Energy Awareness Month is the time to promote the importance of finding more efficient ways to use energy, such as weather stripping, upgrading to LED lights and implementing a programmed thermostat. Planning these efforts and taking action will ensure a significant decrease in energy consumption making your building more sustainable and efficient. In fact, the president announced an additional $2 billion goal in federal energy-efficiency upgrades to federal buildings through 2016.
This year’s Energy Awareness Month had an emphasis on a clean energy economy, energy security and developing clean energy technology. So much, in fact, users could test themselves and sign into Facebook and test their knowledge on affordable energy in an America’s Power quiz.
StratIS, an app-based energy,access management and control system focused on multifamily residences, like apartment buildings, has developed this infographic around Energy Awareness Month, and provides tips to ensure that you are getting the most out of your building and using your energy in the best way possible.
Within, StratIS states:
- Apartment buildings waste 33% of energy they use with the most being heating and cooling
- Highest wasted energy in your apartment building starts with 30% being lost through your roof
- Ways to become energy efficient starts with programmed thermostats,weatherstripping and energy management systems
Makati1 on Fri, 6th Nov 2015 7:25 pm
Energy management system that is free: Turn it off if you are not using it.
Most every appliance these days has some function like a clock or timer or ‘instant on’ feature that is draining electric 24/7/365. We put everything on switchable circuits so that they could be totally turned off when not in use. There was a noticeable drop in our electric bill and every bit helps when it costs about $0.28/KwH.
We replaced our bulbs with LED which lasts for years and draw a small percentage of the electric of incandescent.
Replacing the A/C with a high EER, sized to the room, also cut our electric use and it pays for itself in a few years.
By measures such as this, we cut our electric use by ~40% on average and are still moving down the energy consumption road. Nothing in our lifestyle has changed except our energy bill.
When we move to the farm, the A/C and electric cooking (induction) will be gone. The need for lighting will diminish. And eventually, solar will replace the commercial electric. Soon, I hope.
tita on Fri, 6th Nov 2015 8:57 pm
I remember my grandfather being very cautious on not leaving a room without switching off the light. But this was not at all for ecology, but just economy. He was raised at a time when electricity was new and expensive.
I really don’t believe in the conscious gesture of ecology. The only thing people really understand is the impact on their wallet. If they can afford it, they will use it. Otherwise, nobody would buy an SUV and drive it alone to go to work. And the transport bill is easily 10 times the electricity and heating bill over a year.
Davy on Fri, 6th Nov 2015 9:39 pm
Tita, “I really don’t believe in the conscious gesture of ecology”
Tita, I have a spiritual respect for nature so I practice relative sacrifice. That is just me not claiming it should be for everyone. In fact it won’t make any difference because humans are out of control anyway. I guess it matters locally but in the big picture, NO. We shit our nest already. I also do it for economic reasons. I enjoy being efficient with my resources. I believe in having respect for your “stuff”. I buy things that last. I store and organize “stuff”. I hate seeing stuff neglected. I see this neglect as a profound deficiency with modern man. We lack care and respect for “stuff”. We are a throw away culture. This will change once consumerism ends. People will think twice about buying and throwing stuff away soon.
Go Speed Racer on Fri, 6th Nov 2015 11:56 pm
What a stupid headline. Apartments don’t waste 33% of their energy, they waste all of it. 100% goes out the windows, or heats the upstairs neighbors floor while he drops books on it while you try to sleep. Everybody knows this.
Kenz300 on Sat, 7th Nov 2015 9:59 am
Every new home needs to be energy efficient and come with Solar Panels……..
LED light bulbs save energy and the price of the bulbs have dropped significantly…….
Save energy = save money………….
Kenz300 on Sat, 7th Nov 2015 10:00 am
Saving energy…..saves money……….
My local utility offered a home audit so I took them up on their offer.
I had this done at my home and then did the recommended repairs……. the next month after the repairs my utility bills dropped by over 20%……………..
Climate Change is real…. it will impact all of us……we need to move to clean energy production with wind and solar power and clean energy consumption with electric vehicles……… Fossil fuels are the cause of Climate Change….. we need to deal with the cause….