How to Retrofit Americas

WHAT IS ENERGY USE INTESITY? Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is a measure of whole building energy used over a 12-month period, divided by the building gross floor area (GFA). The EUI is used as a universal performance metric to benchmark a building and establish its baseline performance. Additionally, many jurisdictions in North America have passed benchmarking and building performance standards that require building owners to report their EUI annually and set long-term targets to reduce EUI and carbon emissions. HOW DOES AN OFFICE USE ENERGY? North America stretches across eight climate zones— from hot and humid regions like southern Florida, southern Texas and Hawaii, to temperate regions like the South and coastal California, and cold regions like the Northeast, upper Midwest and Canada. Energy used for space conditioning can vary significantly by location, and when planning retrofits, it is paramount to understand how a building uses energy. The charts on the right are example energy-use breakdowns, showing typical energy use in office buildings in three different climate zones.

100%

7%

13%

90%

27%

80%

70%

33%

51%

14%

60%

5% 4%

4% 4%

50%

8%

7%

40%

5% 3% 4%

23%

30%

21%

16%

20%

10%

19%

18%

13%

0%

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