Energy Use and Design Options for Texas State Buildings

This report summarizes the first phase of the program to reduce energy use in proposed new construction in state-owned buildings. The Energy Systems Group of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University worked jointly with the Energy Management Center (EMC) of the Governor's Office (formerly the Energy Efficiency Division of the Public Utility Commission) and the State Purchasing and General Services Commission (SPGSC). A total of six buildings were analyzed. One of the buildings had just been completed when this project was initiated in 1986. The other five buildings were in various design phases.In 1984, the Office of Governor in the State of Texas, working through the Energy Efficiency Division of the Public Utility Commission, instituted a program to reduce the energy costs in state owned buildings. One facet of this program was the reduction of energy use of all new buildings constructed for state agencies. The first phase of this program was to estimate the energy use of new buildings corresponding to current construction practices in state facilities and to make recommendations for improvements. This phase also included an evaluation of how building standards might impact the energy use of new construction. The second phase includes the development and implementation of energy standards for all new construction. It should be noted that the report does not investigate the economic impact of the proposed changes