The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that deployment of energy management information systems (EMIS) can be used to achieve building energy savings of 10 to 20 percent. The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) further estimates that EMIS can yield savings of up to $0.47 per square foot. Despite the overwhelming savings potential, many commercial real estate decision makers are still not taking advantage of the opportunities to adopt this technology. Within the commercial real estate sector, lack of market awareness and understanding of the value of EMIS remain as hurdles and many professionals are unfamiliar with technologies beyond the common building automation system (BAS).

Implementers of utilities’ energy efficiency programs, local governments, and service providers should review the Increasing Market Uptake section (of this report) to find strategies to encourage uptake of EMIS technologies in their respective markets and jurisdictions