Total housing starts fell 0.3% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.14 million units from a downwardly revised reading in February, according to a report from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Department that was delayed due to the partial government shutdown.

The new City Energy Project, an initiative from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute for Market Transformation, is designed to create healthier, more prosperous American cities by targeting their largest source of energy use and climate pollution: buildings.

Conference topics provide a comprehensive overview of high performance building design with a focus on strategies in several areas: building occupant behavior, new building technologies and indoor environmental quality.

The groups will begin exploring opportunities for collaboration.

Data on energy use and energy savings has been tracked on more than 7,700 facilities.

While Americans have burned less Btu to heat and cool their homes, the amount of energy used for appliances, electronics and lighting has grown.