After Gutenberg

All in all, a good time was had by all at RMI’s 25 anniversary. I wonder if they served Bananas Foster?

As previously noted, buildings play a key role in how Climate Change could be mitigated. Authors of the WBDG (Whole Building Design Guide) note:

On an annual basis, buildings in the United States consume 42% of America’s energy and 68% of its electricity. Furthermore, buildings generate 35% of the carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49% of the sulfur dioxide, and 25% of the nitrogen oxides found in the air.

Currently, the vast majority of this energy is produced from nonrenewable, fossil fuel resources. With America’s supply of fossil fuel dwindling, concerns for energy supply security increasing (both for general supply and specific needs of facilities), and the impact of greenhouse gases on world climate rising, it is essential to find ways to reduce load, increase efficiency, and utilize renewable fuel resources.

WBDG recommendations include:

• Use passive solar design; orient, size, and specify windows; and locate landscape elements with solar geometry and building load requirements in mind.
• Use high-performance building envelopes; select walls, roofs, and other assemblies based on long-term, insulation, and durability requirements.
• Evaluate the use of common, on-site renewable energy technologies such as daylighting, solar water heating, and geothermal heat pumps.

Efficiency and conservation are often a sound investment economically and environmentally. Amory Lovins is proud of his banana farm in Snowmass, Colorado, a.k.a., the Rocky Mountain Institute, that employs super insulation. He also likes to ask about “end uses” and how much energy, of what kind, at what scale, from what source, will meet each usage in the cheapest way?

Lovins has been making his “negawatts” pitch for 35 years; someone may hear him eventually. In a recent WorldChanging story, Bill Joy notes “The demand side of energy efficiency is not as sexy as solar or wind energy, but it is much more effective.”

The WC story highlighted three areas that merit further R&D:

1. Super-efficient energy storage
2. Solar energy with non-exotic materials
3. Combustion-less coal-to-energy production.

The first two relate directly to more energy efficient building and the third indirectly relates since building use so much energy.

Beyond, an end use — least cost analysis, there is another question: how sustainable is the choice of energy? Energy awareness extends beyond design elements and materials used in construction; energy awareness could mean the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions based on a life cycle assessment.

For instance, in the transportation sector, Dan Kammen has suggested a measure of the GHG equivalent for every mega joule expended. Other academicians have proposed intervention strategies that encompass sustainable architecture standards.