November Top 10 Solutions

The 10 most-viewed resources from the past month include new solutions from Jamestown, LP and MetLife Investment Management, a commercial energy financing primer, and more. Check them out!

1. Commercial Energy Financing Primer

Part of the Better Buildings Financing Navigator, this primer serves as an introduction to critical issues in energy finance for commercial buildings such as hospitality, retail, and the commercial real estate sector. It includes case studies, market data, and other resources to help leaders in the sector take advantage of innovative financing strategies. Read more.

2. K-12 Lighting Toolkit

For K-12 schools in the U.S., energy bills represent the second-highest operating expense behind salaries. By optimizing their lighting equipment and operations, K-12 schools can save up to 50% on energy use. This resource covers a wide range of K-12-specific technical implementation details, case studies, specifications, and other best practices for how to implement energy-efficient lighting in schools. Read more.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Jamestown, LP: Improving Portfolio Energy Performance Using an EMIS Checklist - NEW

Jamestown developed a checklist that maximizes the effectiveness of their advanced energy management information system (EMIS), which covers 13 properties and 2.5 million square feet. The checklist streamlined the set-up and review processes in the EMIS platform, successfully empowering building engineers and operators to more proactively manage energy use and monitor real-time results of operational improvements and equipment upgrades. Read more.

6. Commercial PACE Financing for Resiliency Toolkit

Commercial property assessed clean energy (CPACE) financing can be used to fund resiliency improvements that make buildings more resistant to natural disasters and other threats. CPACE policies and programs are becoming more widespread, making it easier for more customers to access CPACE financing. This toolkit provides the necessary information for building owners, operators, and occupants that may want to take advantage of CPACE financing to improve resiliency in their facilities. Read more.

7. Outdoor Lighting Decision Tree Tool

This decision tree provides an interactive and visual representation of scenarios and questions typically encountered in upgrading/replacing a public outdoor lighting system. The tool features successful cases and models used by cities and states to help find solutions to common barriers. Read more.

8. High-Efficiency RTU Replacement Toolkit

This toolkit helps HVAC contractors and service companies work with their customers through a step-by-step process of evaluating and managing their inventory of rooftop units (RTUs) and how to evaluate the business case for high-efficiency replacements. From an incentives database to a comparison calculator, the toolkit provides everything needed to make an informed decision regarding RTU replacements. Read more.

9. Metlife's District Center Showcase Project - NEW

Metlife Investment Management’s District Center is a “smart” commercial office building retrofitted with multiple smart tenant solutions, including apps for tenant-level control of lighting, HVAC, and other systems. Metlife also incorporated other energy-efficient features to achieve LEED Gold EB certification. Together, these features have resulted in 33% energy savings and a 31% annual cost savings of $550,000. Read more.

10. Energy Data Access: Blueprint for Action 

A product of the Better Buildings Energy Data Accelerator, this toolkit is a collection of resources to help building owners and communities overcome a lack of access to energy data for benchmarking. Resources highlight examples of effective partnerships between utilities, communities, and building owners that have helped improve access to whole-building energy data. Read more.