Retrofit Model for Commercial Buildings

New York City's Empire State Building will shine brighter than ever as it becomes an energy retrofit model for other commercial buildings.

The energy efficiency retrofit project began in 2009 as part of the Clinton Global Initiative, and has reduced utility costs for tenants and building owners by millions of dollars.

"The project team that has designed and conducted the retrofit over the Empire State Building's 2.85 million square feet is rolling the same model out in nearly 100 major commercial buildings across the U.S., targeting 75% of energy use in urban settings that comes from commercial buildings."

The building retrofit model focuses on eight improvement areas, with upgrades for windows, LED lighting, and management system controls. It is now being applied to large commercial buildings across the U.S.

And since buildings consume 40% of all energy in the country, this new retrofit model could prove to be a turning point to a clean energy economy.

Source: Clean Technica