— By Keith Gipson — Using a building’s thermal mass for efficient energy management. Efficient energy usage has been, and continues to be, one of the hottest topics in the building management industry. Each year, businesses spend tens of billions of dollars on power consumption operating lights, computer equipment, process equipment and HVAC. HVAC typically accounts for the highest percentage of the utility costs for most commercial buildings. Data from the hospitality industry, for example, indicates that hotels spend in excess of $2,000 per room on energy costs annually …