Building Envelope Campaign
A building's envelope has long been an overlooked area of energy savings in commercial buildings. The envelope (windows, walls, roofs) accounts for approximately 30% of the primary energy consumed in commercial buildings. As such, it plays a key role in determining the comfort of the building, the role of natural light, and how much energy is required to heat and cool the space.
The Building Envelope Campaign (BEC) helps building owners and managers create more energy-efficient buildings by improving the performance of building envelopes in both new and existing buildings. This will be achieved by setting goals for building envelope performance, determining available energy savings, and providing technical support to building owners and managers. Contact us if you would like to get involved!
The BEC works towards three goals:
- Motivate action and increase awareness of the value of investing in high-performance building envelope technologies for both new and existing commercial buildings
- Recognize leaders adopting and achieving high-performing building envelope systems
- Demonstrate and document energy and cost savings with integrated design, construction, commissioning, and maintenance from the implementation of high-performing envelope systems
How can I get involved?
The BEC provides two pathways for involvement: participants and supporters.
Building owners and managers (or those contracted by them) who are seeking to improve the performance of their building envelopes are PARTICIPANTS. Joining as a participant allows your organization to:
- Access Campaign resources and technical expertise in evaluating envelope options;
- Stay informed on innovative envelope technologies and resources produced by the Campaign; and
- Gain recognition through the BEC website, achievement awards, and participation in case studies (pending submitting validation information and building completion).
Manufacturers, energy service companies, and researchers who are invested in the outcome of the BEC but do not manage buildings themselves join as SUPPORTERS. As a supporter, your organization can:
- Access technical expertise regarding envelope technologies;
- Partner with the BEC Team to spread the word about the Campaign, including hosting webinars; and
- Gain recognition through the BEC website.
Participating in the BEC is easy! Register on the BEC website; assess your building envelope’s performance using the assessment; submit your building for review and provide supporting documents as requested; and be recognized for leadership in building envelope energy efficiency. Entering data into the tool takes about 15 minutes, and your data is confidential.
How will participants be recognized?
Participants who have submitted eligible buildings – new construction or retrofit, commercial or multifamily residential, completed since January 2019 – will be recognized by the BEC on the website and at industry events. Recognition levels include:
Retro 30 – Retrofit building demonstrates a building envelope performance improvement of 30% over the existing building, due to implementation of building envelope improvements
Retro 50 – Retrofit building demonstrates a building envelope performance improvement of 50% over the existing building, due to implementation of building envelope improvements
Novel 20 – New building demonstrates building envelope performance improvement of 20% over code, due to incorporation of emerging high-performance envelope technologies
Novel 40 – New building demonstrates building envelope performance improvement of 40% over code, due to incorporation of emerging high-performance envelope technologies
Role Model – Building meets one of the recognition tiers AND also incorporates an additional advanced strategy or technology into their building envelopes, serving as role models within the industry
Honorable Mentions – Buildings does not meet a recognition tier but is still deserving of recognition by the Campaign – so even you aren’t quite at Retro 30 or Novel 20, please submit!
Building Envelope Campaign Webinar Series
DOE's Building Envelope Campaign is hosting a 3-part webinar series to share technical assistance and recognition opportunities through 4 of DOE's Technology Campaigns: the Building Envelope Campaign, the Healthy and Efficient Schools Campaign, the Integrated Lighting Campaign, and the upcoming Store Window and Insulating Panel Campaign. Each webinar is tailored to one of the following audiences: schools and educational facilities, multifamily buildings, and historic buildings. Learn more and register here.
Congratulations to the 2021 Building Envelope Campaign Awardees
DOE's Building Envelope Campaign is proud to recognize the following projects and organizations from the BEC's inaugural year; these 14 buildings represent 1.5 million square feet of conditioned floor area:
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These organizations shared insights into their accomplishments during the 2021 Building Envelope Campaign Recognition webinar. Click here to watch the webinar or watch the individual project highlights here.
The BEC is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its Organizing Partners, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), and the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants.
