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A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings

Full Title: A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings
Author(s): Andrew Satchwell, Mary Ann Piette, Aditya Khandekar, Jessica Granderson, Natalie Mims Frick, Ryan Hledik, Ahmad Faruqui, Long Lam, Stephanie Ross, Jesse Cohen, Kitty Wang, Daniela Urigwe, Dan Delurey, Monica Neukomm, David Nemtzow
Publisher(s): U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Publication Date: May 17, 2021
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

Since Thomas Edison threw the switch at the world’s first commercial power plant in 1882 to power 400 lamps, buildings have consumed the lion’s share of U.S. electricity, and today account for three-fourths of the total and even more at peak. Yet, buildings consume power indifferent to grid conditions, blind to the high costs and threats to reliability posed by high peak demand and grid stress; inflexible to opportunities offered by variable, carbon- free renewable power sources; and senselessly missing the smart and connected technology revolution.

Grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) can remake buildings into a major new clean and flexible energy resource. GEBs combine energy efficiency and demand flexibility with smart technologies and communications to inexpensively deliver greater affordability, comfort, productivity, renewables integration and high performance to America’s homes and commercial buildings.

The stakes could not be higher for the U.S. and for power consumers; national adoption of GEBs brings new value measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming two decades. Given the enormous untapped opportunity, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is announcing a national goal for GEBs: To triple the energy efficiency and demand flexibility of the buildings sector by 2030 relative to 2020 levels.

This Roadmap includes 14 key recommendations that should be taken by a broad array of market and policy actors.

All statements and/or propositions in discussion prompts are meant exclusively to stimulate discussion and do not represent the views of OurEnergyPolicy.org, its Partners, Topic Directors or Experts, nor of any individual or organization. Comments by and opinions of Expert participants are their own.

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