Abstract

In 1993 an energy design assistance service (Energy Assets) was introduced in Minnesota that engineered rapid social changes towards energy efficiency through integrated building design. The program achieves success in altering traditional design team synergies by providing new information to designers and owners early in the design through a credible process and by following up with an implementation-verification procedure. For each building, approximately 70 alternative strategies are evaluated without compromising the design aesthetics.

By early 2001, the program had addressed over 31 million square feet, an average energy savings of 28% compared to the local energy code, and with an estimated annual savings of $12.4 million in operating energy costs and reduction of 46 peak Megawatts. The Energy Assets process is now standard practice for many design firms, with a steady acceleration in the number of buildings served by the program. Through repeated interaction with the program, the design and client communities have also improved their baseline designs.