2001 Energy Conservation Policy (Negawatts vs. Megawatts)

Vice-President Dick Cheney (April, 2001) previewed the Bush Administration’s energy policy and rejected conservation as a major part of the solution to the current energy crisis. His plans focused almost exclusively on boosting domestic oil sources, building refineries, and laying natural gas pipelines. Conservation, Cheney said, “is not a sufficient basis all by itself, for a sound, comprehensive energy policy.” Moreover, he added, “the government shouldn’t step in to force Americans to consume less energy.”

Energy Conservation Measures• homeowner spends $1400/yr on energy

- 45% heating and cooling- 11% hot water- 10% washer/dryer- 7% lighting

• fluorescent light bulbs• tankless hot water heater (gas vs. electric)• front loading washing machine• improved, more efficient refrigerator• energy efficient A/C (78oF in summer, 68oF in winter)• digital thermostat use (internet-enabled)• www.austinenergy.com energy calculator• shade trees reduce A/C use 2-8%• see also www.eere.energy.gov/consumer and

http://energystar.gov

City of Austin Energy Savers(typical 15 year home)

• needs 5 to 8 inches of attic insulation

• leaks up to 27% of heating/air conditioner into attic

• leaks ~2% out windows and doors

• lacks solar screens on windows (blocks out 90% of summer heat)

Building Energy Consumption Reduced by New Materials

• Changing insulation materials (foams) from polystyrene to polyurethane (R improves from 5 to 8). Carbon ROI is 233.

• Heat conduction

• Phase change materials (e.g., gypsum) use desiccant evaporation to reduce heat loss (counteracts heat conduction in summer)

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Green Housing Ad

“Greenguys Homes uses green building practices to build energy efficiency into every home in Crystal Falls. Each home is built to meet federal Energy Star specifications and includes ceiling fans in the master bedroom and family room, 30-year shingles, programmable thermostats, 14 SEER Carrier air conditioners and TechShield radiant roof barrier which prevents up to 97 percent of the sun’s radiant heat from entering the attic. Low E-Glass windows with tinted sunglass panes also help to reduce the sun’s radiant heat.”

Vending Machines

• power down lights and motors using activity sensors

• save 40% of energy in soft drink machines ($100 per year per machine)

Walmart Energy Measures(McKinney, TX)

• photovoltaic solar panels over the length of storefront

• 120 ft tall wind turbine (5% of store’s energy)

• rainwater harvesting system

• tubing around frozen food section recycles the hot air generated by refrigerants

Walmart Energy Measures(McKinney, TX)

• low hanging ductwork cuts electricity costs by cooling bottom half of store

• cooking oil (deli) and engine oil are recycled to heat the building

• store lighting uses LED bulbs rather than fluorescent strips

Green Housing (e.g., Dormitories)

• Laptop computers use 20% of energy consumption of desktops

• Power down appliances (TV’s) when not used• Energy metering changes student behavior• Interlocked thermostats and motion/window

sensors- AC turns off when windows are closed and

no one is in room- AC shuts off when windows/doors are open- Lights turn off when no one in room

Green Buildings

• Green roof contains low maintenance plants• Condensate from A/C captured for irrigation• Green roofs can provide environmental cooling

and filter pollutants (reduce A/C costs by 40%),• Cost = $10/ft2 vs. $2/ft2 for regular roof, need

large scale application to reduce heat island effect from asphalt, concrete roofs

Solid-state Lighting

• Lighting accounts for ~20% of electricity used in the US• Incandescent bulbs convert only ~5% of electricity to light• Compact Fluorescent bulbs are ~4X more efficient• Solid-state LEDs and OLEDs can be ~12X more efficient

The form of solid-state lighting fixtures can be quite versatile; however, anything that cannotfit into today’s format will addtime and cost to implementation.

Next Generation Lighting

• OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) such as quinolines or polymers

• Fluorescent bulbs have mercury issue, shape restrictions• ILED’s (inorganic) used in traffic lights• OLED’s used in MP3 players (vibrant colors)• Making “white” light is technical challenge for OLED’s

(RGB)• 10X life over fluorescent (200 x over incandescent) with

same efficiency• 10 years off, make into sheets vs. bulbs (mfg. advantage)

Tax Breaks for Energy Use

• tax credit for home improvements that save energy (2006-07); 10% of cost up to total of $500

• $200 cap on energy saving windows• $300 cap on A/C replacement• claim 30% of cost of solar water heater (cannot

be used for pools or hot tubs); same credits for photovoltaic installation

• see www.energytaxincentives.org

Hybrid Car Purchase

• $200 deduction for Prius in 2005

• in 2006, tax credit ranges from $650 to $3400, depending on fuel efficiency

(note: credit worth more than a deduction)

• credits limited to first 60,000 vehicles from each automaker

• tax incentive expires on 12/31/2010

Paper vs. Plastic Bag

• Which is more energy efficient? on a life cycle basis?

Buying Locally Grown Produce

• Energy is consumed in production, processing, packaging, transporting, and consumption (food system)

• 19% of fossil fuel energy is used in food system (same as fuel for cars!)

• 90% of all fresh vegetables consumed in U.S. are grown in California

• >$120 billion of food is imported into U.S.• Average American foodstuff travels 1500 miles

Option Annual Energy Saved (BTU/yr) – U.S.

Mass transit 20 x 1015

Fuel efficient auto 9 x 1015

Insulation 3.5 x 1015

Efficient lighting 3 x 1015

Efficient heating/cooling 3 x 1015

Efficient appliances 1 x 1015

Telecommute 1 x 1015

Standby power 1 x 1015

Total 42 x 1015

Energy Saving Suggestions(from An Inconvenient Truth)

UT Sustainability Office

• Re-energize President’s Task Force on Sustainability• Updating Greenhouse Gas Inventory• Carbon Action Plan – adopted by 2011?

– With a carbon neutral target or goal

• Use of reclaimed water for utilities and irrigation (400M gal/year)

• Substantially reduce waste stream (recycle 80%)• More electric/natural gas vehicles• Green power for part of PRC energy• Application of LEED to renovation projects