Commercial Building Activities
The Building Technologies Office commercial buildings effort researches and deploys advanced technologies and systems to reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings. Industry partners and national laboratories help identify market needs and solutions to accelerate the development of highly energy-efficient buildings. This page outlines some of BTO's key projects.
179d Tax Calculator 
The 179d Calculator can help determine whether improvements qualify for a Federal tax deduction, and allows owners and managers to estimate energy cost savings of efficiency improvements.
Advanced Energy Design Guides
These recommendations can help designers achieve between 30% and 50% energy savings in a new commercial building.
Advanced Energy Retrofit Guides
These recommendations can help designers achieve significant energy savings upgrading an existing building.
Asset Score
Under development, this project will allow building owners, managers, and operators to accurately assess their building's energy performance.
Buildings Performance Database
This project is a decision-support platform that enables engineering and financial practitioners to evaluate energy efficiency improvements in commercial and residential buildings.
Data Centers and Servers
DOE develops and provides easy to execute strategies for controlling data centers electricity consumption.
Energy Modeling Software
Energy modeling using simulation software assists designers in making critical decisions about a building's design early in the process.
Energy Management and Global Superior Energy Performance
This activity encourages owners and operators of industrial and large commercial buildings to continuously improve energy efficiency through organization-wide energy management systems.
Research
DOE researches and demonstrates advanced technologies and systems to improve the energy performance of commercial buildings.
SEE Action
The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network is an effort that helps states, utilities, and other local stakeholders implement best practice energy efficiency policies and programs.
Standard Energy Efficiency Data Platform
The Standard Energy Efficiency Data Platform is a software tool that allows state and local governments and building owners to easily manage energy data for a large number of buildings.
Technology Demonstrations
DOE works with industry site hosts and manufacturers to assess the performance of cutting edge technologies in real commercial buildings.
Technology Performance Exchange Project
Under development, the Technology Performance Exchange Project will assist building owners and operators by providing equipment performance data they can use in their own business case assessments.
Workforce Development and Training
DOE facilitates the development of commercial building workforce guidance in career fields considered key to achieving the highest levels of energy efficiency in commercial buildings.
Commercial Building Partnerships
Companies involved in this partnership project work with the DOE on a specific retrofit or new construction building projects in order to achieve whole-building energy savings
Commercial Building Energy Alliance
These informal associations of commercial building owners and operators work to develop resources and best practices to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in their industry.
Better Buildings Challenge
This national leadership initiative calls on corporate officers, university presidents, and local leaders to progess towards the goal of making American buildings 20 percent more energy-efficient by 2020.
High Performance Green Building Partnership Consortia
The High-Performance Green Building Partnership Consortia are groups from the public and private sectors recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for their commitment to high-performance green buildings.