Thousands of no-cost and low-cost ways to conserve energy in any kind of building. Covers all the engineered systems – HVAC, electrical, lighting, controls, and hot water.
The Backstory
This is a new version of Retrofitting for Energy Conservation. I fixed some typos and deleted some outdated tables. The second half is gone, devoted to software and computer methods long since outdated.
It’s still as controversial as ever. Engineers hate energy conservation something fierce. They think of energy auditors worse than you perceive IRS auditors.
“Say, what? My exquisite design wastes energy!? Who. The. F. Are. You.” They hate new tech. Their attorneys hate new tech, too, because it’s allegedly less dependable.
About the Book
If you remove the second half on software, delete the complicated-looking design-criteria tables, and add many new energy tips in an appendix, you have a compact, concise review of every possible way to save energy in a medium-sized building. I mean, practically every single sentence explains another way to save energy.
Engineers never did like this book. It got terrible reviews on Amazon. I worked very hard to write that book. I traded a couple of engineering design fees with an architect friend in the office, who did the illustrations. Doh! Hand-drawn. No ugly CAD figures.
Personally, I think engineers were deeply offended by my insistence – I must have said it a hundred times – “You never, ever save energy by reducing the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).” There, I said it again. Because it’s important!
Why must I blurt this out in so many words? In a hot, humid climate, you can cut your utility bills in half (or more) by reducing the amount of fresh air delivered to a building. A classroom must have 3-4 complete air changes every hour. Stop doing that, and you risk the health of everybody in that building.
If you don’t read the book, I hope you at least remember that. Thank you.
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WH Clark, P.E.