Full Title: Cost-Effective Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings: Decarbonization Potential for a US Retail Portfolio
Author(s): Cara Carmichael, Phil Keuhn, Sheldon Mendonca, Connor Usry
Publisher(s): Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
Publication Date: March 18, 2022
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs) are energy-efficient buildings that optimize energy use for grid services, occupant needs and preferences, and cost reductions in a continuous and integrated way. GEBs play a critical role in reducing energy use and emissions in our buildings and helping our power system become cleaner, while remaining reliable and affordable.
Through an extensive assessment of a large US retail portfolio, this new study recommends bundles of measures for optimized portfolio-wide investments and provides investment pathways to support decarbonization. A total of 113 stores were selected for the analysis across 43 states, seven climate zones, seven electricity tariff structures, and a variety of existing conditions to serve as a representative set for this specific big-box store portfolio.
Currently, the company is effectively managing the energy use and electricity demand of its portfolio. The stores selected for this analysis are more efficient than 94 percent of the retail strip malls in the country. Yet, this study seeks to demonstrate how even an efficient retail portfolio can cost-effectively achieve its GEB potential: how renewables, load flexibility measures, and energy efficiency can work together to reduce peak energy consumption and support a clean, resilient grid.