Monday, 28 May 2018

Energy Star Canada - Welcome Introduction



Energy Star Canada - Welcome Introduction

ENERGY STAR is the international symbol for energy efficiency – a simple way for consumers to identify products that are among the top energy performers on the market.
Products bearing the ENERGY STAR symbol help save energy and money and protect our environment.

ENERGY STAR Canada is a voluntary partnership between the Government of Canada and organizations in public, private and not-for-profit sectors to promote energy efficiency.

ENERGY STAR makes it easy for Canadian to make energy efficient choices that help them save money on energy bills, increase their competitiveness, and fight climate change.

Partnering with the United States
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) administers and promotes the use of the ENERGY STAR name and symbol in Canada under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Canada became an international partner in the program in 2001.
NRCan works closely with the EPA to develop ENERGY STAR technical specifications for products. It also develops Canadian specifications for certain ENERGY STAR certified products.

Three tools for energy efficiency In Canada

ENERGY STAR is one of three devices that consumers, governments, and businesses use to advance energy efficiency in Canada.
•    Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations set minimum energy performance standards for energy-using products.
•    EnerGuide is Canada’s energy-efficiency labeling program and rating system for significant appliances, room air conditioners and some heating and ventilating equipment.
•    The ENERGY STAR symbol identifies products that have met or exceeded technical specifications for high efficiency.

Joining the ENERGY STAR Initiative in Canada is easy and makes good business sense. Here is why:

•    ENERGY STAR gives you turn-key access to a first-class brand—tested, certified and backed by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).
•    As an ENERGY STAR Participant, you get authorized to use the ENERGY STAR symbol and clear instructions on how to use it.
•    ENERGY STAR is a proven sales tool, widely recognized and respected by consumers.
•    NRCan sends you up-to-date information through product bulletins, communiqués and our newsletter ENERGY STAR News/Nouvelles.
•    You can talk directly to an ENERGY STAR account manager in your field.
•    ENERGY STAR website will include you as a partner.  Listing allows Canadian consumers, including procurement departments, to find you.
•    You can connect with other Participants, share experiences and even run a joint promotion.
•    Participants get positive recognition for being part of the forward-looking ENERGY STAR community.
•   As an international partner in the U.S.-based ENERGY STAR program, Canada’s initiative is aligned with our most important trading partner.

Source: Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

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Saturday, 19 May 2018

Zero Carbon Buildings (ZCB)


Zero Carbon Buildings (ZCB)

Wikipedia says that " ... Low-carbon buildings are buildings designed and constructed to release very little or no carbon at all during their lifetime."

WHAT IS A ZERO CARBON BUILDING?

A zero carbon building is a building with zero net energy consumption or zero net carbon emissions on an annual basis. In recent years, low/zero carbon buildings have attracted much attention in many countries because they are considered as an important strategy to achieve energy conservation and reduce greenhouse gases emissions. Some examples of the other existing zero carbon buildings in the world include:

Self-sufficient solar house, Freiburg, Germany
Plus Energy House, Ministry of Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Town Planning, Germany
Beddington Zero Energy Development, London
Pusat Tenaga Malaysia’s ZEO Building, Malaysia
BCA Academy, Singapore
The Samsung Green Tomorrow House, South Korea

A zero carbon building is defined as one that is highly energy-efficient
and produces onsite, or procures, carbon-free renewable energy in an amount sufficient to offset the annual carbon emissions associated with operations.

Canada has one of the most advanced green building sectors in the world and is well positioned to meet the challenge of reducing and eventually eliminating GHG emissions from building operations. Over the last decade
green building certification programs have raised the bar for energy-efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability practices and, as a result, have changed the way buildings are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated.

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Saturday, 12 May 2018

Energy Management Effect On Carbon Footprint


Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent Greenhouse gas (GHG) produced by human activities. Industrialization has been among the primary factors for increased CO2 production, mostly through the consumption of electricity and the burning of fossil fuels.  A lack of competitive pressure for developing environmentally friendly management practices generally prevails among industrial firms, although marginal improvements in energy management practices and energy efficiency are evident. Most studies found that energy audit and energy efficiency are two critical factors for reducing carbon emissions. Also, studies found that energy awareness, knowledge, and commitment are related to energy efficiency. One key outcome . was the development of a new theoretical model of energy management practices. The findings of studies have opened new research and development opportunities to identify alternatives to monetizing environmental concepts such as carbon emissions and energy efficiency.
1. Carbon Footprinting is a tool to help reduce carbon emissions and is becoming a fundamental regulatory requirement. It is one part of sustainability, not the whole, and needs to be viewed within
the overall environmental context.
2. Carbon Footprinting is also an evaluation tool to help increase energy efficiency.
3. International harmonization of carbon footprint definitions, methodology, and data is needed.
4. There is a need to resolve uncertainty on some critical issues: energy, biogenic, and end-of-life stage.

