A new analysis of federal data shows that the U.S. buildings sector has made enormous strides in efficiency over the last six years—potentially eliminating the need to build any new power plants to support growth in the sector through 2030.
After studying the recently released U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2013 statistics and projections, sustainable architecture guru Edward Mazria noticed that 2030 projections for building energy consumption continue on a steep decline; and that America plans to add over 60 billion sf of new buildings by then.
So even as a huge portfolio of new buildings is constructed in the next two decades, the energy needs in those buildings will be low enough to prevent the need for any new power plants to service them, concluded Mazria.
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