Energy efficiency has traditionally been evaluated primarily on the direct basis of economic benefit of the investment. However, an increasing amount of studies have shown that "high performance/green buildings" can provide all of the following, depending on the measures incorporated and the type of occupancy:
- Reduced Operating Costs
- Lower Maintenance Costs & Extended Equipment Lives
- Increased Productivity & Reduced Employee Absenteeism
- Reduced Incidents of Building Related Sicknesses
- Higher Test Scores from Students
- Increased Product Sales
- Reduced Impact on Municipal Infrastructure
- Higher Resale and/or Leasing Values & Marketability
- Decreased Building Product Waste Streams
- Increased Market For Recycled Content Materials
- Equivalent (but preferable) to Supply-Side Resources (e.g. Power Plants)
- Enhanced Environmental Quality & Decreased Pollution
As the following figure illustrates, California (in aggregate) has done a relatively good job of managing energy use compared to other regions - but there are still plenty of opportunities at individual site and community levels:
The ClearEdge5 is a combined heat and power (CHP) energy system based on fuel cell technology. The compact system, which has been designed for small commercial and residential units, efficiently converts natural gas into both electricity and heat.
Experiment with alternative transportation, carpooling, walking, bus, or train.
