As COVID-19 cases rose and lockdown measures came into effect around the world, commercial building occupancy dropped dramatically, from 100% to almost zero in the space of a week in many places. Many might expect near-zero occupancy to mean near-zero energy consumption, but new data reveals that this is not the case. In fact, many offices, shopping malls, and entertainment complexes are consuming 80% or more of their usual full-occupancy energy levels, highlighting huge cost implications for businesses, building owners, and the environment. In the UK, energy performance consultants Carbon Intelligence revealed that energy use across a sample of 300 office, hotels, and retail buildings dropped on average by just 16% in the last week of March, when the government mandated that people socially distance, avoid travel, and work from home. Despite the UK’s strict social distancing measures preventing all non-essential staff from entering these buildings, the worst 10% of buildings still used approximately 97% […]