Why build better?
Because it’s good for our environment, it’s good for business, and new revisions to the ASHRAE/IESN 90.1 standards for 2010 aim to increase building energy efficiency by 30 percent, with a long-term goal of net-zero energy buildings in 2030.

And it makes good cents.
Consider these facts from the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

• 18% of U.S. energy was consumed by commercial buildings in 2007
  
  
• 36% of this energy went toward heating or cooling
  
  
• 30% of a building’s average operating costs go to energy
  
  
• 60% of energy is lost through walls, roofs, and foundations

The bottom line: Reducing energy use 30 percent lowers operating costs by $25,000 per year for every 50,000 square feet of office space.