Buildings are where the majority people in modern societies spend most of their time, whether in homes, commercial buildings, industrial facilities or retail complexes. The design and construction of buildings require a large investment of time, money and other resources. Then they require additional resources for running costs and maintenance. Bad design can greatly increase energy consumption over the whole lifetime of the building. Fortunately, good building design can greatly reduce energy consumption during construction and ongoing throughout a building's life. - Description added by: David Lockie

Commercial here refers to organisations, information, products and services relevant to the business environment. The buildings and offices in which business activities take place often have large energy demands to power information technology, heating, cooling and lighting and numerous appliances. Click the picture to the right to explore our interactive commercial environment. - Description added by: David Lockie