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Editor's Page
There are a couple of ‘energy’ facts we all know about – buildings use 40% of all energy; more than 30% of all green gas emissions can be attributed to buildings; global demand for HVAC equipment will rise, especially in Asia-Pacific region and cooling equipment will continue to outpace heating equipment.
It is also known that the HVAC industry will have a challenging time ahead and the movement will focus around the quality of the built environment. Changes in the national energy efficiency codes/standards and the ongoing evolution of equipment and controls continue to shape the way facilities managers would select, maintain and operate HVAC equipment in commercial buildings. While energy efficiency and sustainability remain in the forefront of today’s HVAC-related trends, the overall environment plays a strong supporting role. This applies to professionals who finance, design, build and maintain the places we live and work. We need a total market transformation and a change in our energy behaviour.
Last year, the US government held a very successful experiment to involve the student community in energy conservation and renewable energy projects. For three weeks in October 2009, the US Department of Energy hosted the Solar Decathlon a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students competed to design, build and operate the most attractive, effective and energy-efficient solar-powered houses. The Solar Decathlon also enabled the public to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency and the best in home design. In addition to designing houses that use innovative, high-tech elements in ingenious ways, students had to raise funds, communicate team activities, collect supplies and work with contractors. The teams had to finally transport their houses to the National Mall in Washington, DC, and rebuild them on site. The exercise demonstrated to the public the potential of zero-energy homes, which produce as much energy from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind, as they consume. Even though the home might be connected to a utility grid, it has net-zero energy consumption from the utility provider.
The next Solar Decathlon will be held in Washington,
DC, in the fall of 2011, when once again teams from colleges and universities from around the world will gather to compete. There was this interesting suggestion made at the Acreconf 2010 held in January in New Delhi – why not India participate in the 2011 event?
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Editor
Buildotech Magazine |
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