Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are developing new approaches for energy use and emissions mitigation in the built environment, where global demand is growing for better technology and tools to support efficiency in building design, construction, and operations.
A new gift from Yardi®, an investment and property management software developer, will support cross-campus research efforts coordinated by the UT Energy Institute to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the built real estate environment.
Yardi, based in Santa Barbara, CA, develops and supports industry-leading investment and property management software for real estate companies of all types and sizes.
“We deeply appreciate the gift from Yardi, which will help accelerate the Institute’s focus on fueling a sustainable energy transition,” said Dr. Varun Rai, director of the Energy Institute. “The Energy Institute is committed to bringing together and advancing the many energy research entities within UT. Yardi’s support enables us to catalyze and promote interdisciplinary research in this area at various schools, departments, and research units across UT.”
“The real estate industry is the fourth largest source of emissions in the U.S. The average commercial building wastes an estimated 30% of its energy consumption. There are tremendous opportunities to help occupants, owners, investors, and communities benefit from improved energy efficiency,” said Akshai Rao, vice president of energy for Yardi and a UT Austin alumnus. “UT is a leader in research that is generating breakthroughs across the spectrum of energy issues, and Yardi is pleased to aid these efforts through the Energy Institute.”