Buildings Energy Management

The patterns of energy usage that characterize the modern lifestyle is largely dictated by the buildings we choose to inhabit and where we put them. Energy management of buildings with climate change and reducing carbon emissions in mind will have a profound impact on how climate change is met.

Energy Profile Of Common Building Materials

One of the largest sources of energy input into building materials is the cost of finding, mining, processing and transporting mineral items such as drywall. All the wood used to make a frame is also costly to transport and has a negative impact on the ability of the Earth to soak up all that excess carbon.

Building Placement And Energy Management

Architecture is ripe to begin considering fuel efficiency when designing buildings for public and private use. Certification standards favorably rates building placement that allows natural airflow and solar accumulation to provide heating and cooling for the occupants. Whether buildings set into southerly exposed hillsides, which is very energy efficient in cold climates, will fare well with increased climate chaos depends on how well vegetation is maintained to keep erosion at a minimum.

Energy Management With Alternative Materials

While some areas do absolutely require building to follow the conventional “western” wooden frame design. There are other ways to build houses that are actually more stable and entirely made from toxin-free alternative materials.

Earthships, straw bale houses, adobe brick, tire-tamped earth, Oregon cob and even bamboo are popular alternative building materials. These are all made from dirt itself or harvested crops and are very stable and efficient over time when correctly designed. Generally contractors won’t bother with such materials, so if you want to design and make such a home or business, you may need to plan on doing it yourself. Spend some time practicing telling the bank how you want a loan for a mud hut, too.

Scorn and ridicule from the construction trades aside, the use of alternative materials will likely become of greater interest as rapidly rising fuel costs make construction too expensive for many to afford. Recession-proof materials will be in high demand.