WHAT WE'VE FOUND
Looking through the data, it's easy to see the impact that simple household and slightly more significant business changes can make. The average kWh in Texas costs $0.1113 but the social and environmental cost is hidden. For every kWh of electricity used, 1.28 pounds of CO2 are produced along with several other less monitored gasses [1][2]. This environmental cost is something that we don’t pay for immediately but our society will pay for over the next hundred years. That is why it is important to make changes to buildings in order to keep them to date with modern advancements. With that said, it is also important to remember that every change you make will also impact the environment in negative ways. Any changes made will require energy for the construction of the new parts as well as the transportation and instillation. If you decide to change your HVAC system just to increase your IEER by 1, then you will likely cause more damage than you solve.
As with many decisions, there are a lot of variables; just because wooden frames are more effective doesn't mean you have to replace all your frames. The same applies to insulation type and mechanical system replacements, as using a lot of energy to make very slight changes these new overhauls are often very expensive.
Occupancy detection is a new technology, and so it should be considered by its potential. Sensors, PIR incorporation, and data aquisition from opportunistic sources have great potential to accurately determine the cooling needs of specific spaces. When developing this technology and continually considering the power and ethical concerns regarding Big Data, this technology to reduce HVAC energy waste
We each need to look at what we are doing, educate ourselves on what we can do, and then make the needed and useful changes in order to reach our energy efficiency goals we must first understand what we need to do. We hope that this website has helped you to do that. Our goal is that our website will help people make impactful changes that have positive effects.
As with many decisions, there are a lot of variables; just because wooden frames are more effective doesn't mean you have to replace all your frames. The same applies to insulation type and mechanical system replacements, as using a lot of energy to make very slight changes these new overhauls are often very expensive.
Occupancy detection is a new technology, and so it should be considered by its potential. Sensors, PIR incorporation, and data aquisition from opportunistic sources have great potential to accurately determine the cooling needs of specific spaces. When developing this technology and continually considering the power and ethical concerns regarding Big Data, this technology to reduce HVAC energy waste
We each need to look at what we are doing, educate ourselves on what we can do, and then make the needed and useful changes in order to reach our energy efficiency goals we must first understand what we need to do. We hope that this website has helped you to do that. Our goal is that our website will help people make impactful changes that have positive effects.
To find out about the group that put this website together as well as to find where to contact us at click the link on the right.
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Sources:
[1] “How much carbon dioxide is produced per kilowatthour when generating electricity with fossil fuels?” [Online], 2016 December 3rd, U.S. Energy Information Administration, from: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=74&t=11
[2] “Texas: Profile Overview,” [Online], 2016 December 3rd, U.S. Energy Information Administration, from: http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=TX#tabs-4
[1] “How much carbon dioxide is produced per kilowatthour when generating electricity with fossil fuels?” [Online], 2016 December 3rd, U.S. Energy Information Administration, from: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=74&t=11
[2] “Texas: Profile Overview,” [Online], 2016 December 3rd, U.S. Energy Information Administration, from: http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=TX#tabs-4