June Top 10 Solutions
The 10 most-viewed resources on the Better Buildings Solution Center from the past month include a new Finance and Resilience toolkit, guidance for creating a Smart Labs program, and webinars on building operations and efficiency during unpredictable times. Check them out!
1. Managing HVAC Systems to Reduce Infectious Disease Transmission – NEW!
This webinar features expert insights on ways to manage buildings to minimize the risk of infectious disease transmission and what practices to avoid, as well as a review of guidance from ASHRAE and other built environment organizations. Read more.
2. Managing Buildings During a Shutdown and Bringing Them Back Online – NEW!
This webinar features helpful strategies for navigating building efficiency and operations when unoccupied, as well as ways to rebuild occupant trust, improve safety, and mitigate risks when reopening. Read more.
3. Finance and Resilience Toolkit for Commercial Buildings – NEW!
Research shows that resilience and financial performance are closely linked. This toolkit includes resources and case studies to help commercial building owners develop a plan for measuring, managing, and mitigating resilience risk to help preserve the value of their properties, protect occupants, and attract investment. Read more.
4. Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities (CELICA) Toolkit
Low-income households spend about 8% of their income on energy costs, three times more than average. Better Buildings Accelerator partners committed $335 million to help 155,000 low-income households access energy efficiency and renewable energy benefits, collecting resources and lessons learned into the CELICA Toolkit. The toolkit includes a guide to program development and replicable program models for single-family and multifamily housing, as well as community solar. Read more.
5. Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Toolkit
This collection of resources enables state and local communities to benefit from the experience of partners who have successfully established and implemented performance contracting. It includes best practices and innovative approaches that states, cities, and K-12 schools have used. Users can easily find the information they need at each stage of their ESPC decision-making process. Read more.
6. InterContinental Hotels Group: Green Engage™ Sustainability Platform
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) created the IHG Green Engage™ system to manage its energy, water, and waste reduction efforts in a global, franchised business environment. The platform allows hotels to track, measure, and report on their carbon footprint and utility consumption and offers more than 200 ‘Green Solutions’ with detailed technical guidance that hotels can employ on-site to achieve greater sustainability. Green Engage can help hotels save up to 25% – about $90,000 – annually on energy. Read more.
7. Green Revolving Funds Toolkit
This collection of solutions provides guidance on establishing a green revolving fund to overcome a lack of dedicated capital. A green revolving fund is an internal capital pool dedicated to funding energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability projects that generate cost savings. A portion of those savings is then used to replenish the fund, establishing an ongoing funding vehicle to help drive energy efficiency and sustainability investment over time. Read more.
8. Smart Labs Accelerator Toolkit — NEW!
This toolkit features a step-by-step guide to help your organization plan, assess, optimize, and manage a Smart Labs program to reduce energy intensity, mitigate safety and health risks, and improve ventilation in laboratory buildings. The toolkit also includes tasks, resources, and other deliverables to direct you through a systems-based management approach. Read more.
9. Schneider Electric: Integrated Building Management Tool
The EcoStruxure Building Advisor tool uses inputs from building management systems and connected devices and applies analytics to make recommendations to technical support staff and management for opportunities to reduce maintenance costs, increase comfort, and save energy. Read more.
10. Better Plants: Basics of Energy — NEW!
This webinar explores the basics of industrial energy and a systematic approach to improve its efficiency, including how to perform energy accounting, utility bill analysis, energy benchmarking, and the benefits of these activities. The webinar also covers energy-related codes and standards, software tools, and technical resources for industrial energy efficiency. Read more.