What is the difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency?
Energy conservation involves changing behavior or installing controls to save energy such as turning off the lights or resetting comfort temperatures. Energy efficiency involves upgrades of building systems like installing new lighting or HVAC equipment that uses less energy efficiency projects that include conservation technology significantly increase the project cost savings
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What is Energy Efficiency?
Energy efficiency increases the productivity of every unit of energy purchased by installing new technologies and controls to maintain or improve the performance and comfort of building systems.
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Why Energy Efficiency?
Energy efficiency is the “first fuel”, reducing cost and your carbon footprint typically at a cost of 3 cents per kWh. Energy efficiency creates economic, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits to individuals, companies and the planet. Most solutions can easily reduce energy bills for many consumers and businesses by 20 to 30 percent. Some businesses have realized 60 percent reductions.
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What are the technologies that improve energy efficiency?
Building Envelope
- Weatherization
- Insulation
- Windows
Lighting Systems
- Lighting Fixtures
- Controls
Mechanical systems
- HVAC
- Fans and Motors
- Furnaces and Boilers
- Controls
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How can a lighting or energy audit help my business?
An energy audit can provide important information on your business's pattern of energy use. Whether your audit includes all of your building's systems or just the lighting, an audit provides the detailed information you need to evaluate and budget an energy efficiency upgrade. An energy audit measures your business's energy use and recommends steps for you to save money on operational costs. Energy audits can include lighting, heating/ventilation/cooling (HVAC) systems and industrial processes. Following an on-site audit, you will be provided with a report documenting energy use and conservation opportunities.
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What does an energy efficiency audit include?
- Data collection. A physical walk-through of your facility is the most effective way to collect the needed information.
- Analysis. The analysis of the data collected on-site combined with the energy costs generate the facility description, an energy benchmarking, and energy efficiency and conservation opportunities (ECOs).
- ECO project investment report. The data and analysis generate a prioritized list of ECOs based on return on investment or needed improvements in building performance.
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What is an energy management plan?
An energy management plan is a working document that contains an organization’s strategic vision and operation plan to conserve and improve efficiency
- Policy statement demo stating management commitment.
- Benchmark providing energy utilization index (EUI).
- Understanding and planning of energy purchase options.
- Operational analysis and procedures for energy use.
- Capital planning for investment opportunities.
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How are do you develop an Energy Management Plan?
The development and implementation is of an energy management plan achieves continues and sustainable progress by executing the following process annually.
- Make Commitment
- Assess Performance
- Set Goals
- Create Action Plan
- Implement Action Plan
- Evaluate Progress
- Recognize Achievements
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What are the top lighting energy efficiency opportunities?
- Replace T-12 fluorescent fixtures with T- 8 or T-5 fixtures with electronic ballasts.
- Install and adjust automatic dimming controls to take advantage of savings associated with occupant control and daylighting.
- Install and adjust occupancy controls.
- Install LED exit signs.
- Upgrade parking lot lighting to save energy and reduce light pollution.
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What are the top HVAC systems energy efficiency opportunities?
- Install direct digital controls to improve comfort and monitor equipment operation.
- Install premium-efficiency motors.
- Install demand-controlled ventilation.
- Install variable air volume air handling systems with variable speed drives.
- Downsize to new high-efficiency HVAC equipment.
- Use condensing boilers with large turn-down ratios to improve low-fire efficiencies.
- Ventilate garages in response to environmental conditions.
- Upgrade the energy management system; optimize settings to reflect usage, respond to changing weather patterns, and control peak electric loads.
- Continuously commission the building.
- Verify economizer function and control.
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What are the top Building Envelope energy efficiency opportunities
- Install insulation in strategic locations.
- Undertake strategic air sealing, including duct work.
- Install high-efficiency, specularly-selective glazing carefully chosen for solar interactions with the building facade and other variables.
- Install interior or exterior shading devices.
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What are the top Plug Loads opportunities?
- Use low-energy sleep functions on computers and printers.
- Choose ENERGY STAR® office equipment and appliances.
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What are top Employee energy efficiency behavior opportunities?
- Ensure building maintenance and cleaning staff are enthusiastic about savings and adopt work habits that support energy efficiency.
- Provide training for key maintenance personnel in the proper operation of the building’s energy management system.
- Involve all employees in energy savings efforts, provide efficiency education for work and home, and encourage employee suggestions on energy savings opportunities.
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What are the top industrial Energy Efficiency opportunities?
Energy efficiency opportunities can be found in the following industrial processes through and energy audit.
- Lighting
- Motors and Motor Systems
- Laboratory Fume Hoods
- Process Heating
- District Heating – Heat Plants
- District Cooling – Central Plants
- Thermal Storage
- Compressed Air
- Building Envelope
- HVAC
- Heat Recovery
- Combined Heat and Power
- Refrigeration
- Hot Water
- Energy-Efficient Office Equipment
- Building Commissioning
- Building Automation System
- Process Controls
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