Buildings and Infrastructure

Fact Sheet | Building Energy Efficiency

By

May 1, 2006

Table of Contents
     

    Energy-Efficient Buildings: Using whole building design to reduce energy consumption in homes and offices


    Key Facts:

    • Virtually every part of a building’s structure—from its placement and design to the appliances it contains—affects its energy consumption. Climate-responsive architecture and whole building design consider the building’s surroundings and local climate in order to construct energy-efficient buildings.
    • The heating, cooling, and hot water costs in an energy-efficient home are 30 to 40 percent lower than in conventional new homes. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies buildings as Energy Star compliant if they are 30 percent more efficient than required by the national Model Energy Code from 1993, or 15 percent more efficient than the state’s energy code, whichever is more rigorous.
    • Over 2,300 home builders have joined the EPA’s Energy Star Buildings program and have built at least one Energy Star certified building. Energy-efficient buildings have been built in all 50 states.

    Click here to read the full fact sheet in .pdf format