Autodesk and ICF Present Results of Extensive Testing on New Workflows for Rapid Energy Modeling

Companies Outline Path to Achieving Carbon Reductions in Buildings at Greenbuild Expo.

PHOENIX - Autodesk Inc and ICF International, a global professional services firm that studies climate change, have launched a study that posits a new technique to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, the world’s biggest polluters.

The findings were outlined in a joint research report entitled “Rapid Energy Modeling for Existing Buildings: Testing the Business and Environmental Potential Through an Experiment at Autodesk” presented today at Greenbuild Expo.

“Buildings represent 40 percent of global energy consumption and are the linchpin to achieving climate stabilization in a cost-effective manner,” said Lynelle Cameron, director of sustainability at Autodesk. “Rapid energy modeling has the potential to vastly accelerate the number of buildings that undergo energy assessment and subsequent upgrades.”

“The majority of buildings globally will either be new or have undergone significant renovation over the next 30 years,” said Emma Stewart, senior program lead for Autodesk’s sustainability initiative. “As our built environment undergoes a massive reboot, Autodesk aims to provide the tools necessary for our customers. Autodesk Revit and Ecotect Analysis are examples of products leading the charge.”

Autodesk and ICF worked together to interview leading architecture firms to better understand major obstacles to wide-scale green building retrofits. The study then applied rapid energy modeling techniques to six Autodesk facilities across three continents, comparing the modeling results with Autodesk’s carbon footprint data and contrasting the workflow with traditional energy modeling and energy audit approaches.

The report concludes that rapid energy modeling can be a:

* Shortcut to estimating actual energy performance with a good level of accuracy;
* Screen for high-potential buildings for renewable energy generation and carbon reductions;
* Stepping stone between basic building benchmarking and detailed audits;
* Financial tool for identifying lucrative building upgrades;
* Driver of high-quality green jobs with highly transferable skills.