A new approach to energy efficiency uses high tech tools to make many small adjustments rather than more costly tactics such as replacing big ticket items like windows and cooling equipment.
Startups including Carbon Lighthouse and Redaptive are using data collection and machine learning to make a building’s mechanical and electrical infrastructure use power more efficiently. Carbon Lighthouse has helped Tesla cut electricity use at the electric vehicle maker's headquarters by using sensors, data collection, software algorithms, and technical analysis.
Carbon Lighthouse engineers focused on two large cooling towers, two chillers, and some pumps at Tesla headquarters. They found an error in how two systems were communicating with each other.
They then figured out a way to run the three systems using less energy but producing the same amount of cooling. Commercial properties account for about one-third of U.S. power consumption, so reducing their usage—even in relatively small ways—on a large scale could significantly cut the nation’s power usage and carbon footprint.
Related Stories
| Jul 30, 2014
USGS updates National Seismic Hazard Maps
The U.S. Geological Service recently released an update of U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps that reflect the latest analysis of where future earthquakes will occur, how frequently they may occur, and their strength.
| Jul 23, 2014
Fairfax County, Virginia toughens green standards
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently strengthened its green building policy, requiring higher standards for residential, retail, office and other construction projects seeking approval for rezoning.
| Jul 23, 2014
Berkeley National Lab’s FLEXLAB is a test bed for energy efficient office design
FLEXLAB, short for the Facility for Low Energy Experiments, opened this summer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
| Jul 23, 2014
House passes 2015 GSA budget with 17% cut for new construction projects
The General Services Administration’s construction budget for fiscal year 2015 passed by the House this month includes cuts in both new construction and renovation/repairs compared to 2014.
| Jul 16, 2014
Coastal flooding increasing along East Coast, says report
An analysis of tidal levels and flood data by the news organization Reuters concludes that flooding has increased along the Eastern Seaboard over the past four decades.
| Jul 16, 2014
Local hiring requirement a tough challenge for new Detroit arena project
An agreement for a land transfer from the City of Detroit to Ilitch Holdings Inc., that enabled construction of a new arena for the Detroit Red Wings requires that 51% of the project’s construction workers must come from the city.
| Jul 16, 2014
Local hiring requirement a tough challenge for new Detroit arena project
An agreement for a land transfer from the City of Detroit to Ilitch Holdings Inc., that enabled construction of a new arena for the Detroit Red Wings requires that 51% of the project’s construction workers must come from the city.
| Jul 16, 2014
Massive $6.5 billion Silicon Valley development gets key city approval
The Santa Clara (Calif.) City Council approved the next steps for a massive development project next to Levi’s Stadium, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers.
| Jul 11, 2014
California Supreme Court rules that architects can be sued by condo association
The decision held that even though, on most projects, the developer has the final say on design choices, the architect can’t escape liability to the end user.
| Jul 10, 2014
Latest construction accident fatality statistics reverse trend of declining deaths
The latest data on construction site fatalities for 2012 shows a rise in the death rate to 9.9 per 100,000 workers after 2011 had reached a recent low of 9.1 per 100,000, according to an analysis of data by the AFL-CIO.