Much of the government's effort to persuade the citizenry to curb energy usage has been concentrated in the residential sector. But 32 percent of the electricity generated in the United States goes to heat, cool, light, and ventilate commercial structures.

Which is why the Energy Department is joining with the private sector in an effort to focus on improving the utility, comfort, quality and cost-effectiveness of efficiency in office, industrial and retail structures. The goal is to save businesses money and reduce the impact of energy generation on global climate change and the environment.

The Commercial High Performance Buildings project will identify and publicize innovative "whole building" approaches that improve the quality and efficiency of non-residential buildings.

Architects who subscribe to the whole building approach consider the structure as a complete system rather than a collection of independent components. Such a strategy can have significant effects on design and construction, resulting in, say, a smaller, more efficient and less expensive HVAC system or other money saving improvements.

The venture is bringing together a diverse group, including not only designers but building owners and managers, engineers and allied professionals, HVAC equipment makers, insulation manufacturers and other producers of building materials, even interior working environment specialists.

The focus of the project's initial phase will be on raising awareness among these professionals of noteworthy buildings that save energy and are environmentally sustainable. Later, the venture will look at buildings and developments that demonstrate high performance site assessment and design.

Information on high performance commercial buildings is available at www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/highperformance/

Published: May 17, 2000

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.