Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet

The document details how whole building design and climate-responsive architecture reduce energy consumption. It highlights specific features such as cool roofs, tight building shells, and Energy Star appliances, noting that energy-efficient homes can reduce heating, cooling, and hot water costs by 30 to 40 percent compared to conventional new homes. It also addresses barriers to adoption, including the high cost of retrofitting existing buildings and the lack of federal energy codes.

• Energy-efficient homes achieve heating, cooling, and hot water costs that are 30 to 40 percent lower than those of conventional new homes. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies buildings as Energy Star compliant if they exceed the 1993 national Model Energy Code by 30 percent or the state's energy code by 15 percent, whichever is more stringent.
• Specific architectural and design choices significantly impact energy use: tight building shells (including insulation and sealed doors) can reduce heat loss by 25 to 50 percent, and lightly colored 'cool roofs' can reduce cooling energy use by 40 percent compared to dark roofs.
• The adoption of energy-efficient lighting and appliances provides measurable financial and environmental gains. Replacing the five most common incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents could save a household over $60 annually and collectively prevent one trillion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Barriers to energy efficiency include the higher cost of retrofitting existing buildings compared to new construction, a lack of federal energy codes, and the fact that low-income individuals often lack the resources for upgrades despite being the most likely to live in inefficient housing.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2006). Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet. https://www.eesi.org/files/buildings_efficiency_0506.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet. 2006. https://www.eesi.org/files/buildings_efficiency_0506.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet |date=May 2006 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/buildings_efficiency_0506.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2006energy, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2006}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/buildings_efficiency_0506.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }