Elements of Building: Energy

Buildings, according to calculations done by Architecture 2030, are responsible for nearly half of the total energy consumption in the United States. And 76 percent of the electricity generated in this country goes to the Building Sector. So while there are a range of steps that need to be taken in moving toward a more sustainable lifestyle, Buildings, and the energy they consume, need to be at the forefront of any considerations when moving toward greater sustainability.

Saving energy in buildings is both one of the easiest things that can be done, as well as one of the hardest. The principles for creating a building that needs less energy and operates more efficiently are well known. Most building technology is fairly basic and easy for even non-experts to understand. This makes it simple. We don’t have to wait for expensive, high tech solutions (though they can contribute greatly and will provide new flexibility and compelling possibilities for building better buildings in the future). Heavily insulated buildings can be easily constructed with readily available and well known technology. Adding more insulation to walls is easy, though there is a cost. Consumers and building owners need to become more aware of the long term costs of operating a building, and give consideration to more than just the initial construction costs. And overcoming economic considerations and taking a long-term view is the hard part.

There are more aspects to the enjoyment of buildings (or of enjoying life) than just saving energy. If we built houses with superinsulated walls and only small windows, they would save more energy, but they might not be as pleasant to be inside. Since most people spend the great majority of their time inside buildings, buildings need to be enjoyable places. Running with wild abandon across a field (as I watched my son and his classmates doing this morning) uses more energy than walking, but it’s a lot more fun. Architecture needs to balance our enjoyment and our need for buildings we want to be in with the energy that they need in order to function. One of the biggest benefits that the USGBC has found in buildings that have attained LEED certification is the fact that people like being in them. People who use green buildings are happier and more comfortable, have greater productivity and fewer sick days than those in comparable “regular” buildings.

We can design buildings such that they will require little additional energy input. And now, it is becoming easier for buildings to heat their own water and produce their own electricity. Even in regions where sun and wind are not regular and dependable at all times, on-site energy systems can be connected to the grid. In that way, they can be combined with their neighbors to distribute the surplus when they are producing more than they need, and can draw from the grid for supplemental power when they aren’t able to produce enough.

see also: Elements of Building: Water

image source: Wikimedia Commons