Buildings Existing buildings Energy conservation measures have primarily focused on technological innovations to improve efficiencies and financial
incentives with theoretical explanations obtained from the mentioned analytical traditions. Existing buildings can improve energy efficiency by changing structural maintenance materials, adjusting the composition of air conditioning systems, selecting energy-saving equipment, and formulating subsidy policies. These measures can improve users' thermal comfort and reduce buildings' environmental impact. The selection of combinatorial optimization schemes that contain measures to guide and restrict users' behavior in addition to carrying out demand-side management can dynamically adjust energy consumption. At the same time, economic means should enable users to change their behavior and achieve a low-carbon life. Combination optimization and pricing incentives reduce building energy consumption and carbon emissions and reduce users' costs. Training professionals typically accomplish this and can be part of some national programs discussed above.
Smartphone apps enables homeowners to complete relatively sophisticated energy audits themselves. For instance,
smart thermostats can connect to standard
HVAC systems to maintain energy-saving indoor temperatures. In addition, data loggers can also be installed to monitor the interior temperature and humidity levels to provide a more precise understanding of the conditions. If the data gathered is compared with the users' perceptions of comfort, more fine-tuning of the interiors can be implemented (e.g., increasing the temperature where A.C. is used to prevent over-cooling). Building technologies and smart meters can allow commercial and residential energy users to visualize the impact their energy use can have in their workplaces or homes. Advanced real-time energy metering can help people save energy through their actions. Another approach towards energy conservation is the implementation of ECMs in commercial buildings, which often employ
Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) experienced in energy performance contracting. This industry has been around since the 1970s and is more prevalent than ever today. The US-based organization EVO (Efficiency Valuation Organization) has created a set of guidelines for ESCOs to adhere to in evaluating the savings achieved by ECMs. These guidelines are called the
International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). Energy efficiency can also be achieved by upgrading certain aspects of existing buildings. Making thermal improvements by adding
insulation to crawl spaces and ensuring no leaks achieves an efficient building envelope, reducing the need for mechanical systems to heat and cool the space. High-performance insulation is also supported by adding double/
triple-glazed windows to minimize
heat transmission. Minor upgrades in existing buildings include changing mixers to low flow greatly aids in
water conservation, changing light bulbs to
LED lights results in 70-90% less energy consumption than a standard incandescent or C.F.L. bulb, changing inefficient appliances with
Energy Star-rated appliances will consume less energy, and finally adding vegetation in the landscape surrounding the building to function as a shading element. Paint colors and new paint technologies can conserve energy. and
qanat used for cooling. Windcatchers "reduce the
building's energy consumption and
carbon footprint". Energy conservation through users' behaviors requires understanding household occupants' lifestyle, social, and behavioral factors in analyzing energy consumption. This involves one-time investments in energy efficiency, such as purchasing new energy-efficient appliances or upgrading the building insulation without curtailing economic utility or the level of energy services, and energy curtailment behaviors which are theorized to be driven more by social-psychological factors and environmental concerns in comparison to the energy efficiency behaviors. Replacing existing appliances with newer and more efficient ones leads to energy efficiency as less energy is wasted throughout. Overall, energy efficiency behaviors are identified more with one-time, cost-incurring investments in efficient appliances and retrofits, while energy curtailment behaviors include repetitive, low-cost energy-saving efforts. Designing a building according to
LEED guidelines while incorporating
smart home technology can help save a lot of energy and money in the long run. Suburban infrastructure evolved during an age of relatively easy access to
fossil fuels, leading to transportation-dependent living systems.The amount of energy used to transport people to and from a facility, whether they are
commuters, customers, vendors, or homeowners, is known as the transportation
energy intensity of the building.
Land is developing at a faster rate than
population growth, leading to
urban sprawl and, therefore, high transportation energy intensity as more people need to commute longer distances to jobs. As a result, the location of a building is essential in decreasing embodied emissions. In transportation, state and local efforts in energy conservation and efficiency measures tend to be more targeted and smaller in scale. However, with more robust fuel economy standards, new targets for the use of alternative transportation fuels, and new efforts in electric and
hybrid electric vehicles,
EPAct05 and
EISA provide a new set of national policy signals and financial incentives to the private sector and state and local governments for the transportation sector. ITS combines improvements in information technology and systems, communications, sensors, controllers, and advanced mathematical methods with the traditional world of transportation infrastructure. It improves traffic safety and mobility, reduces environmental impact, promotes sustainable transportation, and increases productivity.
