When you’re thinking about energy-efficient technologies, should you care about oil?

When it comes to the energy used by buildings today, coal and natural gas are far bigger fuel sources. Looking to the future, renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines draw much of the attention. And there are controversial efforts to increase the use of nuclear power.

Yet at the recent BOMA International conference — when Alan Greenspan talked about energy in the course of an immensely interesting keynote Q&A with outgoing BOMA chairman Kurt Padavano — Greenspan talked mostly about oil. Was he off target? Not really.

For one thing, some of the points he made were as relevant to coal-fired power plants as to pick-ups and sports cars. Talking about the federal rules for car and light truck efficiency, he observed that the effectiveness of those CAFE standards ultimately depends on the price of gasoline. In other words, if gas is expensive, consumers will think twice before buying a big SUV. Anyone who has been in the facilities field long enough knows that corporate interest in energy has risen and fallen over the years in tandem with prices.

What’s more, one big reason that energy is on people’s minds right now is that the price of a gallon of gas keeps jumping over the $3 a gallon mark (at least here in Southeast Wisconsin). Those high prices have a lot of folks thinking about the importance of energy efficiency, whether it relates to cars or buildings. So the fact that Greenspan was analyzing issues of oil supply and demand is less important than the fact that he was talking about energy in the first place.

Energy is big news these days. And that’s a point you shouldn’t overlook when you’re compiling your wish list for facility upgrades. High oil prices alone may not provide financial justification for an investment in new chillers, lighting controls or any other energy efficient technology. But those $3-a-gallon signs — coupled with concerns about energy security and climate change — may make top executives more receptive to your proposals for reducing energy use.