One of the essential areas within which architecture needs to be sustainable is the factor of energy efficient buildings. Building architects have the requisite to work on designing green architecture which is relevant to our times. Constructions are huge guzzlers of energy in many ways and the building industry has contributed to the high energy demand globally. This brings about a requirement hence for buildings to contain requirements for sustainability in order for them to favorably give to the green agenda.
A Guide for Architects designing Green Architecture Through Energy Efficient Buildings Having Green Fittings
good daylight in an energy efficient building
Sustainable design calls for buildings to reduce their energy demand, i.e. that they wield less power requirements on the environment, and do not cause adverse environmental effects in the action of getting this power. This is associated to the necessity for clean green energy that does not harm the environment. Conforming to the green agenda means that we need to seek energy sources that have low volatile organic compound content and emit less carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases.
Energy is consumed within buildings through the large amount of conveniences and gadgets that we use in our bureaus, institutions, places of dwelling, industries and commercial enterprises. These gadgets are required for the efficient operations of these facilities. We cannot operate in today’s job market surroundings without using these machines. With this in mind, we play, produce and buy and sell using contraptions and equipment that constantly use energy in one way or another.
It is in the context of our built environment that we use these energy consuming gadgets to accomplish our day to day works. It is therefore primary that we check how we can trim back the rate of consumption of energy within our buildings Likewise it is necessary that we consider the employment of appliances that make a well-intentioned effort to work well while consuming as little energy as possible.
Architects should design energy efficient buildings which incorporate energy efficient devices
The requirement for sufficient light is a major necessity for most activities in the home, and especially within the workplace where it is quite pronounced. In many offices today, deep interior spaces are the norm with their workstations distant from natural lighting from windowpanes. In this regard, the need for artificial lighting becomes important.
One may believe that the monetary value of illuminating a single workstation may be relatively small. However when this is considered in the circumstance of an integral office consisting of many workstations, it is a substantial cost factor . Lighting an office or home also requires other levels of light to be provided, including general lighting, task lighting, external lighting and decorative lighting. All these exert their demands on the light expenditure required. These factors all add up to create a substantial energy demand placed by the factor of light.
Energy saving lamps are one way of striving to ensure that energy is saved within buildings. The ability for a luminaire to offer the same light as another, which consumes much more energy, is a huge merit that users need to take cognizance of. Traditional tungsten filament lamps used to consume much electricity and give out light and heat. However revolutionary technological advancements have raised energy efficient light bulbs that require less energy and produce more light. The LED lights employed today also offer these merits. As such, should you need to supply artificial lighting to raise your working area lighting levels, you will expend far less on energy use by using these kinds of light fittings.
The ability to operate how light fittings are used within buildings is a big source of savings for one who is interested in going green.This can be achieved by ensuring that one can moderate the use of light fittings in spaces which are not used continually. For example, spaces such as toilets and stores can have their light automatically controlled such that they switch off when no one is within these spaces. At night, the use of office lights when people are not in the building can be automatically regulated. Security lights dealing with out-of-door spaces can also be a source of high consumption.
Self regulating light fixtures that are able to turn themselves on or deactivate themselves are the best for these applications. The use of light installations having electronic detectors and light sensors allow electric fittings like lights and fans to be turned on automatically as they sense the presence of a user in the space. In addition, should the space be cleaned out, the light fixtures are able to switch themselves off, resulting in less wastage. Light fixtures having photocell sensors are also able to detect the amount of surrounding lighting in a space and are able to dim or brighten accordingly, to ensure optimum lighting levels. This has a huge impact in creating savings from energy consumption through smart lighting.
Energy is also consumed within the offices in a big way by the computers we work with. Computers are used globally, and most activities in the workplace and the home happen in the context of electronic media. It should be noted that they often come in more than one component that requires power, i.e. a CPU unit, a monitor, printers and other peripheral devices, as well as an uninterrupted power supply (UPS).
Information Technology managers should encourage the use of portable computers within the office from day to day, as these come as single units that consume less power. Laptops and netbooks have developed steadily in their abilities to manage tasks in the office, with many having great specs. Their portability offers great advantages in allowing people to work in various locations without much challenge.
A major virtue is the fact that their power supply utilization is much leaner than comparable desktop computers that require several factors to be powered at a time. Use of such computer systems will ensure much lower power use within the office. In addition, being battery powered gives an additional choice for energy provision, ensuring that less electrical power is drawn from the national grid all the time.
Actively Engage Methods to Guarantee Energy Efficient Buildings
Considering these two areas alone in a working environment can have great significance on the energy demands of a building. By thoroughly dealing with energy consumption in buildings, architects can create an energy efficient buildings that are extremely sustainable.
