Advancing Construction Through the Buildings Workforce

Abstract

Buildings are America’s energy hogs, consuming more than 70% of all electricity and more than 50% of all natural gas produced across the country.1 Achieving a clean energy future requires us to reinvent how buildings manage energy resources and how consumers demand it. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing in a range of technological advancements that are paving the way to a future in which buildings are no longer simply energy consumers, but rather are part of an integrated system that helps manage energy resources in a way that supports the electricity grid. This paradigm shift presents an opportunity to increase the efficiency of the built environment but will only be realized if we build a knowledgeable workforce to design, construct, and operate these high-performance buildings2 in step with the rate of technological advancement.