US DOE Better Buildings Zero Energy Schools Accelerator

The commercial buildings market is very complex, with wildly divergent ownership, management control, and building characteristics. Buildings range from strip malls to office towers to convention centers to big box retail stores. Ownership could be local government, merchant builders (who build and then sell), local family businesses, international corporations, and fast food franchises. Each ownership category makes decisions very differently from the others. Some commercial buildings are incredibly complex, some buildings are cookie cutter simple and repetitive.

Working in the field of energy efficiency, there are days when it’s hard to see or feel the exact impact of our work. Last week was different, though. It was a great reminder that the work we do matters and that we are making a big impact, especially in learning environments.