Houston, TX: Energy performance

Better Buildings Challenge Partners strive to decrease portfolio-wide source energy use intensity (EUI) and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline. Houston's portfolio consists of more than 260 buildings and 7 million square feet.

*Houston has improved energy performance by 25% from a 2008 baseline. Energy consumption during 2020 was significantly lower than a typical year since COVID-19 disruptions resulted in temporary building closures and reduced occupancy for much of the year. Telework accommodations put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic produced the additional benefit of a significant, if temporary, reduction in energy demand and consumption across City facilities. 

Prior to the pandemic, energy, and water savings were achieved through the installation of occupancy and motion sensor lighting controls, as well as projects at Houston’s airports consisting of various energy and water efficiency efforts, including: LED lighting retrofits, PV solar array installation, Continuous Commissioning, plumbing fixture upgrades, and air conditioning systems upgrades. 

Looking at the percent improvement in energy performance across all properties can provide insight into how an organization is saving energy. Houston has achieved energy performance improvement of greater than 15% at 69 of its properties. There are 73 properties that have experienced an increase in Source EUI. These properties have been targeted for future energy efficiency improvements.

Property-level energy performance metrics, including EUI and percent improvement to date, are critical to track progress over time and identify opportunities for additional energy savings. Houston's public portfolio consists of properties with a wide range of baseline EUI values, most of which are from 200 to 400 kBtu/sq. ft. The majority of properties have shown energy improvement since 2008. The properties located near or below the 0% axis may present good opportunities for further savings.