Integrated Retrofit Solutions for the Multitenant Light Commercial Market

Multitenant light commercial buildings are a challenging subset of California’s commercial building stock and have long been underserved with respect to energy efficiency programs, incentives, and upgrades. In this project, these buildings were defined as having 2 to 38 tenants, less than 160,000 square feet of floor space, and peak electric demand of less than 500 kilowatts. California has about 90,000 of these buildings that together consume about 26 percent of all electricity used in commercial buildings.
This project analyzed these buildings, identified specific building groups for cost-effective energy retrofit packages, and examined lighting, building envelope, mechanical, and control systems to discover energy-saving potential. The project used computer-based simulation to identify cost-effective retrofit solutions, then conducted on-site demonstrations to measure the actual costs and energy savings of the retrofits. The results provide insight into the energy investments in this sector that can most help California meet its ambitious energy goals and greenhouse gas emissions targets.