The construction industry could use a better contextual baseline than codes for measuring building efficiency against design strategy, says the executive vice president of James Construction, based in Carnegie, Penn.
Craig Stevenson, in a Construction Dive article, says a system such as Energy Star’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI) would provide a better way to measure efficiency and provide a better market-driven approach to sustainability. According to the Energy Star web site, “EUI is expressed as energy per square foot per year. It’s calculated by dividing the total energy consumed by the building in one year (measured in kBtu or GJ) by the total gross floor area of the building.”
EUI would create a common standard analogous to the miles-per-gallon standard in the automobile industry, Stevenson told Construction Dive. Codes can be too slow to catch up to the latest technology and techniques, he added.
Standards such as LEED may not go far enough to account for operations efficiency after a building is completed, he says. EUI, on the other hand, is measurable every year and provides a benchmark for the entire building and all energy-consuming systems.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Aug 22, 2019
5G expected to give a boost to construction technology
Virtual reality, Internet of Things, robotics, and drones will all benefit from enhanced data flows.
Codes and Standards | Aug 15, 2019
New edition of Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete available
American Concrete Institute document includes major technical changes.
Codes and Standards | Aug 13, 2019
Coaching pays off for new managers
Study finds increased engagement and readiness for new roles.
Codes and Standards | Aug 12, 2019
New curtain wall design guidelines released
AAMA document includes mandatory language, optional language, and detailed technical commentary.
Codes and Standards | Aug 9, 2019
Cities modify density zoning to spur more affordable housing projects
Solutions include eliminating single-family zoning and allowing taller apartments in higher-density zones.
Codes and Standards | Aug 8, 2019
More designers focusing on acoustic properties of buildings
Recognition that structures should be acoustically satisfying.
Codes and Standards | Aug 7, 2019
Illinois law makes all single-occupancy restrooms gender-neutral
All must comply by January 1.
Codes and Standards | Aug 6, 2019
New technology, aligning training with local trends among keys to workforce development
Construction industry must also invest in training, recruiting high school students.
Codes and Standards | Aug 1, 2019
Planners, city official rethink parking requirements on new projects
Reducing number of parking spots frees up land for ‘more purposeful’ uses.
Codes and Standards | Jul 31, 2019
USGBC-LA chooses first ‘Net Zero Accelerator’ technologies
Wide range of solutions address numerous environmental challenges.
