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CHAPTER EIGHT
ENERGY
8.1 Theory
T
here is no doubt or surprise that energy has taken a
leading role in the discussion of buildings. The US Energy
Information Administration’s staggering data
1
indicates
that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) (Side
Lesson A: Greenhouse Gases (GHG)) from building opera-
tions is 72% (Figure 8.1). Most of this comes from electricity
generation.
2
The current worldwide mix of energy resources is weighted
heavily toward oil, coal and natural gas. In addition to emitting
GHG, these resources are non-renewable, their quantities are
limited or cannot be replaced as fast as they are consumed.
Though estimates regarding the remaining quantity of these
resources vary, it is clear that the current reliance on non-
renewable energy sources is not sustainable and involves
increasingly destructive extraction processes, uncertain supplies,
escalating market prices and national security vulnerability.
3
With building assessment and stronger building green code
enforcement applied at the onset of a building design project,
designing inefcient energy- consuming structures is slowly
becoming a practice of the past. Yet if the high numbers attrib-
uted to energy consumption derive from existing buildings, how
can we ensure how much they consume– and is that efcient
enough? Energy ‘benchmarking’ is a familiar concept that means
tracking a building’s energy and water use and using a standard
metric to compare the building’s performance against past per-
formance and to those of its peers nationwide.
4
Such compari-
sons become catalysts to increase energy efciency upgrades,
increase property values, create a more desirable facility, and
most importantly reduce the global carbon footprint. It is ironic
therefore that mandatory energy benchmarking has only recently
begun to proliferate in the US (see Chapter 1, Figure 1.2).
A large percentage of annual commercial building utility bills
can be saved through low-cost Operations and Maintenance
Side Lesson A – 8.1:
Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
are gases in the atmosphere
that trap solar heat through
the absorption and emission
of radiant energy.This
process is known as the
greenhouse eect.The main
greenhouse gases located in
the atmosphere are ozone,
methane, carbon dioxide, water
vapor, and nitrous oxide.A
certain number of greenhouse
gases are healthy.The average
temperature of Earth’s
surface is 59°F, without
greenhouse gases it would
be 0°F. However, too much
is leading to penetrations in
the atmosphere and global
warming. Since the Industrial
Revolution, 1750, there has
been a 40 percent increase
in carbon dioxide CO
2
in
the atmosphere. Since then,
combustion of fossil fuels, oil,
natural gas, and coal have
been the leading cause of
carbon dioxide emissions (see
www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-
report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_
appendix.pdf ).
DOI: 10.4324/9780429449703-8
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