Why install a roof full of solar panels if a significant portion of the energy they generate goes to waste? While renewable energy is getting the attention it deserves because it is the cleanest and increasingly affordable source of energy, the adoption of renewable sources without first optimizing energy systems for cost savings and efficiency can lead to contention and prolong the payback period of such investments. Consider this: according to the US Department of Energy (DOE), the average commercial and industrial facility in America wastes 30 % of the energy it consumes. There is no cheaper source of energy than unused or unused energy. Rather than jumping right into a renewable energy investment, think of renewables as the third level of a gradual upward path toward reducing a building's carbon footprint. (Gary Williams)