Greenbuild 2009: Model to Building to Grid - Building Priorities Briefing (Energy Priorities)

In this final Briefing of 2009: The New York Times building uses an approach called "total light management" to shave 70 percent off its lighting energy use. We'll hear how they decided on that approach, how it works, and how it's working. Plus: Denis Du Bois interviews Siemens on the building-to-smart-grid interface, and Autodesk on how building information modeling could accelerate the certification process for green buildings. (podcast)

by Denis Du Bois
December 18, 2009

Podcast

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Theme music: Alexander Blu
Energy Minute music: Chris Keister

Program notes & transcripts

This is the second of two Briefings on the Greenbuild Conference and Expo.

Lighting is one of the easiest sources of energy efficiency in a commercial building. It's also an important source of points for LEED certification.

Designers are using a technique called Building Information Modeling to predict how a building will perform with various lighting alternatives, among other things.

And utilities are eyeing the smart grid as a way to reach beyond the meter and "buy extra energy from buildings" in the form of energy savings -- by dimming lights, for example.

So we have a director from Siemens to talk about the interface between buildings and the smart grid. And someone from Autodesk to talk about the relationship between building information modeling and LEED certification.

And as promised, we have two more lighting products to report on from the Greenbuild Expo.

This concludes year two for the Building Priorities Briefing.

Next year will bring some interesting topics -- the Winter Olympics in Vancouver BC, the development of carbon policies worldwide, the continued rise of sustainable energy as a central theme in business and, we hope, the spread of recovery throughout the global economy.

The Building Priorities Briefing is spreading, too. The more people we reach, the faster we can affect positive change. So if you hear this program on your local radio station, call and thank them. If you listen to it on iTunes, rate the podcast. If you listen at the web site, share the link through e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.

You can follow us on Twitter, our name there is "@cleantech."

Our special thanks go to those who appeared on the program this year, like the US Green Building Council, the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Van Jones, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Autodesk, and too many others to list. You're what makes the show interesting. Thanks.

From all of us here at Energy Priorities Magazine, happy new year!