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Over the last several years, many companies have turned to cloud computing to help them further their sustainability goals.
By storing data and software virtually, which is accessible from our laptops and desktops, they eliminate the need to run their own data centers, while also reducing energy and electronics waste.
But cloud computing also allows people to collaborate and share data in ways they've never been able to in the past. At the same time, the cloud offers a high degree of computational power that may unleash a revolution in the way we design buildings.
A GreenBiz.com webcast held this week explored the potential of the cloud to change building design. It was a high-level view of the opportunities, current struggles and ways in which vendors are trying to bridge the gap.
First, a little background on where we're at. It turns out we don't know as much as we need to know about the way buildings perform. There's a few reasons for this, according to Steve Sanderson, a founding partner of virtual design and construction consultancy CASE.
He noted that lots of people set energy reduction targets for buildings, many referencing the 2030 Challenge, which asks the worldwide architecture community to commit to carbon neutral building operations by 2030.
"While this is an ambitious and admirable goal, the fundamental issue is we have absolutely no idea how well we're actually doing," Sanderson said.
The problem: Energy code practice is based on expected energy use of a theoretical sample of buildings that all meet code requirements, which is entirely different from using actual measured building energy use as a basis for determining progress toward those goals and are often too optimistic.
It gets worse: The building industry has no building performance data that can be used for comparison. The U.S. Energy Information Administration Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey used to fill this role but for a variety of reasons, the last useful data set is from 2003, with budget cuts finally axing the program earlier this year.
In other words, buildings across the country are earning green rating points based on theoretical models and obsolete data.
Great point Tilde, "Green"
Great point Tilde, "Green" buildings are being recognized for design practices that may or may not have anything to do with their operational efficiency vis-a-vis energy productivity, useful work per kW.
Case in point, recently I used the soon to be released EPA ENERGY STAR for existing homes energy analysis tool and applied it very precisely to my home. One with 15 years of actual energy use.
Well the 'building design" scored in the Bin 6 category for our area, So Cal, the most benign, (scale 1 - 10 with 1 worst and 10 best). However when you measure the building on Actual Data, the results are amazingly different. Our total energy use out us well below the Bin 10 level.
Which is exactly what an energy efficiency practitioner like me would expect.
But the EPA does not want to recognize the building as a 10, and award an ENERGY STAR rating as the Design is not Bin 10.
Rubbish!