Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance Subcommittees
The Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance (CREEA) subcommittees encompass six areas in commercial real estate buildings and operations that require best practices toolkits and research into innovative, cost-effective technologies.
Each subcommittee is made up of members who can identify and take advantage of design, retrofit, and operations & maintenance (O&M) energy efficiency opportunities. Working groups established under each subcommittee are tasked with specific projects to meet the subcommittee's goals.
All subcommittee work is done in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), national laboratories, and suppliers. All commercial real estate professionals who would like to join CREEA should choose a subcommittee of interest.
Lighting: Members of the Lighting and Electrical subcommittee will work with DOE, national laboratories, and suppliers to identify, and promote the development of, cost-effective, high-quality interior and exterior building and parking lot lighting technologies that reduce energy consumption. In addition, members will work to improve the energy efficiency of other electrical equipment and plug loads.
HVAC: Members of the HVAC subcommittee will develop a repository of cost and energy saving data from commercial building pilot projects and best practices for HVAC systems. Members will work with DOE, national laboratories, and suppliers to develop more energy-efficient HVAC systems, as well as tools for analysis and implementation. Members will also identify heat recovery opportunities and explore building envelope improvements and dehumidification techniques that can reduce the energy consumption of HVAC systems.
Hospitality: Members of the Hospitality subcommittee will work with DOE, national laboratories, and suppliers to improve energy-efficiency and water usage technologies that impact overall building energy usage specific to their commercial buildings sub-sector. Hospitality-relevant technologies include laundry systems, restaurant technologies, and technologies with a lodging space specific focus, among others. This subcommittee may leverage individual technology findings from other subcommittees as needed.
Shopping Center/Retail: Members of the Shopping Center subcommittee will work with DOE, national laboratories, and suppliers to improve the energy efficiency of technologies specific to their commercial buildings sub-sector. Shopping center sub-sector areas include retail space, plug and process loads, and restaurant technologies, among others. This subcommittee may leverage individual technology findings from other subcommittees as needed.
Whole Building Integration/Renewable Energy: The Whole Building Integration subcommittee will work with DOE, national laboratories, and suppliers to identify, and promote the development of, cost-effective building system integration strategies and technologies that reduce energy consumption in new buildings. The subcommittee will explore water-efficiency practices for commercial buildings that reduce energy usage for water heating and transport, and will investigate and promote the use of renewable materials and renewable energy in new construction projects.
Existing Buildings: The Existing Buildings subcommittee will work with DOE, national laboratories, and suppliers to identify, and promote the development of, cost-effective technologies and operating strategies that reduce energy consumption in existing commercial buildings. The subcommittee will explore energy-efficiency practices, and will investigate and promote the business case for retrofitting existing building stock. Additionally, members will help identify innovative solutions to improve marketplace adoption of energy-efficiency technologies. As an example, the subcommittee might work with utilities to improve controls and/or information systems that would drive energy efficiency.