solar panel embodied energy

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Today, most of us by now, should have realized that our planet’s resources are finite and that we must conserve what we have and take seriously plans to use renewable and green energy sources to power our lives. We must all be conscious of our environment and take steps to cut down on wasted energy.

When considering purchasing or building a house it is important to consider how energy efficient the property is or will be, in the case of a new build. If a building has high efficiency it will not only be a financial advantage regarding heating or cooling bills but also kinder to our planet by cutting carbon emissions.

Whether a new building or a renovation is proposed energy efficiency can be calculated with two primary considerations.

1. The embodied energy of the materials used for the construction.
2. The overall energy that a building consumes annually relating to heat loss through walls, windows, floors and the roof.

Considering Construction Materials:

The embodied energy efficiency is taking into consideration not only the materials used but what energy is consumed in manufacturing the materials and transportation so it can be gathered that sourcing local materials would involve shorter transportation distances consequently lower fuel usage. During a renovation, for example, it would be prudent to reuse or reclaim material from the original construction this will avoid the use of new materials and the manufacturing and transportation processes involved in using those new materials.

A life cycle assessment would also be considered, this is to measure any impact on the environment of the source of the material, and the life span of the material when used in the construction, for example, using wood from sustainable forests against using light weight metal.

A Buildings Overall Energy Consumption:

Heat loss through walls, windows, floors and the roof is wasted energy and anything that can be done to prevent this will be advantageous to your pocket as well as to the environment. Insulation in these areas is of prime importance when constructing a new property or renovating and older one. Also heating, cooling and lighting methods must be considered.

One method of efficient heating is passive heating and this is where heat from the sun and external warm air is used to back up the property’s heating system thus reducing its work load. Passive cooling techniques can also be used such as constructing shades for windows and the growing of ever green trees to provide shade.

Passive lighting in the form of sky lights and light tubes that direct natural light into the property reducing the need of electrically derived illumination.

Other considerations that will add to a building’s efficiency is to use solar water heaters and photo voltaic solar panels to provide green electricity and reduce the necessity of generating power using fossil fuels.

In summary it can be gathered that taking all these things into consideration that although initial costs may be high, in the long term it is in the interest of all of us not only in financial terms but in environmental terms to be aware of our home’s energy efficiency.

About the Author:

Visit HomemadeSolarEnergyPanels.Com to learn how to make homemade solar panels, advantages of DIY solar heating panels and basic tips on assembling your own do it yourself solar energy panels!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Buildings and Energy Efficiency

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