NCJ Number
65890
Date Published
1979
Length
95 pages
Annotation
TWO APPROACHES TO THE CONSERVATION OF ENERGY IN EXISTING COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS ARE DISCUSSED, AND THE APPLICATION OF BOTH APPROACHES IN DESIGNING AN OVERALL PLAN IS SHOWN.
Abstract
MOST MODERN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, CONSTRUCTED IN AN ERA OF CHEAPER ENERGY, WILL CONTINUE TO BE USED FOR MANY MORE YEARS. AS A RESULT OF INCREASING FEDERAL CONCERN, TWO CONSERVATION APPROACHES HAVE BEEN ADVANCED: (1) IMPLEMENTATION OF SPECIFIC END-USE RESTRICTIONS IN BUILDINGS SUCH AS THERMOSTAT ADJUSTMENT OR LIGHT-BULB REMOVAL, AND (2) TOTAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT (TEM) WHICH VIEWS EACH BUILDING AS A UNIQUE, COMPLEX SYSTEM AND INTEGRATES ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS INTO THE SYSTEM ITSELF. END-USE SYSTEMS ARE EASILY IMPLEMENTED BUT FAIL TO FOCUS ON THE EFFICIENCY OF THE SYSTEM OR THE INTERRELATIONSHIP OF ELEMENTS WITHIN A SYSTEM. TEM, ON THE OTHER HAND, LOOKS AT HOW A SPECIFIC BUILDING CONSUMES ENERGY, HOW USERS' NEEDS ARE MET, HOW THE SYSTEMS AND THEIR ELEMENTS INTERRELATE, HOW THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS IT, AND OTHER FACTORS. AN IDEAL PLAN WOULD USE CERTAIN END-USE ENERGY MODIFICATIONS AS AN INTEGRAL ELEMENT OF THE TEM CONCEPT TO BRING ABOUT EVEN MORE SAVINGS. IN ADDITION, THE TEM APPROACH OFFERS HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT ENERGY-SAVING OPTIONS FOR BUILDING OWNERS/MANAGERS. THIS PUBLICATION DISCUSSES ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN BUILDINGS, ANALYSIS OF BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE, CONDUCTING AN ENERGY AUDIT, GUIDELINES FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION, FINANCIAL EVALUATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION. APPENDIXES PROVIDE FORMATS FOR INFORMATION-BUILDING AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON ENERGY MANAGEMENT. A BIBLIOGRAPHY GLOSSARY, AND LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ARE GIVEN AS WELL AS FIGURES AND TABLES. AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--AOP)