A new approach is needed to advance energy efficiency in buildings. A multitude of trends and innovations offer new opportunities for progress increasingly converging on the prospect of a new basic concept: whole-building systems. Although concentrating on incremental component efficiency has yielded strong results to date, and may yield further small improvements, a holistic whole-building strategy promises to be a game changer – and the path to significant building energy efficiency.
History repeatedly demonstrates that innovation and progress often stem from the convergence of several sometimes random and unrelated trends in technology. Today, such trends include practical building-scale combined heat and power systems, heat/energy recovery in water heating and ventilation systems, smart grid and energy storage, and variable-speed HVAC equipment. Practical and effective building control systems tying these developments together could substantially reduce energy usage and stress on the electric grid, and ensure that buildings continue to operate properly.
Leveraging these opportunities requires a shift in focus – away from squeezing more energy out of equipment components to capitalizing on the relationship among systems where the greatest building energy-efficiency opportunities exist.
Contact Hays Service to discuss a whole-building system approach to energy efficiency for your facility.To read this article in its entirety, visit theNEWS.
Hays Service