Reference Sources will help you quickly learn the language of the professional field. Here are some recommended sources you can access online:
Green Business: An A-Z Guide. Sage: Thousand Oaks, 2010
Green Energy: An A-Z Guide. Sage: Thousand Oaks, 2010.
You will need to use books, articles, and open access web sites to research this topic. See the related boxes on this page for detailed information about these resources:
Books: The Library Catalog will help you find books. Use OneSearch from the library homepage.
Databases: There are several different article databases that will help you find relevant journal articles.
You can browse articles online in the library database to gather ideas. Here are some selected articles from recent publications.
There are many useful documents from U.S. Government Agencies:
Energy efficiency trends in residential and commercial buildings [electronic resource] U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, [2008].
Check out figure 18 on page 15 for a break down of energy uses in homes!
The Library Catalog will connect you to print and electronic books on your topic. Be aware while searching that the Library Catalog database uses very structured language. For example, books about solar houses can be found under these headings:
High-efficient low-cost photovoltaics : recent developments by 
Sustainability, Energy and Architecture by
This unique volume offers insights from renowned experts in energy efficient building from the world over, providing a multi-faceted overview of the state-of-the-art in energy efficient architecture. It opens by defining what constitutes a sustainable building, suggesting bases for sorely needed benchmarks, then explains the most important techniques and tools available to engineers and architects exploring green building technologies. It covers such pivotal issues as daylighting, LED lighting, integrating renewables such as solar thermal and cooling, retrofitting, LEED and similar certification efforts, passive houses, net-zero and close-zero structures, water recycling, and much more. Highlighting best practices for commercial buildings and private homes, in widely varied climates and within vastly different socio-economic contexts, this illustrated reference will guide architects and engineers in making sustainable choices in building materials and methods. Explains the best methods and materials to support energy efficient building Features case studies by experts from a dozen countries, demonstrating how sustainable architecture can be achieved in varied climates and economies Covers both new constructions and retrofitting of existing structures
Design for sustainability: a practical approach by 
Ecological design handbook by In addition to Government agencies, there are non-profit organizations promoting sustainable design.