Energy efficiency means using less energy to provide the same service. For example, a compact fluorescent bulb is more efficient than a traditional incandescent bulb as it uses much less electrical power to produce the same amount of light. Similarly, a useful boiler takes less fuel to heat a home to a given temperature than a less efficient model.
The phrase 'energy efficiency' is often used as a shorthand to describe any energy-saving measure, though technically it should be distinguished from energy conservation – a broader term which can also include forgoing a service rather than changing the efficiency with which it is provided. Examples of energy conservation involve turning down a thermostat in the winter or walking to the shops rather than driving there.
Increasing energy efficiency often costs money up-front, but in many cases, this capital outlay will be paid back in the form of reduced energy costs within a short period. This makes efficiency improvements an attractive starting point for reducing carbon emissions.
The scope of the savings – and the techniques required – depending on the situation and location. For homes in cold countries such as Canada, the most effective measures include increasing insulation, draught proofing, installing good-quality double-glazed windows and switching to more efficient appliances and light bulbs. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) estimates that these improvements could reduce annual CO2 emissions from British homes by around 17 million tonnes by 2020 – about a tenth of the 2008 residential total.
By contrast, increasing efficiency in non-domestic buildings often means focusing on ventilation and air-conditioning, in addition to lighting, heating, and appliances. Many such buildings have achieved savings of around 25% after undergoing a refit to increase efficiency.
Energy-intensive industries, such as iron, steel, and cement manufacture, have become more efficient over time due to new equipment and better re-use of waste heat. For example, a hot pipe containing a chemical that needs to be cooled can be used to heat up other chemicals (this is known as 'heat integration'). Motors are used widely in industry for a variety of tasks, such as pumping, mixing and driving conveyor belts. The installation of efficient, correctly sized motors and drives can result in energy savings of 20–25%.
Vehicles have also become more energy efficient over the decades' thanks to factors such as improved engines and lighter, more aerodynamic designs.
Improving energy efficiency does not necessarily translate into reduced CO2 emissions: the savings depend on the situation. If the energy is supplied from fossil fuels – such as petrol in a car or electricity from a coal-fired plant – then improved efficiency will cut emissions. But if the energy is supplied by a low-carbon source such as electricity from nuclear or renewables, then improving efficiency may have little impact on emissions. (When comparing electric and non-electric appliances, it's important to consider the effectiveness of the power generation, too: switching from a 90% efficient gas boiler to a '100% efficient' electric heater will increase energy use and emissions if the electricity comes from regular fossil fuel power plants, which themselves are highly inefficient, losing much of the energy in their fuel as waste heat.)
Energy efficiency is always a good idea. Whether it results in energy savings depends on what we do with the money we saved. In some cases, efficiency savings can be offset by changes in user behavior – the so-called 'rebound effect'. One example would be that insulating a home may make it more economical for the resident to maintain a higher temperature, increasing the standard of comfort but reducing the energy savings.
Nonetheless, improving energy efficiency is a vital tool for reducing CO2 emissions, alongside energy conservation and low-carbon energy sources such as renewables and carbon capture and storage.

Source: Article written by Dr. Tamaryn Napp, Professor Nilay Shah, and Professor David Fisk.

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Thursday, 3 May 2018

What is a Baseline?


What is a Baseline?
One of the most significant challenges to effectively managing energy is accurately determining an energy management system's impact on energy use and cost. Energy use is often dictated by a large number of dynamic, interrelated factors. That makes it unclear whether changes in consumption are the result of implemented energy efficiency measures, changes in other factors affecting your energy use (like the weather), or some combination of both.
So, how do you separate the effects of your energy management system from other factors? To do so, you need an energy baseline.

Energy Baselines, Defined:
An energy baseline is a reference tool. It allows you to compare energy performance before and after a change is made to your site or system. The baseline establishes the “before” by capturing a site or system's total energy use before making improvements. It accounts for energy affecting factors like temperature or production volume. The baseline is accomplished by modeling the site’s performance before changes, typically employing a statistical technique called linear regression.

The baseline serves three fundamental purposes:
1. It allows you to zero in on what’s contributing to good or evil energy performance by providing an apples-to-apples comparison of energy use between two different periods.
2. It can forecast energy use and cos through manipulation of the energy affecting factors.
3. It can be used for monitoring and verify savings from energy efficiency projects.

Baselines can be established using nothing more than utility bills, data on the energy affecting factors during the selected billing periods, and Excel.
However, this requires know-how and the effort of collecting the relevant data each time compared to baseline is performed.

Source: Article - Michael John, Implementation August 19, 2015

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Zero Energy Buildings

A Common Definition for Zero Energy Buildings Thousands of project teams throughout the country seek to push the envelope and dev...