Making the most of energy efficiency will require a sea change in how buildings are designed and erected, ASHRAE’s president said. 

Making the most of energy efficiency will require a sea change in how buildings are designed and erected, ASHRAE’s president told a U.S. House subcommittee Wednesday.

The U.S. government is the nation’s largest in a country full of heavy energy consumers, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers President Lynn Bellenger said to members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization and Procurement.

Bellenger testified about the government’s role in making buildings more efficient.

“Over the years, significant progress has been made in the federal, commercial and residential sectors, and we are poised to embark on a new era of energy efficiency and taxpayer dollar stewardship that will lead us to net-zero-energy buildings,” she said. “Going forward, maximizing building efficiency and sustainability will require a fundamental shift in how buildings have been approached – from design to operation. Working together toward a whole building approach that fully considers how each system and building component will interact – instead of each discipline focusing on their own area of expertise – will be an essential element of ensuring that taxpayer dollars are well-spent.” ***