Interest is growing throughout California and the United States in new homes designed to provide comfortable living environments with lower energy consumption and operating costs.

This brief explores techniques for identifying and solving pump system problems commonly encountered in existing buildings during retro-commissioning processes.

For lighting designers and energy consultants, it is important to understand the various daylight terms, calculation methods, and metrics that are used in the rating systems and by the daylighting community.

The Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences (TCES) is a three-story, 45,000 ft2 building on Sierra Nevada College's Lake Campus that demonstrates how an ambitious project team can successfully reduce energy usage by implementing a variety of innovative mechanical designs at minimal additional first cost.

Incorporating thermal mass into the design of a building is a completely passive way of reducing annual heating and cooling energy use and shifting the summer peak demand to later in the day. In architectural terms, thermal mass refers to the incorporation of solid or liquid materials into the building design to absorb heat or cold and then release it later to moderate building temperature swings.

Energy and climate change challenges are driving more building owners and design teams of new commercial construction in California to explore ways to create very low-energy buildings. Meeting the energy use goals defined by Title 24 or groups such as Architecture 2030 will require bold steps from building owners and revolutionary thinking from design teams.

SkyCalc™ is a simple computer tool that helps building designers determine the optimum skylighting strategy that will achieve maximum lighting and HVAC energy savings for a building. This program is a Microsoft Excel™ spreadsheet application that runs on a personal computer.

We simply must do everything in our power to slow down global warming before it's too late," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2006, when he signed Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. This landmark legislation, also known as the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop regulations and market mechanisms that will reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

On a sunny summer day, a typical roof surface can reach temperatures that are nearly 100°F above the ambient temperature. A cool roof, by contrast, stays at or near the ambient temperature due to the characteristics of its outer layer.

With concerns about energy, climate change, and indoor environmental quality on the upswing, building designers are taking a closer look at natural ventilation opportunities in California's commercial new construction. To help designers evaluate whether natural ventilation makes sense for their projects, this issue of e-News reviews natural ventilation basics.

Demand response (DR) refers to a mechanism that encourages customers to reduce or shift their electric power usages under certain conditions to help utilities to overcome temporary constraints in the electricity supply.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) introduced new Outdoor Lighting Standards in 2005 to conserve energy and reduce electricity peak demand. The Outdoor Lighting Standards regulate lighting power, controls, and allowed lighting fixture types. Illuminated signs are also covered by the Standards.

The Green Building Studio® web-based energy analysis service can help architects and designers perform whole building analysis, optimize energy efficiency, and work toward carbon neutrality earlier in the design process. With faster, more accurate energy analysis of building design proposals, architects and designers can work with sustainably in mind earlier in the process, plan proactively, and build better.

Regional energy centers sponsored by your local utility provide outstanding consumer and professional education opportunities, including new technology demonstrations, continuing education units, and hands-on re-training for green jobs. Most courses are available at either no cost or at a substantial discount.