Research
Research
Below are the latest research reports about the benefits of energy efficiency and available financing options.
Expert Recommendations to Increase the Pace and Scope of the Building Retrofit Market
October 2012 |
Six philanthropies (Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Energy Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Living Cities, MacArthur Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation) examined the necessary steps needed to increase and scale the energy efficiency retrofit market as well as achieve “deep” retrofits for building in the United States. This report gives insight into the philanthropies’ definition of “deep energy retrofit” as well as the needs and approaches for the building markets.
New York City Local Law 84 Benchmarking Report
August 2012 | Source: NYC.gov
“The New York City Local Law 84 Benchmarking Report (August 2012) is the first analysis of New York City benchmarking data collected as part of Local Law 84, which requires all privately-owned properties with individual buildings over 50,000 square feet or with multiple buildings with a combined square footage over 100,000 square feet to annually measure and report their energy and water use.”
EPA ENERGY STAR Program & Tenant Best Practices Matrix
June 2012 | Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
This document outlines a proposed EPA ENERGY STAR tenant recognition concept, based on a set of measures and practices that tenants can adopt to improve energy efficiency, with landlord support.
High Performance Green Building – What’s It Worth
June 2012 | Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
This PowerPoint discusses the value and importance of a more efficient built environment.
Valuing Energy Efficiency in Real Estate Appraisals for Commercial Buildings
June 2012 | Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
This PowerPoint explains the services offered by the Appraisal Institute.
Jeffrey Deboer Testimony on Energy Efficiency Financing
June 2012 | Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
This paper discusses the six steps Congress can take right now to further the goals of energy efficiency in commercial buildings, invigorate real estate activity and the job market.
Recognition Of Energy Costs and Energy Performance in Real Property Valuation
May 2012 | Source: Institute for Market Transformation
This paper gives insight to the increased credibility and reliability of property valuation. It explores the importance of energy consumption as a factor of property income and investment potential and assesses energy performance in buildings, comparing energy performance, technical qualification, and the market values of energy efficiency.
Emerging Best Practice for Underwriting Commercially-Attractive Energy Efficiency Loans
April 2012 | Source: PACENow
This paper explains and details appropriate underwriting practices for energy efficiency loans in the commercial real estate market. It explores market-ready, commercially-attractive mechanisms (such as energy service agreements and credit enhancement) and best practices for financing and catalyzing the deep energy efficiency retrofit market.
March 2012 | Source: Capital E
This study is a comprehensive literature review that identifies the viable, existing, and potential strategies to scale energy efficiency financing. It draws from and builds upon the work and analysis of banks, national laboratories, NGOs, government agencies, think tanks, and others.
February 2012 | Source: American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
This paper describes the characteristics and potential contributions of both local actors and utilities as they relate to implementing energy efficiency. It also discusses the roles of local governments and civil society in implementing energy efficiency enabling policies and program partnerships as well as the trends and challenges in local implementation of energy efficiency.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Tax Incentives: Federal and State Energy Tax Programs
January 2012 | Source: Edwards Wildman
This paper presents certain federal and state tax incentives that promote the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. It outlines the basic features and regulatory requirements for a tax program that provides financial incentives for clean technology development through renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Recognizing the Benefits of Energy Efficiency in Multifamily Underwriting
January 2012 | Source: Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation
This collaborative study examines a dataset of 231 energy efficiency retrofit projects for multifamily buildings in New York City. It assesses trends in pre- and post-retrofit building performance, analyzes the reliability of energy savings projections, and frames an approach for incorporating these projections into underwriting and financing of energy efficiency projects.
Building Retrofit Industry and Market (BRIM) Market Research Scan
October 2011 | Source: Rockefeller Foundation
This paper explores research from the Innovation Network for Communities (INC) on the different building retrofit market segments.
October 2011 | Source: City of Berkeley
This joint project among the cities of Berkley, Oakland, and Emeryville is aimed at developing effective strategies to increase energy efficiency in communities and multifamily properties.
What Have We Learned from Energy Efficiency Financing Programs?
September 2011 | Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
This report is written for energy efficiency program planners and implementers, and it summarizes the results and lessons learned from energy efficiency finance programs that have moved beyond the initial start-up phase. The report is part of a series aimed at providing a set of tools that make it easier for states, municipalities, utilities, and private lenders to learn from past experience and offer effective energy efficiency programs going forward.
Building a Business Ecosystem for Energy Efficiency: Turning Savings Into Value
April 2011 | Source: Booz Allen Hamilton
This paper analyzes the potential for a self-sustaining growth market in energy efficiency and discusses the essential improvements in the business environment that are required for clear, prioritized action from businesses and governments.
Multifamily Utility Usage Data: Issues and Opportunities
April 2011 | Source: Living Cities Foundation
This paper identifies the major utility usage databases in use or under development for multifamily rental housing and explores how these databases and associated analytic tools interact with the simulation models most commonly used to predict energy usage for retrofits, as well as the intersection of national green building standards and usage data. It also analyzes the desirability, feasibility, and key obstacles to creating a more conducive environment for the collection, use, and leveraging of multifamily utility usage data.
January 2011 | Source: CoStar Group
This study examines the rental rate dynamics of green commercial office properties in the San Francisco and Washington DC metropolitan areas. It analyzes the difference and dynamics of rental rate premiums in green properties and non-green properties.
October 2010 | Source: Climate Strategy & Partners
This paper discusses cost effective opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings and, therefore, improve living quality and greenhouse gas levels. It identifies engaging adequate financing, supportive policy, and broad-scale education initiatives as keys to unlocking this largely untapped global opportunity.
An Awakening in Energy Efficiency: Financing Private Sector Building Retrofit
August 2010 | Source: Johnson Controls
This paper analyzes the barriers to energy efficiency retrofit projects, including the lack of capital availability, and describes the various measures and financing mechanisms that mitigate these challenges and support a changing energy efficiency retrofit landscape.
2010 | Source: Greenprint Foundation
This report expands the global standards for measuring and benchmarking energy and emissions across the global property industry with a transparent, accessible, and robust dataset of commercial property energy and emissions performance.
April 2008 | Source: CoStar Group
This study compares data from energy star and LEED certified buildings to that of non-energy star or Non-LEED certified office property and calls for further research on the subject. It analyzes the results of this data comparison and examines the benefits of profit-motivated investments in sustainable real estate.
The Case for Investing in Energy Productivity
February 2008 | Source: McKinsey Global Institute
This report builds upon prior research by the McKinsey Global Institute and McKinsey’s Global Energy and Materials Practice. It examines the microeconomic underpinnings of global energy demand and assesses the additional investment and key actions needed to capture the potential to boost energy productivity.
October 2003 | Source: Capital E
This extensive analysis of the financial cost and benefits of green building examines payback rate of energy efficiency investments. It also tracks the both predictable and unpredictable sources of financial benefits, which range from energy, waste, and water savings to productivity and health benefits.