Build Green, Make Green. Buildings are something of an energy-efficiency blind spot in this country.

Recent record-breaking heat waves had governments from Sacramento to Washington, D.C., urging businesses and homeowners to turn down the lights and ratchet up the thermostat. The message was especially urgent last week in New York City, where City Hall and businesses teamed up to reduce the strain on the electric grid. Their concerted effort probably helped avert a blackout.

That particular heat wave is gone; the lights are back up and the thermostats down. But it would be a tragedy if that meant an end to the conversation about cutting down on unnecessary energy consumption.

Buildings are something of an energy-efficiency blind spot in this country. Public attention tends to focus largely on automobile companies and mileage, but houses and skyscrapers consume more energy than cars. According to the Energy Department, residential and commercial buildings account for 40 percent of total energy consumption in this country, versus just 28 percent for the entire transportation sector.

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/opinion/11fri3.html?_r=1&oref=slogin