High-performance school buildings that are designed to save energy can cost significantly less to operate than traditionally designed schools. More importantly, studies have shown that optimized school environments that include natural daylight and a connection to the outdoors can enhance students' ability to learn

Using energy-efficient design and technologies in new office buildings can cut energy costs significantly. But strategies for connecting a facility with its exterior environment have the potential to also enhance the interior environment, resulting in much more valuable employee productivity increases.

Retail stores have diverse loads, long operating hours, and high occupancy in the evenings. Planning for energy-efficient retail buildings starts in the design stages and should involve careful consideration for lighting, refrigeration, cooking, and space-conditioning systems and how they integrate together.

Single-story manufacturing and distribution facilities, whether conditioned or not, are prime candidates for the use of natural skylighting systems to reduce the amount of lighting required during the day. Additionally, manufacturing process and space conditioning systems sometimes can provide opportunities for integration leading to energy savings.

Hospital and laboratory energy use is dominated by the need to condition air for proper temperature and humidity conditions and to maintain safe and healthy environments by exhausting potentially hazardous air. Integrated energy efficiency design can reduce the high energy costs associated with these systems while meeting the demands of these specialized building types.

Libraries offer the opportunity to demonstrate energy efficiency design strategies in a place that is a literal and symbolic gateway to knowledge in the community. Public assembly buildings such as auditoriums and arenas have very specific and oftentimes intensive energy requirements tied closely to time of use.