Some energy consumption numbers to think about.
In 2009, France set a goal for new construction of net 50 kilowatt-hours per square meters per year. That's 15.85 kBTU/sf/year. These will become requirements for certain non-residential public projects in 2011 and residential projects in 2013. The city of Paris has added a goal of 80 kwh/m2/year, or 25.37 kBTU/sf/year for renovation projects. Listed historic monuments are excluded from these soon-to-be-obligatory targets. How does this compare to energy consumption and energy consumption targets in the USA?
The average energy intensity unit (EIU) for a commercial building in the United States is 91 kBTU per square feet per year, based on 2003 CBECS survey available on the US Energy Information Agency website.
The US Dept of Energy EERE High Performance Database currently includes 124 buildings. Seven of these buildings are identified as Net Zero energy consumers, meaning they purchase no power from "the grid". Most of these projects are small, less than 10,000 square feet. Nine buildings purchase less 15.85 kBTU/sf/year; and one project includes an existing building and another project includes a rehabilitated historic home (Hidden Villa Youth Hostel & Summer Camp). Again, these projects are small in scale; the largest at 46,000 square feet is two to three times larger than the other projects. Thirteen additional projects purchase less than 25.37 kBTU/sf/year -- and some of these are rather large at 76,000 or 149,000 square feet. A few are renovation projects; none are preservation projects.
The question in both the USA and France is "how to reach these energy consumption targets?" Demolish and build new does not strike me as a responsible answer, given the vast quantity of existing buildings and resources that represents. Common sense says the first step is to reduce the demand for energy, which is sometimes challenged by our modern technologies and expectations. A second step is to seek energy from the most efficient technologies possible, reusing energy within the system wherever possible. A third step is to seek energy from renewable sources, and to push renewable technologies to improve their efficiency and to reduce the environmental footprint of their raw materials extraction, manufacture and transportation. It's clear we have a long way to go...
France set the ambitious targets it has for several reasons. A primary one is based on calculations of greenhouse gas emissions and what must be done to meet their obligation to the Kyoto protocol to stabilize its greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2012. Note that these low energy consumption targets are being set by a country that generates most of its energy from nuclear power, a process that is low on the greenhouse gas emissions, although it does introduce other questions. Realizing the need to address power sources, France has set a goal that 23% of energy consumption to come from renewable sources by the year 2020; two primary technologies being looked to are solar panel collector installations and wind farms across the landscape. Again, these are ambitious targets -- and the question that remains is how? Especially in a country with a high density of cultural heritage (built environment and landscape).
In 2009, France set a goal for new construction of net 50 kilowatt-hours per square meters per year. That's 15.85 kBTU/sf/year. These will become requirements for certain non-residential public projects in 2011 and residential projects in 2013. The city of Paris has added a goal of 80 kwh/m2/year, or 25.37 kBTU/sf/year for renovation projects. Listed historic monuments are excluded from these soon-to-be-obligatory targets. How does this compare to energy consumption and energy consumption targets in the USA?
The average energy intensity unit (EIU) for a commercial building in the United States is 91 kBTU per square feet per year, based on 2003 CBECS survey available on the US Energy Information Agency website.
The US Dept of Energy EERE High Performance Database currently includes 124 buildings. Seven of these buildings are identified as Net Zero energy consumers, meaning they purchase no power from "the grid". Most of these projects are small, less than 10,000 square feet. Nine buildings purchase less 15.85 kBTU/sf/year; and one project includes an existing building and another project includes a rehabilitated historic home (Hidden Villa Youth Hostel & Summer Camp). Again, these projects are small in scale; the largest at 46,000 square feet is two to three times larger than the other projects. Thirteen additional projects purchase less than 25.37 kBTU/sf/year -- and some of these are rather large at 76,000 or 149,000 square feet. A few are renovation projects; none are preservation projects.
The question in both the USA and France is "how to reach these energy consumption targets?" Demolish and build new does not strike me as a responsible answer, given the vast quantity of existing buildings and resources that represents. Common sense says the first step is to reduce the demand for energy, which is sometimes challenged by our modern technologies and expectations. A second step is to seek energy from the most efficient technologies possible, reusing energy within the system wherever possible. A third step is to seek energy from renewable sources, and to push renewable technologies to improve their efficiency and to reduce the environmental footprint of their raw materials extraction, manufacture and transportation. It's clear we have a long way to go...
France set the ambitious targets it has for several reasons. A primary one is based on calculations of greenhouse gas emissions and what must be done to meet their obligation to the Kyoto protocol to stabilize its greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2012. Note that these low energy consumption targets are being set by a country that generates most of its energy from nuclear power, a process that is low on the greenhouse gas emissions, although it does introduce other questions. Realizing the need to address power sources, France has set a goal that 23% of energy consumption to come from renewable sources by the year 2020; two primary technologies being looked to are solar panel collector installations and wind farms across the landscape. Again, these are ambitious targets -- and the question that remains is how? Especially in a country with a high density of cultural heritage (built environment and landscape).
I've stumbled across some beautiful examples of cathedral and chapel lighting in France - both contemporary and early electric fixtures, some that were probably gas before. I will continue to add to this post, as I encounter new and striking designs.
Angers - Chapel at the Chateau
Angers - Chapel at the Chateau
