The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Better Buildings Challenge recognized Placer County, CA, for improving efficiency across its footprint by 20 percent over a ten-year period, according to Proud Green Building News. The showcase project, the Granlibakken Conference Center and Resort, expects to cut energy use by 43 percent and save as much as $44,000 annually, according to the press release.
The 14,680-square foot conference center is replacing obsolete refrigerators, dishwashers and stove-hood exhaust systems with energy efficient equipment. The HVAC system also has been modified, the press release says. The project is being financed by mPOWER Placer, which is using the property assess clean energy (PACE) financing model.
Measuring savings is a key, whether in the Better Buildings Challenge or elsewhere. Early results from the first year of a three-year DOE study of building codes suggest that the metrics are working. The states in the study are North Carolina, Maryland, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.
