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Research and Data

Building Monitoring Data and Research

Research roundups drawn from published federal agency reports, academic studies, and industry analyses. This section provides the statistical foundation behind the claims made throughout this site, with primary sources cited and linked.

Research Roundups

What Is in This Section

Building Stock

Small Commercial Building Statistics

Published data on the U.S. small commercial building stock: total building count (5.9 million), size distribution (97% under 100,000 sq ft), median building age (36 years), energy use by building type, BAS adoption rates by size category, and the documented energy savings opportunity. Sources include EIA CBECS, PNNL, Nexus Labs, and CRE.

Cost Data

Building Monitoring Cost Data and Research

Published data on what building automation systems actually cost: the $2.50 to $7 per square foot installed range, why labor accounts for 50 to 75 percent of project budgets, the 2.3x regional cost variation documented by NREL (Dallas $779K vs. NYC $1.8M for the same 30,000 sq ft reference building), and what this cost structure means for small building economics. Sources include NREL 2022 and PNNL 2017.

Editorial Note

How We Use and Cite Research

The research cited throughout this site comes from federal agencies (PNNL, NREL, EIA, EPA, DOE), academic institutions, and published industry analyses. We link to primary sources wherever possible so you can read the original research, not just our summary of it.

We do not cite vendor-produced research as primary evidence for market-size or savings-potential claims. Vendor studies have obvious incentive problems. Where a vendor study is the only available source on a specific point, we note it as such.

If you find an error in how we have represented a study’s findings, see our corrections policy. We update pages when errors are identified and note the correction at the bottom of the affected page.

The two most important primary sources for understanding the small commercial building opportunity are the PNNL 2017 analysis of building controls energy savings potential (29% average, 48.8% for schools) and the NREL 2022 analysis of BAS costs (labor 50-75%, 2.3x regional variation). Both are linked from the data pages in this section.
Explore Further

Other Resources

Learn: Topic Explainers

Foundational explainers that apply this research to specific topic areas: IAQ, energy efficiency, building monitoring, compliance standards, and building automation systems.

Guides: Buying and Evaluation

Practical buying guides that use this research as context for real procurement decisions: comparing systems, evaluating costs, and knowing what to ask before you commit.

Verticals: By Building Type

Industry-specific pages that apply the research to the specific energy profile, regulations, and monitoring challenges of each building type.