With today’s technology,the potential savings are enormous.
Energy efficient buildings
Over 40percent of the world’s energy consumption and 21 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions originate in buildings. The largest energy consumption is based on the technical systems and lighting, which add up to 40 to 60 percent of the total energy costs of a building. The potential for energy savings is enormous.A perfect example of an efficient building is the Chinese Pavilion, the symbol of Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The China Pavilion was built with energy-saving building technology from Siemens.
The Expo's green landmark: The China Pavilion was built with energy-saving building technology from Siemens.
Building technologies
To improve the energy efficiency of buildings, Total Building Solutions by Siemens intelligently networks building infrastructures, innovative electrical installation technology, and automation systems. With Totally Integrated Power,Siemens offers perfectly coordinated products and systems for distributing electricity in buildings. Additional communication and software modules link energy distribution with building automation. As early as 2009, Siemens delivered an integrated service package for energy savings and emissions reduction, including technical and financing solutions, to the Beijing-Chaoyang District. The achieved annual energy savings are estimated to be around 472,600kWh, or 12 percent. In 2010, the project was extended to include public buildings and other relevant areas in the district.
Energy Performance Contracting
When buildings are evaluated in terms of energy efficiency, all costs arising throughout their life cycle must be considered. New buildings are often used differently from what was originally planned. Ten to fifteen percent of their energy can be conserved if individual systems are periodically adjusted for actual usage,with the help of recorded data from the building automation system. In addition, up to 40 percent of energy can be saved through the comprehensive energy modernization of older buildings, which Siemens provides with Energy Performance Contracting. The investment quickly amortizes through energy and materials savings.
Lighting
Nineteen percent of global electricity consumption is used for lighting. Over one-third of this electricity can be saved by using energy-efficient lighting solutions –in fact, some solutions enable savings of up to 80 percent. Intelligent ballast, modern lighting technologies like LED, and multisensors also allow the economical conversion of existing lighting systems.
Buildings as prosumers
In the industrialized countries, more and more buildings have photovoltaic or small wind energy systems on their roofs. So called “Smart Buildings” transform from energy consumers to active participants in the energy market. A smart building is energy-efficient and generates, stores, and uses its own energy with its own management and control of these processes. With intelligent electronic electricity meters, improved demand estimates, and active building energy management, smart buildings become part of the smart grid.
