Don’t let the title mislead you. Rather than donning our swimsuits and catching some waves, we spent a few days at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International Conference. This year’s event was once again well attended by real estate companies, building management organizations and suppliers who brought together cutting edge products for building operations and automation. The show floor was a maze of exhibits – from high tech energy savings applications to clean tech products and services. The constant whirlwind of visitors helped make it a successful show.

It was reported that AHSRAE’s 90.1, the energy standard for buildings, is being updated this year and will be released in the fall. The 2010 version will facilitate a 20+ percent increase in energy efficiency over the original 2004 version. While more research on construction materials and building envelope design makes it tougher to gain more energy efficiencies, this opens doors for new techniques and innovative products. Consequently, energy savings encompassed the theme of several technical presentations. Techniques, including advanced ventilation, are in demand as building owners seek new ways to reduce their building’s carbon footprint and improve bottom lines through energy cost savings. VOC reduction remains a priority for a healthier work environment, while VOC detection for demand controlled ventilation enables buildings to reduce energy consumption and control indoor air quality.

Not surprisingly, buildings are the primary consumer of energy worldwide, and it’s for this reason that the federal government developed a vision to reduce building energy consumption 30 percent by 2020. Industry advances like the ones seen at the BOMA conference are what will propel this vision forward. Cheers to energy efficiency and healthy air.