Commercial Energy Conservation Should be Paired With Energy Efficiency : Eco Articles

Ok I am always on the
lookout for interesting stuff on
Alternative Energy Sources. This evening, I
discovered a really
excellent information that talks over Eco Energy Sources from a different
perspective. Today’s fun article is titled Commercial Energy Conservation Should be Paired With Energy Efficiency .

Article by Phillip Barnes

The concepts of energy efficiency and energy conservation are often confused. Energy efficiency refers to implementing technology that uses as little energy as possible, while energy conservation refers to maximizing energy as much as possible. Although energy efficiency and energy conservation are different disciplines, they should ideally work hand in hand within the same building. When they do, companies realize the highest level of annual utility cost savings, and reduce their carbon footprint by the widest margin.

There are numerous strategies for maximizing the benefits of energy efficiency and energy conservation. But they begin with contacting an energy efficiency consultant to perform an energy audit. With the audit complete, the consultant dialogues with the customer about the ideal solutions for achieving the customer’s energy efficiency goals. The best solutions for energy efficiency and energy conservation vary from project to project. But they commonly focus on two building areas that result in most companies consuming more energy than necessary: an HVAC system and an interior lighting system.

The problem with most HVAC systems is that their components are oversized, using more electricity than necessary to produce an optimal effect, particularly in the case of air distribution fans and chillers. Therefore, a valuable energy efficiency solution is to downsize the elements, which results in less power consumption. Then, to maximize the power that is used, a valuable energy conservation solution would be to improve a building’s envelop, allowing warm and cool temperatures to remain more constant, thus reducing the energy consumption of the boiler, chiller and air handler system.

Like traditional HVAC systems, traditional interior lighting systems use more energy than necessary to produce an optimal effect. Therefore, the first line of change is to retrofit them with energy efficient technology, such as by replacing incandescent and/or T-12 fluorescent lighting with T-8 fluorescent lighting, which uses less energy and retains its brightness for a longer period of time. Then, an energy conservation measure can be implemented to further reduce power consumption, such as implementing automatic light dimmers that sense movement or operate on a set schedule.

Commercial energy efficiency and commercial energy conservation are equally valuable to the reduction of utility costs. But to achieve the optimal energy saving effect, they should be implemented in tandem. If your company has taken energy efficiency measures but not energy conservation measures, or vice-versa, contact an energy efficiency consultant today to learn how you can combine them to improve your bottom line.

In my research on energy efficiency consulting and energy saving retrofits, I

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Commercial Energy Conservation Should be Paired With Energy Efficiency

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JamesGallo
ekonenargi@gmail.com