Operations & Maintenance

​​​The Role of the Envelope in Energy Efficiency

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative states, “The building envelope, which includes the walls, windows, roof, and foundation, forms the primary thermal barrier between the interior and exterior environments. With envelope technologies accounting for approximately 30% of the primary energy consumed in residential and commercial buildings, it plays a key role in determining levels of comfort, natural lighting, ventilation, and how much energy is required to heat and cool a building.”

While it is easy to think of the envelope as more of a design issue, there are many operational and maintenance components of the envelope to ensure a building is operating at maximum efficiency. The key components of the envelope related to operations and maintenance are as follows: 

• Doors 

• Façade 

• Insulation 

• Roof 

• Seals/Leaks 

• Windows 

It is critical to examine the building envelope before making any significant investments in internal system upgrades. As one engineering consulting firm states, “If you are planning an HVAC upgrade, consider a building envelope inspection first. When there are insulation issues and air leaks, even the most efficient HVAC units in the market waste energy. By optimizing the building envelope first, you can then upgrade to more efficient equipment of a smaller capacity.”