Commercial Building Energy Alliances
The Commercial Building Energy Alliances, formed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), but driven and managed by the stakeholders they represent, will ultimately transform the energy efficiency of commercial buildings throughout the United States. The Commercial Building Energy Alliances currently focus on the following areas:
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Retailer Energy Alliance
Buildings are a huge part of a retailer's operating budget. The Retailer Energy Alliance has attracted large and small retailers committed to reducing the energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and overall operating risks of retail businesses.
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Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance
Those who build, manage and sell buildings are perhaps most susceptible to volatile energy prices and the effect of greenhouse gas reduction policies on profitability. The Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance brings together portfolio owners and operators to promote research, technology, and best practices that will improve the energy efficiency of commercial real estate buildings.
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Institutional Energy Alliances
Energy-efficient buildings for our country's state and local governments, colleges and universities, and hospitals ultimately benefit the people they serve. The Institutional Energy Alliances bring these groups together to define a clear path to present and future cost and energy savings.
How the Alliances Operate
Members of each alliance participate in face-to-face meetings, periodic conference calls, and online networking to set the goals and strategies for the alliance. Through these forums, members:
- Discuss unique energy challenges facing particular building types and business sectors
- Share non-proprietary information that can accelerate the adoption of technologies
- Achieve cost reductions in high-efficiency building equipment through combined purchases
- Engage building owners in their sector in conducting energy savings assessments that benchmark energy consumption and identify process and equipment improvements
- Define potential areas of high-impact research and development
- Explore variations to system designs suited to specific geographical locations (e.g., evaporative cooling in the southwestern United States).
Members also have the option of applying to become a "National Account," which involves committing to work with DOE's technical assistance to construct at least one new building and retrofit at least one existing building. These buildings should achieve at least a 30% improvement in efficiency relative to ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004.
Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative
The Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI), as mandated by Congress in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, is the umbrella initiative that will guide and coordinate public and private partners toward the goal of cost neutral net-zero energy buildings in all climate zones and for all building types no later than 2025. Net-Zero Energy Commercial Buildings are grid integrated buildings capable of generating as much energy as they consume through advanced efficiency technologies and on-site generation systems such as solar power and geothermal energy. See the DOE press release on the CBI launch (PDF 73 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
Spotlight on Commercial Lighting Solutions
Lighting—the largest energy consumer in commercial buildings—offers outstanding opportunities for efficiency improvements.
A full 26% of energy in commercial buildings is consumed by lighting. Imagine the benefits if the energy used by commercial lighting could be reduced by 30% or more, without compromising comfort, safety, sales levels, or productivity.
Reductions of this magnitude are entirely possible, and the DOE's Commercial Lighting Solutions provide the detailed instructions that building owners and tenants need to achieve them. These solutions, being developed by the DOE in partnership with top lighting designers, architects, and commercial end-users, will be delivered through an interactive web tool that will estimate energy savings based on project specific inputs.