CLIMATE CONTROL
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Energy management is important for preventing environmental damage and for developing profitable business models. One of the largest energy consumers in the US is climate control in buildings. Figure 1 shows that in 2011in the US, 40% of energy consumption went towards buildings. 48% of building energy went towards heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to maintain indoor climate control, resulting in 19.2% of total energy consumption [1]. At nearly one-fifth of total energy consumption, even small changes in the efficiency of climate control have the potential to create significant benefits. Buildings generally last for 30 to 50 years, so the most applicable changes to climate control need to have the option for implementation in existing infrastructure.
Energy savings translate into lower energy bills for both individual consumers and business owners. Energy savings also impact fuel consumption. Fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas are used to generate energy that ends up powering climate control equipment. Fossil fuels produce large amounts of energy but have the unpleasant side effect of also producing pollutants and greenhouse gases which damage the environment. Reducing fuel consumption will slow down the rate of damage to the global environment.
Many factors affect the indoor climate of Houston buildings and the first step to increasing efficientcy is understanding the problems. There are many ways that a building gains and loses energy, from passive heat loss through walls, windows and ceilings to heat transfer from the body heat of occupants. By optimizing heat transfer as well as increasing the efficiency of our HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems, we will lower our impact on the environment and our wallets. Our team from the University of Houston has explored standards, technology, and innovative solutions to reducing the energy cost of corporate cooling.
Energy savings translate into lower energy bills for both individual consumers and business owners. Energy savings also impact fuel consumption. Fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas are used to generate energy that ends up powering climate control equipment. Fossil fuels produce large amounts of energy but have the unpleasant side effect of also producing pollutants and greenhouse gases which damage the environment. Reducing fuel consumption will slow down the rate of damage to the global environment.
Many factors affect the indoor climate of Houston buildings and the first step to increasing efficientcy is understanding the problems. There are many ways that a building gains and loses energy, from passive heat loss through walls, windows and ceilings to heat transfer from the body heat of occupants. By optimizing heat transfer as well as increasing the efficiency of our HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems, we will lower our impact on the environment and our wallets. Our team from the University of Houston has explored standards, technology, and innovative solutions to reducing the energy cost of corporate cooling.
Visit the Climate Retention tab to discover how insulation and windows affect climate control through insulation.
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Then, go to HVAC to learn about the mechanical systems that provide air conditioning.
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Occupancy Detection explores the cutting edge technology that retrieves and analyses data to make the most out of energy usage.
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This is supplemented by the Calculator, a tool to find out just what kind of energy you're using and the potential energy you can save.
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Finally, the Conclusions page outlines our findings and determinations.
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Sources:
[1] US Department of Energy, DOE Building energy data book, (2011)
[1] US Department of Energy, DOE Building energy data book, (2011)