Page 3 - Advanced Technology for Energy and Water Saving
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        powered by electricity, not oil. Toilets use less water than   One of the most frequent mistakes we see among home-
        would have been believed possible 20 years ago. Ventilation   owners who want to live a “green” lifestyle is misplacement
        fans and range hoods detect moisture and particles and   of priorities. Too often, the first upgrade they think of when
        operate automatically. Building management software     building a new home is the addition of solar PV panels.
        puts an entire building’s performance together and      That’s what we would describe as “upside-down” priorities.
        streamlines energy consumption. Where once unoccupied   Solar power is a great add-on to an e‘ciently built home,
        rooms were heated and lights left on all night, a “smart”   but it’s not the starting place to achieve real e‘ciency.
        system powers down the waste. LED light bulbs operate     A few years ago, we developed a visualization tool
        at a fraction of the power of incandescent and fluorescent   called the  Green Building Pyramid to help put home
        lights of the past.                                     efficiency in perspective. The pyramid shows that the
          That’s  not  to  say  human  behavior  doesn’t  matter   most important decisions affecting a home’s long-term
        anymore. We still need greater awareness of where and   energy and water use happen very early in the building
        how energy and water are wasted. But the right technology   process. Where is the home located? Will owners have
        can bridge the gap between good intentions and actual   to commute 45 minutes by car to work each day? How
        conservation. Let’s take a closer look.                 is it sited? Does it optimize natural sunlight? How large
                                                                is the home? A smaller home, by default, will use less
        SWEAT THE BIG STUFF FIRST                               energy. Take a look at the pyramid in the next section,
        Until you address siting, location, insulation and other   then let’s zoom in on two aspects of home energy use:
        “big” factors, save choices about smaller details for later.  electricity and water.


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