Energía renovable

Making permanent savings through Active Energy Efficiency

Making permanent savings through Active Energy Efficiency
White Paper by Jean-Jacques Marchais, Energy Efficiency Standardisation & Regulations Director

Make the most of your energy

SM

Summary
Executive Summary .................................................................................3 Introduction.............................................................................................4 The Current Situation ...............................................................................7 Taking Action on Energy ..........................................................................9 Active Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment .....................................12 Active Energy Efficiency Solutionsfor Medium and Large Commercial Markets................................................................................16 Solutions for Residential and Small Commercial Markets .........................17 Solutions for Industry and Infrastructure Markets .....................................19 Conclusion..............................................................................................21

Making permanent savings through Active Energy Efficiency

Executive Summary
This white paper argues strongly that meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets set within the Kyoto Protocol will fail unless Active Energy Efficiency becomes compulsory. Active Energy Efficiency is defined as effecting permanent change through measurement, monitoring, and control of energy usage. Passive EnergyEfficiency is regarded as the installation of countermeasures against thermal losses, the use of low consumption equipment, and so forth. It is vital, but insufficient, to make use of energy-saving equipment and devices such as low-energy lighting. Without proper control, these measures often merely militate against energy losses rather than make a real reduction in energy consumed and in the way it isused. Everything that consumes power – from direct electricity consumption through lighting, heating, and, most significantly, electric motors, but also in HVAC control, boiler control, and so forth – must be addressed actively if sustained gains are to be made. This includes changing the culture and mindsets of groups of individuals, resulting in behavioural shifts at work and at home, but clearlythis need is reduced by greater use of technical controls.

Making permanent savings through Active Energy Efficiency

White paper on Energy Efficiency - 3

Making permanent savings through Active Energy Efficiency

Introduction
That energy efficiency is high on the agenda of most people is now clear. However, understanding of what energy efficiency really involves and how energy savinginitiatives can be implemented remains fragmented. For this reason some companies, such as Schneider Electric™, have defined two approaches to energy efficiency: Passive Energy Efficiency and, more significantly, Active Energy Efficiency. For many, energy measures revolve around the consideration of thermal issues in the building fabric with remedies such as insulation, glazing, and heat losscountermeasures. For others, it is lighting, albeit often constrained to merely installing low consumption systems. Those with significant heating requirements may see efficient boiler systems as the answer. All of the above are laudable and necessary, but they are really only passive countermeasures that largely mitigate energy loss rather than the energy deployed. Active Energy Efficiency can be achieved whenenergy-saving devices are not only installed, but controlled to use only the energy required. It is this aspect of control that is critical to achieving the maximum efficiency. To illustrate, consider an energy-efficient lamp that is left turned on in an empty room. All that is achieved is that less energy is wasted than would have been using an ordinary lamp! It is the management of energy use...