Existing buildings represent one of the most important, yet most often overlooked, opportunities in the fight against climate change. They are responsible for 40% of energy consumption in the U.S., 72% of electricity consumption, 13.6% of potable water consumption and 39% of CO2 emissions. While the rapidly advancing, and increasingly trendy, field of green building holds some potential to reduce those numbers, it's well to consider that the vast majority of buildings that will be here in the future are here now. Addressing these buildings is absolutely essential, both to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to prevent an economically unsustainable level of energy costs - as percentage of overall family income - as energy prices continue to rise.
The Deep Energy Retrofit - cost-effective, affordable, and serious - represents the best option for addressing the energy use of our existing building stock. Our goal is to demonstrate its effectiveness, as well as its feasibility.
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