Efficiency, Conservation and Alternative Sources

Welcome to a special section on energy efficiency and alternative energy sources. At ED+C, we have been learning much more about zero-energy homes, Living Buildings (www.cascadiagbc.org) and the 2030 Challenge (www.architecture2030.org). ED+C supports those organizations (like the U.S. Green Building Council) that are taking strides to improve our built environment and literally save the planet. We have watched Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” with frustration and horror, but without shock, like many of you, since scientists have been continuing to warn us about the grim not-so-distant future for years. Still, many do not fully grasp the reality before us.

Whether you believe that we are in an energy crisis or not, we have all felt the pinch of escalating energy prices as we compete in a global market for diminishing resources. Why not work to improve the situation of our current and future energy supply and demand, period? Technology and economics facilitate the improvement and implementation of better alternative energy producers, more renewable energy sources and accessible bio-based fuels.

Some energy sources that are currently being used and/or need to be considered for long-term sustainability include solar, wind and geothermal power (all of which are addressed in the following pages), plus hydroelectric, tides and ocean currents, as well as other water-related resources, and finally, bio-based products, hydrogen (fuel cells) and other alternative fuels.

Inside this section, we will touch on some – but obviously not all – energy efficient solutions:

In “Is your building an ENERGY STAR?,” author Jean Lupinacci writes that “commercial buildings use about 17 percent of the total energy consumed in the U.S. each year, and consequently emit 17 percent of greenhouse gases,” according to an EPA report. In “Purchasing Power,” author John Friskel reminds us that “we cannot ignore the environmental footprint of their energy demand: According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 98 percent of our nation’s energy supply is generated from the combustion of fossil fuels resulting in the emission of 2,298 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere per year—an unsustainable equation to say the least.”

Considering the resources available and our current energy imperative, is this acceptable? Please let us know what you think and what you are doing to improve the situation by visiting our Blog. Some of the authors of the following articles will be weighing in on the topic of energy at www.EDCmag.com.