Commercial

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), “businesses, federal, state, and local governments own, operate, and use 93 billion square feet of U.S. real estate, and account for 18 percent (or 18 quadrillion Btu) of U.S. primary energy use—more than all of Canada's energy consumption—and $190 billion in energy expenditures every year.

“Commercial buildings consume 13.6 quads of electricity (35 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S.) and generate 826 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions (16 percent of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions). Reducing energy use in commercial buildings would have tremendous positive impact on our environment and energy security and would save money that can be used to help grow U.S. businesses. In addition, energy efficiency in commercial buildings creates good, skilled, and needed jobs in construction and technology, such as engineers, commissioning agents, energy managers, and building operators.