Consumer products Homeowners implementing ECMs in their residential buildings often start with an
energy audit. This is a way homeowners look at what areas of their homes are using, and possibly losing energy. Residential energy auditors are accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). Homeowners can hire a professional or do it themselves or use a
smartphone to help do an audit. Energy conservation measures are often combined into larger guaranteed
Energy Savings Performance Contracts to maximize energy savings while minimizing disruption to building occupants by coordinating renovations. Some ECMs cost less to implement yet return higher energy savings. Traditionally, lighting projects were a good example of "low hanging fruit" that could be used to drive implementation of more substantial upgrades to HVAC systems in large facilities. Smaller buildings might combine window replacement with modern insulation using advanced building
foams to improve energy for performance. Energy dashboard projects are a new kind of ECM that relies on the behavioral change of building occupants to save energy. When implemented as part of a program, case studies, such as that for the DC Schools, report energy savings up 30%. Under the right circumstances, open energy dashboards can even be implemented for free to improve upon these savings even more. Consumers are often poorly informed of the savings of energy-efficient products. A prominent example of this is the energy savings that can be made by replacing an
incandescent light bulb with a more modern alternative. When purchasing light bulbs, many consumers opt for cheap incandescent bulbs, failing to take into account their higher energy costs and lower lifespans when compared to modern
compact fluorescent and
LED bulbs. Although these energy-efficient alternatives have a higher upfront cost, their long lifespan and low energy use can save consumers a considerable amount of money. The price of LED bulbs has also been steadily decreasing in the past five years due to improvements in semiconductor technology. Many LED bulbs on the market qualify for utility rebates that further reduce the price of the purchase to the consumer. Estimates by the U.S. Department of Energy state that widespread adoption of LED lighting over the next 20 years could result in about $265 billion worth of savings in United States energy costs. The research one must put into conserving energy is often too time-consuming and costly for the average consumer when there are cheaper products and technology available using today's fossil fuels. Some governments and NGOs are attempting to reduce this complexity with
Eco-labels that make differences in energy efficiency easy to research while shopping. To provide the kind of information and support people need to invest money, time and effort in energy conservation, it is important to understand and link to people's topical concerns. For instance, some retailers argue that bright
lighting stimulates purchasing. However, health studies have demonstrated that headache,
stress,
blood pressure, fatigue and worker error all generally increase with the common
over-illumination present in many workplace and retail settings. It has been shown that natural
daylighting increases productivity levels of workers, while reducing energy consumption. In warm climates where air conditioning is used, any household device that gives off heat will result in a larger load on the cooling system. Items such as stoves, dishwashers, clothes dryers, hot water, and incandescent lighting all add heat to the home. Low-power or insulated versions of these devices give off less heat for the air conditioning to remove. The air conditioning system can also improve efficiency by using a heat sink that is cooler than the standard air heat exchanger, such as geothermal or water. In cold climates, heating air and water is a major demand for household energy use. Significant energy reductions are possible by using different technologies.
Heat pumps are a more efficient alternative to electrical resistance heaters for warming air or water. A variety of efficient
clothes dryers are available, and the
clothes lines requires no energy- only time. Natural-gas (or bio-gas)
condensing boilers and hot-air furnaces increase efficiency over standard hot-flue models. Standard electric boilers can be made to run only at hours of the day when they are needed by means of a
time switch. This decreases energy use vastly. In showers, a
semi-closed-loop system could be used. New construction implementing
heat exchangers can capture heat from wastewater or exhaust air in bathrooms, laundry, and kitchens. In both warm and cold climate extremes, airtight thermal
insulated construction is the largest factor determining the efficiency of a home. Insulation is added to minimize the flow of heat to or from the home, but can be labor-intensive to retrofit to an existing home. ==Energy conservation by countries==