Missing Ingredient in Energy-Efficient Buildings: Trained People
PULLMAN, Wash.—More than one-third of new commercial building space includes energy-saving features. However, according to a paper published in the journal Building and Environment, without training or an operator’s manual many occupants are in the dark about how to use them. Kansas State University assistant professor Julia Day started her research after a visit to an office supposedly designed for energy efficiency where she noticed that the blinds were all closed and numerous lights were turned on. The building had been designed to use daylighting strategies to save energy from electric lighting. Cabinetry and systems furniture throughout the building blocked occupants from access to the blind controls. Day then looked at more than 50 high-performing buildings across the U.S. Often, she found that sustainable building features were simply mentioned in a meeting or in a brief email sent to everyone, and people did not truly understand how their actions could affect the building’s overall energy use.
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