Operations & Maintenance
Greening existing buildings has immediate benefits for owners, occupants, and the planet. And new buildings that look good on paper need a successful handoff to operations. That often includes a year or more—even after commissioning—of working out the kinks in sophisticated systems. Every member of the design team needs to be involved in developing the O&M manual and even sometimes training facility personnel and future occupants.
Operations & Maintenance
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Retrocommissioning: Big Savings for Big Buildings
Feature Article
Retrocommissioning or RCx can be a valuable tool for commercial building owners. RCx addresses the same scope as new building commissioning but is performed on existing buildings. RCx can improve building performance, save energy and money-especially for large buildings.
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Measuring Energy Use in Buildings: Do Our Metrics Really Add Up?
Feature Article
How much energy our buildings use matters a great deal, but figuring out how to measure that use and compare it from building to building is tricky. Here's a guide to key metrics and how to use them.
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Energy Reporting: It's the Law
Feature Article
As building owners comply with new laws to report energy use, the data may change the industry-and the act of reporting it already has.
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Design Strategies for Occupant Engagement—and Why They Boost Performance
Feature Article
Researchers reveal simple ways to empower occupants to reduce energy, water, and waste. It all starts with good design.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Putting the “Pre” in Post-Occupancy Evaluations
Infographic
Don’t just take a survey and walk away. There’s a better way to do POEs that can dovetail with the integrative process, improve project outcomes, and save clients money.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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HOBO Data Loggers: No Longer Just for Researchers
Product Review
Understanding how buildings work is becoming more and more important, and Onset Computer offers a wide range of HOBO data loggers to serve this need.
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Making Wall Outlets Safer—and Smarter
Product Review
In addition to protecting against electric shock and fire, SafePlug uses RFID tags to help track energy use from individual appliances and turn them on and off remotely.
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For a Low-Maintenance Green Roof, Give Plants Better Soil
Product Review
Inventors of the WaterGrip growing medium say it supports near-miraculous growth—but do their claims hold as much water as their soil?
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A “Waterless” Urinal Without the Odor
Product Review
Sloan’s Hybrid urinal is water efficient and uses a pre-programmed, bi-weekly rinse that minimizes odor and maintenance problems.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Existing Buildings a Promising Investment, Say Global Firms
News Analysis
Policies and creative financing tools are key to boosting building retrofits, says a World Economic Forum report.
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Report: For Better Buildings, We Need Better Data
News Analysis
With CBECS fading, where can we turn for reliable building performance data?
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EBie Award Winners Announced for 2013
News Analysis
EBies honor the people behind this year's most impressive performance improvements in existing buildings.
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NYC Buildings Gain Three Energy Star Points in Year Two
News Analysis
Although data quality remains rough, multifamily buildings and water use information released for the first time provides fodder for research in energy efficiency.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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On the Path to Net Zero
Op-Ed
At Leonard Farm, we’ve taken another big step in our quest for net-zero energy and net-zero carbon—but we’re not there yet!
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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World’s Smartest Building Shuts Down
April Fools
The Beacon of Hope, which once held the promise of making buildings and humanity better, has had to shut down due to problems with its artificial intelligence platform.
