Introduction

Abstract

Many governments worldwide are setting more stringent targets for reductions in energy use in government/public buildings. Buildings constructed more than 10 years ago account for a major share of energy used by the building stock, yet the funding and “know-how” (applied knowledge) available for owner-directed energy retrofit projects has not kept pace with new requirements. In 2009, the International Energy Agency’s Energy in Buildings and Communities Program (IEA-EBC) Annex 46 conducted research to identify and analyze more than 400 energy efficiency measures that can be used when buildings are retrofitted. It is found that when a limited number of these core technologies are implemented together (i.e., “bundled”) in a Deep Energy Retrofit, they can often significantly reduce energy use for a smaller investment and faster payback. This Guide focuses on Deep Energy Retrofit of public buildings constructed before the 1980s with low internal loads undergoing major renovation. The target audience for this Guide are technical experts: Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and general contractors; design, architectural and engineering professionals; and manufacturers of energy efficient products and systems. It can be also of interest to building owners and to executive decision makers and energy managers of public, governmental, and military organizations.