Business and
Commercial Districts Historic Towns and Neighborhoods
Integrated Water Systems in Small Towns and Rural
Communities by 2030 the world will need to produce 50 percent
more for food and energy and 30 percent more fresh water. Solar pumps are
reliable technology which can compete with conventional pumping technologies
such as diesel pumping. Large amounts of energy are used in the entire water
cycle. Water Pumps play a major role in all water and waste water processes.
Small and Medium-sized Commercial Buildings
account for 95 percent of building stock and consume half the energy in a
sector of the economy responsible for 20 percent of the total energy
consumption. Owners of smaller buildings are often unaware of the amount of
energy wasted and the opportunity for savings that building automation systems
provide. This sector hasn’t BAS for the following reasons: the high cost of
tailoring software and acquiring hardware components is beyond the reach of
most small- and medium-sized properties; the owner is not always the tenant
that pays the utility bill, hence limited incentive to invest in the building’s
energy efficiency.
Building Leases spell out how energy
costs are divided between tenants and owners. Often, these leases are not
structured in a way that promotes energy savings. Tenants have no incentive to
save energy in their leased premises because energy costs are based on tenant
square footage. Building owners have no incentive to invest in energy efficiency
because the operating expenses are passed onto tenants. Green Leases promote energy
efficiency by creating lease structures which equitably align the costs and
benefits of efficiency investments between building owners and tenants.
Energy Management Systems can be used
to centrally control devices like HVAC units and lighting systems across
multiple locations. EMS also provide metering, sub-metering and monitoring
functions that allow facility managers to gather data and insight to make more
informed decisions about energy activities across their sites.
LEED Neighborhood Development building
technologies and advanced real-time energy smart meters allow business and
residential energy users to verify consumption in workplaces and homes. Passive
Solar Buildings take advantage of the local climate with window placement and
glazing, thermal mass, insulation and shading. Walls, floors and windows are
designed and located to collect, store and distribute energy without the use of
mechanical and electric devices. Conservation
and efficiency are energy reduction techniques; conservation implies
sufficiency and is the key to sustainability as it lowers energy costs by
reducing resource depletion.
Digital Metering and
Smart Grids smart meters
enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system; unlike
home energy monitors, smart meters can gather data for remote reporting. With
the inception of electricity deregulation and market-driven pricing, utilities
have been looking for a means to match consumption with generation. Smart
meters provide a way of measuring site-specific information, allowing utility
companies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of
day and the season.
Sub-meters identify best practices to
reduce energy and water consumption in a building allowing owners, property
managers, condominium or homeowners associations to bill tenants for measured
utility usage via individual water, gas and electric meters. Water Sub-meters
promote conservation and help offset maintenance costs.
Distributed Generation occurs on a
property site when energy is sold to the building occupants; here, commercial
PPAs enable businesses and governments to purchase electricity directly from
the generator rather than from the utility. Power Purchase Agreements PPA is a legal
contract between an electricity generator and a power purchaser.
Financing Energy Efficiency Projects
face several financial impediments, including information. Financial
institutions often lack a full understanding of energy efficiency technologies
which are almost always investments with long repayment terms. Small towns and
rural communities require specific and unique knowledge, expertise and funding
sources.
Innovative Water Resources and Energy Savings Strategies