance and Occupant Comfort and Health
Webinar / December 13, 2018 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am PST / Benchmarking & Feedback
With building occupants spending an average of 90% of their time indoors, indoor environmental quality is key to occupant comfort and health and provides a unique opportunity to focus on advancing energy efficiency. This one-hour webinar presents best practices to…
Portfolio Energy Benchmarking and Prioritization – Step by Step
Webinar / November 5, 2018 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am PST / Benchmarking & Feedback
This one-hour webinar covers the practical realities of benchmarking individual buildings and building portfolios, prioritizing audits, and targeting commissioning and retrofit activities that will optimize portfolio energy performance and occupant comfort.
FirstView
FirstView / October 15, 2018 / Benchmarking & Feedback
FirstView is a software tool that enables building owners and designers to extract more targeted and useful energy performance information from basic data inputs. The software takes in basic building data and one year’s energy usage and uses multivariable regression…
ACEEE’s State Energy Efficiency Scorecard
Webinar / October 4, 2018 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT
States are investing more in energy efficiency, even as the federal government loosens environmental rules. But which states are doing best and which ones are falling behind? In its annual 50-state scorecard, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)…
National Grid Presents — Turn Building Benchmarking Data Into Actionable Information
Webinar / September 18, 2018 / Measured Results
Cities around the region, including Boston and New York City, require reporting and tracking of benchmarking data. Other cities are embarking on voluntary benchmarking programs to build a more animated energy market. This webinar will show you how to turn…
Energy Efficiency Savings Up in Smoke: The Budding Impact of Indoor Agriculture and Cannabis Production
Document / August 27, 2018
This poster was presented by NBI staff at the 2018 ACEEE Summer Study. Indoor horticulture energy usage is projected to grow substantially over the next several years, driven in large part by the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis. How…
Radiant Solutions: Energy Findings from the Largest Study of Commercial Buildings with Radiant Cooling and Heating System
Document / August 27, 2018
This poster about energy efficiency advantages of radiant cooling was presented by NBI staff at the 2018 ACEEE Summer Study. Buildings with radiant cooling have similar comfort and use less energy. Learn more about how with this resource.
GridOptimal Buildings: Achieving Maximum Benefit for Smart Building-to-Grid Integration
Post / August 22, 2018
As policymakers and the building community encourage improved building efficiency and reduced carbon impacts, the rapid proliferation of distributed renewable energy resources–on local businesses and homes–creates technical challenges for grid operation, even as traditional revenue models for utilities face significant...