Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2021-09-27T00:03:06Z

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energy>Ethan.boechler at 19:49, 10 September 2021

2021-09-10T19:49:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:49, 10 September 2021
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	[[category:371 topics]]		[[category:371 topics]]
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			[[fr:Conception de bâtiments économes en énergie]]
	<onlyinclude>'''Energy efficient building design''' involves constructing or upgrading buildings that are able to get the most work out of the [[energy]] that is supplied to them by taking steps to reduce energy loss such as decreasing the loss of [[heat]] through the [[building envelope]].</onlyinclude><ref name="RE1">US Green Building Council. (May 4, 2015). ''Green Building 101: Why is energy efficiency important?'' [Online]. Available: http://www.usgbc.org/articles/green-building-101-why-energy-efficiency-important</ref> Energy efficient homes, whether they are renovated to be more efficient or a built with [[efficiency\|energy efficiency]] in mind, pose a significant number of benefits. Energy efficient homes are less expensive to operate, more comfortable to live in, and more environmentally friendly.<ref>Natural Resources Canada. (May 4, 2015). ''Energy Efficiency - Homeowners'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/housing/home-improvements/5009</ref>		<onlyinclude>'''Energy efficient building design''' involves constructing or upgrading buildings that are able to get the most work out of the [[energy]] that is supplied to them by taking steps to reduce energy loss such as decreasing the loss of [[heat]] through the [[building envelope]].</onlyinclude><ref name="RE1">US Green Building Council. (May 4, 2015). ''Green Building 101: Why is energy efficiency important?'' [Online]. Available: http://www.usgbc.org/articles/green-building-101-why-energy-efficiency-important</ref> Energy efficient homes, whether they are renovated to be more efficient or a built with [[efficiency\|energy efficiency]] in mind, pose a significant number of benefits. Energy efficient homes are less expensive to operate, more comfortable to live in, and more environmentally friendly.<ref>Natural Resources Canada. (May 4, 2015). ''Energy Efficiency - Homeowners'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/housing/home-improvements/5009</ref>

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	* Using proper amounts of insulation in the walls and roof, being sure to reference regional standards		* Using proper amounts of insulation in the walls and roof, being sure to reference regional standards
	* Properly weatherizing the building using [[weather stripping]] and caulking		* Properly weatherizing the building using [[weather stripping]] and caulking
	* Installing high quality windows that utilize [[low-emissivity coating\|low-e coatings]] and [[gas filling]], while choosing the [[glazing]] and [[window frame]] material that will be most beneficial in the [[environment]]		* Installing high quality windows that utilize [[low emissivity coating\|low-e coatings]] and [[gas filling]], while choosing the [[glazing]] and [[window frame]] material that will be most beneficial in the [[environment]]
	* Installing high-performance systems and appliances and evaluate their performance over their life cycle		* Installing high-performance systems and appliances and evaluate their performance over their life cycle
	* Monitoring and verifying performance through energy audits to see where energy is being wasted in a building and where it is most cost-effective to make improvements through retrofitting		* Monitoring and verifying performance through energy audits to see where energy is being wasted in a building and where it is most cost-effective to make improvements through retrofitting

J.williams: 1 revision imported

2015-08-26T21:31:04Z

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J.williams at 16:53, 12 August 2015

2015-08-12T16:53:16Z

New page

[[category:371 topics]]
[[Category:Done 2015-04-01]]
<onlyinclude>'''Energy efficient building design''' involves constructing or upgrading buildings that are able to get the most work out of the [[energy]] that is supplied to them by taking steps to reduce energy loss such as decreasing the loss of [[heat]] through the [[building envelope]].</onlyinclude><ref name="RE1">US Green Building Council. (May 4, 2015). ''Green Building 101: Why is energy efficiency important?'' [Online]. Available: http://www.usgbc.org/articles/green-building-101-why-energy-efficiency-important</ref> Energy efficient homes, whether they are renovated to be more efficient or a built with [[efficiency|energy efficiency]] in mind, pose a significant number of benefits. Energy efficient homes are less expensive to operate, more comfortable to live in, and more environmentally friendly.<ref>Natural Resources Canada. (May 4, 2015). ''Energy Efficiency - Homeowners'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/housing/home-improvements/5009</ref>

Inefficiencies that are not removed in the building process can pose issues for years. However, keeping energy efficient building design in mind when construction is underway is a more effective way to approach making a home more efficient, which is less expensive for a homeowner in the long run. Building codes exist around the world to ensure that buildings are energy efficient to a certain degree, however sometimes it is wise to go above and beyond these recommendations to have an even more energy efficient home.<ref>Natural Resources Canada. (May 4, 2015). ''Building Efficiency'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/buildings/eenb/4035</ref> As well, since a house operates as a system, a home must be looked at as a whole in order to fully increase the energy efficiency. For example, expensive heating and cooling equipment do nothing to improve the energy performance of the house if [[Thermal insulation|insulation]] isn't keeping [[heat]] in during the winter and out in the summer.<ref>Natural Resources Canada. (May 4, 2015). ''Energy Efficiency Renovations'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/housing/home-improvements/17026</ref>

==Building an Energy Efficient Home==
There are numerous ways to increase the energy efficiency of a building, and many different parts of a building that can be improved to boost this value. Better insulation, more efficient [[window]]s, [[door]]s, and [[skylight]]s, as well as high-efficiency [[air conditioner]]s and [[furnace]]s can all contribute to a more efficient home by keeping warm air inside or outside the home. As well, being able to properly [[home temperature control|regulate the temperature]] of a home through the use of a [[thermostat]] is a major part of having an energy efficient home, as having the right equipment is just as important as using it properly.

