Energy efficiency refers to using less energy for the same task – eliminating energy waste – as one of the easiest and least costly ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, combatting climate change and meeting budget and needs of families and businesses.
Insulating homes and installing smart thermostats that automatically adjust when people are sleeping or away can save significant energy; while purchasing energy efficient appliances can lead to additional savings.
Buildings
Energy efficiency should always be top of mind for commercial projects – whether new construction or remodeling existing spaces – because it reduces costs, strengthens your brand image and furthers corporate sustainability goals.
Investment in high-performance insulation, state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and renewable technology can significantly lower energy consumption. Selecting energy-efficient windows with reflective coatings to help minimize heat gain/loss can further lower energy use in summertime.
Integrating monitoring and energy management systems into your building can help you identify inefficiencies quickly, so that upgrades based on data are made with precision. Optimizing HVAC systems alone could result in energy savings of up to 30% with payback times in three years or less; investing in district energy networks also enables stable temperatures underground pipe to reduce peak demand, improve overall energy efficiency, and boost overall savings.
Transportation
Transport is at the core of our lives and economies, moving people and goods over 81 trillion km annually. Transportation represents our biggest energy consumer while producing significant emissions.
Transport may take the form of public transit (such as buses and trains), private automobiles, taxis or shared electric scooters), freight transport by trucks, ships or containerized rail and the energy efficiency of these modes is determined primarily by fuel source.
Energy efficiency can be measured as the amount of fuel consumed per unit distance travelled (in litres/100 km or miles/gallon equivalent), or in kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres; other factors including vehicle weight and occupancy rate also come into consideration when measuring this ratio. Vehicles with high energy efficiency ratings and low emission rates can help lower fossil fuel use and emissions, and greenhouse gases as a whole. Regulations and purchase incentives influencing fuel efficiency are valuable policy instruments; while electrification of passenger and freight transport or cleaner fuels like green methanol or sustainable aviation fuels provide further opportunities to lower energy use.