Dr. Pierce Jones
Professor, Program for Resource Efficient Communities
Pierce Jones graduated from UF in 1980 with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Professor at the University of Florida where he directs the Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC), an interdisciplinary group that promotes the adoption of “best design, construction and management practices” in master planned developments.
Residential development has been a primary driver of Florida’s economy. Direct consequences of this growth have been increasing demand for energy, water, and land. PREC supports three major built-environment initiatives:
- Continuing Education – PREC provides CEU training to built-environment professionals including building contractors, engineers, architects, landscape architects, and planners PREC publishes Energy Efficient Building Construction in Florida, a reference text for Florida’s building contractor exam, that is currently in its 10th edition.
- Measurement & Verification – H2OSAV (Water Savings, Analytics, and Verification) is a web-based, geo-visualization platform that merges property appraiser and water meter data to display water consumption by subdivisions and individual households across fifteen utility territories over multi-year timeframes. These data sets are for comparative analysis of conservation program effectiveness.
- Benchmarking –the Sustainable Floridians Benchmarking and Monitoring Program (SF-BMP) supports evaluation of resource impacts in large master-planned community developments. The program is based on annually recurring performance evaluations that directly compare resource-efficiency indicators to measured local baselines.
Jones coordinates PREC’s initiatives in an effort to disrupt conventional land development practices and create more resource efficient communities.