For several years, the HVACR industry has seen new technologies come to market that have dramatically improved the way buildings utilize energy. And as these energy-efficient technologies continue to prove their value, they are increasing in use and becoming more cost-favorable. Today, there is a wave of emerging technologies and trends that are converging with energy-efficiency efforts and simultaneously uncovering and igniting a dramatic and influential trigger point to change. Looking ahead, if the U.S. building stock continues to require less energy from the electric grid to operate, and the grid continues to face a growing set of complex challenges, including greater peak-load demands, the country could be on the tipping point of a potential transformation in building energy efficiency and the role of the electric utility in serving commercial buildings.
Energy already has become a core theme and focus of the industry, including manufacturers, contractors, and engineers alike, and a growing number of new construction and retrofit buildings are being designed to consume energy more resourcefully.