Are we really building more energy-efficient buildings? This particular question has plagued me for several years mostly because, on a day-to-day basis, as a mechanical contractor, I see the results of value engineering, low bids, little or no maintenance, minimal energy code enforcement, etc. in the built environment. In the spring of this year, ASHRAE put out a call for papers to be presented at their 2011 meeting in Las Vegas. On a whim I submitted an abstract, which asked a very simple, yet perhaps far more complex question than I realized, "With the increasing number of building professional certifications, improved energy codes and standards, are we really getting better buildings?" The abstract and paper were accepted by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for presentation at their meeting.
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