Overall, there are numerous strategies to increase energy efficiency. These steps include:<ref name="RE1"/>
* Using proper amounts of insulation in the walls and roof, being sure to reference regional standards
* Properly weatherizing the building using [[weather stripping]] and caulking
* Installing high quality windows that utilize [[low-emissivity coating|low-e coatings]] and [[gas filling]], while choosing the [[glazing]] and [[window frame]] material that will be most beneficial in the [[environment]]
* Installing high-performance systems and appliances and evaluate their performance over their life cycle
* Monitoring and verifying performance through energy audits to see where energy is being wasted in a building and where it is most cost-effective to make improvements through retrofitting

Overall, the general approach to achieving high efficiency buildings includes cutting the energy demand of buildings, producing energy locally from renewable resources, and sharing energy by creating buildings that generate a surplus of energy that can be fed back into an [[electrical grid|advanced grid structure]].<ref>World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (May 4, 2015). ''Energy Efficiency in Buildings'' [Online]. Available: http://www.c2es.org/docUploads/EEBSummaryReportFINAL.pdf</ref>

==Buying an Energy Efficient Home==
There are numerous ways to determine if a home is in fact, energy efficient. One of the simplest things to do is to check what the Energy Star ratings are on the appliances in the home. If the home was constructed with energy efficiency in mind, it is likely that the appliances will have a good Energy Star rating. R-2000 homes are designated as extremely energy efficient, this includes high levels of insulation and other measures to help protect the environment and save energy. These homes are built to standards developed by Natural Resources Canada, and typically contain high efficiency heating, windows and doors, water conserving fixtures, as well as mechanical [[HVAC|ventilation]].<ref>Natural Resources Canada. (May 4, 2015). ''R-2000 Homes'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/housing/new-homes/5085</ref>

==Importance==
Having an energy efficient building is becoming more and more vital as energy emerges as a critical economic issue due to high demand for energy and unsustainable supplies of energy. This means that even households must evaluate how well energy is being used to heat and light a home. Energy efficient buildings offer opportunities to save money as well as reduce [[greenhouse gas]] emissions.<ref name="RE1"/> As well, the reliance on non-renewable [[fuel]]s is not sustainable, and it involves using more and more destructive processing means to obtain these fuels. Homes and other buildings account for nearly 40% <ref name="RE1"/> of total US energy use (Canada is lower with just under 29%<ref>Natural Resources Canada. (May 8, 2015). ''Canada’s Secondary Energy Use by Sector, End-Use and Subsector'' [Online]. Available: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/statistics/neud/dpa/showTable.cfm?type=HB&sector=aaa&juris=ca&rn=2&page=0</ref>), and thus increasing their efficiency will improve the reliance on non-renewable fuels for the future. This environmental benefit of reducing the number of greenhouse gases is both local and global. There are local benefits due to the fact that a buildings energy demand requires a local supply of energy, which causes local [[pollution]] and negative health side-effects. This allows communities to focus on investing funds in other places instead of in building power plants.<ref name="IEA">International Energy Agency. (May 4, 2015). ''Energy Efficiency Requirements In Building Codes'' [Online]. Available: https://www.iea.org/efficiency/CD-EnergyEfficiencyPolicy2009/2-Buildings/2-Building%20Codes%20for%20COP%202009.pdf</ref>

In addition to overall environmental benefits that arise from a more energy efficient building, there are also personal benefits. Reduced heating and electrical bills are one major benefit to upgrading a home or building a more energy efficient home. As well, installing these energy-efficient technologies effectively works to "future-proof" the building by making investments that will be selling points well into the future.<ref name="RE2"/> Overall, even though there is an initial amount of money that must be put in to improve energy efficiency, homeowners will often recover these costs in a short period of time due to the reduced energy expenses. This payback time can be short, taking only a few years.<ref name="IEA"/>

As well, if there is more support and interest in energy saving technologies, associated prices will go down on certain devices while encouraging more and more developments in energy saving technologies to occur. Along with this, the more new practices that are adopted in construction, the more these measures will become standard practice and this in turn will lessen the environmental impact of buildings by making more efficient buildings necessary by law.<ref name="RE2"/>

The best time to focus on energy efficiency is when a building is first being built, as this new construction offers opportunities to integrate new energy efficiency measures more simply than in a building that is already complete. As well, building a more energy efficient home to begin with is more cost effective than renovating a home to be more energy efficient.<ref name="RE2">National Resources Canada. (May 4, 2015). ''Energy Efficiency is Important for New Buildings'' [Online]. Available: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/buildings/eenb/4033</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Uploaded]]

Energy efficient building design - Revision history

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

energy>Ethan.boechler at 19:49, 10 September 2021

J.williams: 1 revision imported

J.williams at 16:53, 12 August 2015