A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study can be a useful way to identify improvements to a product or process.  Essentially the goal of LCA is to compare the full range of effects to provide a sound basis for reducing a product or process’s impact on the environment. But how effective are LCA studies when applied to building codes?

ASHRAE has announced an upcoming conference focusing on the industry’s ability to accurately model and simulate building energy use.  ASHRAE’s Energy Modeling Conference – Tools for Designing High Performance Buildings will take place on Oct 1-3 2012 in Atlanta, GA.

The DOE and the EPA have released the 2012 Fuel Economy Guide to assist with selection of energy efficient vehicles that save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  With a plethora of new advanced technology vehicles available on the 2012 fuel economy performers, 2012 brings new vehicle options in conventional gasoline models and clean diesels.

The City of Seattle will send letters to the owners of 8,000 buildings this week informing them of its new building energy-efficiency program. The program aims to help building owners and managers reduce their energy costs through benchmarking. By benchmarking, building owners and facility managers get insight into how their building uses and wastes energy, allowing them to improve efficiency and increase savings.

It’s clear – cleaner air in our schools is a necessary component for students’ success. But cleaner, healthier air may not be as simple as A-B-C.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has released its 2012 economic forecast for the U.S. commercial and industrial construction industry.  No surprise here – the forecast looks slow. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu examines the situation:

Consumers and professionals alike are turning more frequently to the Web to explore products, pricing and potential purchases. As e-commerce becomes more ubiquitous across all facets of life, facility managers are looking to business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce sites to provide the same navigation, search and product features of a consumer site along with the professional products and solutions for their job.

Could assembly-line techniques have value for your data center needs?  A new report from The Green Grid reveals there may be efficient, economical options in the world of modular data centers through the application of assembly-line techniques.

ASHRAE has released updated guidance for best practices, planning, and implementation of energy auditing with the second edition of “Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits”. 

A national survey commissioned by Sealed Air’s Diversey business finds that 70% of U.S. adults agree – environmental certification of a company facility would enhance their opinion of the business.